Honors Study and Travel

Upcoming Trips

Below are our Spring 2025 Study & Travel course options.  

Past Trips

Italy

This course will explore the functions of higher education and student affairs on a local and global scale. Each week you will learn about a topic related to higher education culminating in a trip to Italy, where you will be given the opportunity to compare and contrast selected components of higher education. Highlights include: touring the cities of Rome, Naples, Bologna, and Venice; enjoying local cuisine and a cooking class; day tripping to the Amalfi Coast; and visiting these famous locales: the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and much
more.

Florida Keys and Everglades

The focus of this course is on ecosystem management and restoration. Containing a mixture of lectures and discussions along with several local field trips, the course will provide background information in systems/ecosystem ecology, primary reasons for ecosystem-based management (e.g., reducing invasive species impacts, restoring threatened and endangered species, restoring ecosystem processes, to name a few), the approaches and tools used for such management, and examples of successes and failures of managing ecosystems.

Cuba

This 10-day program will immerse students in Cuba’s extraordinary culture, history, and social life. The program itinerary will take the group to the cobble-stoned streets of Old Havana, the rich farmlands of tobacco country, and the architectural gems of the island’s central provinces.
Along the route, students will stay with local families, visit schools and medical facilities, cook Cuban cuisine, spend the day on a farm, dance salsa, walk in Hemingway’s footsteps, and engage with leaders in the fields of history, politics, economic, and the arts. Students will emerge from this program with a uniquely personal knowledge of one of the world’s most fascinating countries.

London & Paris

Make lifelong memories with two of the world’s grandest cities – London and Paris. This course will provide an opportunity for immersion in the art, music, and culture of London and Paris. The tour of London will include the Tate Modern Museum, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, St George’s Chapel, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Students will travel by the Eurostar train to Paris, where sites will include the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Latin Quarter, Hôtel des Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower. There will also be trips to Versailles (including a tour of the State Apartments of the King and Queen, the Hall of Mirrors, and its lavish gardens and ornate fountains) and Montmartre (featuring the Place du Tertre and Sacré-Cœur Basilica). Museums will include the world-renowned Louvre (home of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa) and the Musée d’Orsay (the largest collection of Impressionist art in the world). There will also be a cruise on the Seine River and an optional excursion on the London Eye. Finally, students will have the opportunity to enjoy a theatre performance in London’s West End and a jazz evening in Paris.

India

This course will focus on current sociological issues in India such as population, the environment, and economic development, as well as Indian culture and everyday life. We will explore Indian religions, food, music, dress, and much more. Our travels will take us to the capital New Delhi, Amritsar the center of Sikh culture, the planned city of Chandigarh, and the hill station and resort town of Shimla. The finale will include the abandoned capital city of Fatehpur Sikri and Agra where we will see many interesting sites including a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal, perhaps the most famous and beautiful building in the world.

Germany

Participants will visit the famed cities of Munich, Bamberg, and Nuremberg, plus many others. Students are able to experience the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Wurzburg Palace with it’s Tiepolo frescoes, the Bamberg Cathedral, the Nuremberg Castle, Rhine River Cruise, Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, and Neuschwanstein Castle, to name a few.

New York

As part of this course, the Honors College and the Auburn University Theatre Department are joining forces to give you a quintessential tour New York City. Attend four shows that might include: Hadestown, Mean Girls, and Moulin Rouge. Visit the incomparable MOMA as well as the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of a theatre and enjoy the iconic NYC sites, shopping, and street food.

Greece

On this 10-day study abroad program in Greece, students will split their time between the bustling city and the mountainous countryside. In Greece, students will visit the famous site of the oracle of Apollo at Delphi and explore the mountaintop monasteries at Meteora. Participants will also enjoy the spectacular geography, taste local cuisine, and visit artisans among many other trip attractions in this ancient land.

Panama

During this trip you will learn and gain hands-on experience in water and environmental management from a Latin American perspective, while learning and immersing yourself in the cultural of Panama, interact with locals and enjoy Panamanian gorgeous landscapes and wildlife. The course is designed to give students a general understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on Panama’s water resources. Through a mix of lectures, fieldwork and trips, students will explore direct and indirect effects of a changing climate on water resources and their management. Geography and Honors credit available (max 6 hours) *Partnering with the Honors College.