See the world with SUU’s Community on the Go
By Haven Scott
Are you tired of vacations spent trying to figure out subway schedules, finding suitable hotel rooms, or wasting precious time driving around in circles attempting to find the best sites in an unfamiliar city? Let Southern Utah University’s Community on the Go do the work for you. Enjoy the memories to be made instead of exhausting yourself with the details that all vacations come with.
“When you travel with us, the hotels are booked, the best sites are planned, and our travel specialist will work with you to find the best flights to the destination city,” Community on the Go director Melynda Thorpe said. “Our SUU faculty expert guides do the rest by showing you behind-the-scenes parts of the world you will not see otherwise, and you will learn something new.”
In the fall of 2018, Community on the Go has three trips planned that are guaranteed to excite, captivate, and inspire more than any amusement park.
“There is a group camaraderie I have noticed in past trips that cannot be found in regular vacations,” said Jeb Branin, executive director of Experiential Learning at SUU. “The SUU experts leading the trips engage in discussions with participants and ideas begin to flow. These are not only trips, they are educational excursions.”
For the thrillseeker in all of us, Community on the Go will travel to Transylvania, Romania, and Hungary while discussing Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula.” In Romania, Bran Castle, more commonly known as Dracula’s castle due to similarities of the setting in Stoker’s famous novel, is a favorite stop for tourists.
“This trip is based on folklore and fear and takes place during Halloween season for added effect,” said trip leader Kyle Bishop, an English professor at SUU and expert in horror literature. “Many of the places that we will visit are undiscovered gems, so we are inviting the community to tour them with us before they become popular.”
For those who love theater, a November trip themed “Art and Broadway: The Big Apple Tour” is planned. Branin has led previous trips to London that highlighted theater and art, so a domestic trip sounded exciting.
New York travelers will take in three plays on Broadway, including “Dear Evan Hansen,” which won five Tony Awards including Best Musical in 2017; “Come From Away,” which was nominated for seven Tony Awards; and the play “Kinky Boots,” which won three Olivier Awards in 2016.
“My trips are theater-based, so it made sense to add a New York trip that involved Broadway,” Branin said. “Without question, Broadway and the West End are home to the world’s best English-speaking theater.”
Travelers will also visit art museums and historical buildings, including a hack tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art lead by Southern Utah Museum of Art director Jessica Farling.
Community on the Go’s last trip in 2018 takes place in December for “Christmas in the Alps” of Germany and Austria. The journey begins in Munich before traveling to the historic castles of Füessen and a tour of The Sound of Music movie site in Salzburg. In Austria, travelers will visit art museums with the option to attend an opera if desired.
“Both Germany and Austria have rich Christmas traditions appealing to community members,” said Dr. Kurt Harris, SUU’s director of Learning Abroad. “I am personally excited that we will be visiting one of the most famous and popular destinations in the world, Neuschwanstein Castle.”
Prices for Community on the Go trips include the cost of hotels, plays, museums, and transportation inside destination cities such as buses, trains, and subways. Resolve to see the world with one of these trips — travel now, invest in yourself, and make friends along the way.
For more information on SUU Community on the Go trips or to reserve your spot today, visit suu.edu/onthego, call (435) 865-8259, or stop by the office at 136 W. University Blvd., suite 3, in Cedar City.
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