From Irish Eyes to Tuscan Sun
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October 23, 2008
The first trip of the new International Tour Program was a rousing success. In a Q and A Peggy Sandgren, vice president for development and alumni relations, reflects on the tour of Ireland and looks forward to the upcoming trip to Tuscany in March.
If you'd like to view the itinerary for next March's trip to Italy, follow this link.
Q. Why did Elmhurst initiate this tour program? What did you hope to accomplish?
A. As another great benefit of being an Elmhurst alumnus, we wanted to create the special camaraderie that travel affords. The 13 of us—both alumni and friends—hit it off right away, to the point where our tour guide thought we’d known one another for years. We are still in touch and recently had a reunion. Five of us have already signed up for the trip to Tuscany in March.
Q. What was the highlight of the trip?
A. Wow, that’s a tough one. I would say the scenery, the Irish people and our driver, Greg, a six-foot, five-inch Irishman who was hilarious the entire 13 days.
Q. What are the advantages of an alumni group tour?
A. Everything is taken care of for you. Bags are loaded on the bus and placed in your room just like on a cruise; tickets for events and attractions are already purchased, and there are no worries about finding your way around. We also had free time to explore by ourselves.
Q. The trip to Tuscany sounds great. Have you made any changes in the nature of the tour?
A. In Ireland, we changed hotels almost every night; and although we saw the whole country, it was tiring at times. In Tuscany, we’ll spend six of the 10 nights in a villa and tour from there.
Q. What are some of the highlights of the trip?
A. Making new friends in Tuscany—plus Rome, Assisi, Florence, Siena—need I say more?
Q. What do you expect the weather to be like?
A. It’s usually in the low sixties. It should be a great opportunity to layer in new Italian clothes and warm up under the Tuscan sun.
We will depart on March 19, 2009, for 10 days in the Tuscany region. The trip will cost $2,829. To learn more about this exciting trip, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (800) 758-1871 or alumni@elmhurst.edu. You can reserve your space today!
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