Tag Archives: academic travel

Educational Travel is Still a Good Investment!

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Why you should continue with your travel plans.

If you have been thinking about traveling on an educational tour in 2009, here are a few reasons to not change your plans.

1. Our all-inclusive tours are already priced. On our exciting land programs, there is never any inflation of currency or other costs between the time you commit and the time you travel. This is reassuring, as the value of the dollar has been unpredictable during the last several months.

2. Our educational tours represent great value. If you are a life long learner, you will delight in how intellectually stimulating our tours are. Our itineraries are focused and fun, and offer lots of behind-the-scenes extras that would be hard to set up on your own. We guarantee that you will learn more in less time than on many other tours.

3. We have anticipated the unexpected for you. Our tour staff takes care of all of the details of your vacation so you can focus on learning. Should the unexpected occur—delayed baggage, a lost passport, or a delayed flight—rest assured that your ATA tour manager will take over so that you can stay on schedule with the tour without interruption.

4. You will travel with like-minded people. Many of our travelers say that the people they meet on tour make the experience truly magical. We attract well-traveled men and women who savor the luxury of time to experience a new (or familiar!) destination in depth. They are interested, and interesting!

5. Some of your favorite spots in the world might be more accessible than ever.

It is inevitable that some travelers will defer their plans until a later date. This means that you might be able to avoid crowds at some of the world’s most famous sites.

Please call us at 800-556-7896 to speak to one of our knowledgeable staff about an upcoming tour or visit our website at: www.academic-travel.com!

Chase Poffenberger

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Academic Travel Abroad On The Road This Fall!

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This is a particularly busy fall for ATA staff! Many of us are traveling to far flung parts of the world to research new itineraries, touch base with key contacts, discover new special touches, and keep abreast of opportunities that will enhance our programs.

Although we conduct an extraordinary amount of research as arm chair travelers from Washington, sometimes there is no substitute for being there. Our investment of time and resources in staff travel makes an impact on the quality of tours we offer around the world.

Research Trips

President Kate Simpson will be heading to Morocco to put the finishing touches on our new itinerary. Senior Program Manager Michelle Korczynski will accompany Chairman David Parry to Ethiopia, a country with resurging interest among ATA’s clients. David is just back from hiking in the Italian Dolomites, where he tested the difficulty of the trails that are planned for next year’s Smithsonian Institution members.

Inspection Trips

Senior Program Managers Chris Roper and Janet Varn will be inspecting new luxury ships in Vietnam and Greece, respectively. We expect to showcase several of these new vessels in our 2010 tours.

Upcoming Conferences

Direct Marketing Manager Emilia Pawlowski and Smithsonian Service Center Manager Megan Pierce will be attending the National Tour Association’s annual convention in Pittsburgh. ATA is active in the NTA, a trade organization of thousands of tourism professionals involved in the growth and development of the packaged travel industry. They will delve into the convention’s “green” theme, bringing back ideas for conservation, both on tour and in our offices. Vice President Chase Poffenberger, Senior Program Manager Janet Varn and President Kate Simpson will attend the World Travel Market in London, a four-day global travel industry event that brings together worldwide buyers and sellers from every sector of the industry. Finally, Chairman David Parry will gather in Cairo with fellow members of the American Tourism Society, a destination marketing organization representing the Baltics, Central Europe, Russia and the Mediterranean, for ATS’ annual meeting.

And In Our Spare Time

Director of Business Development Larry Guillemette is retuning from Norway where he spent his vacation touring Oslo, Bergen and the lovely Norwegian fjords. And Michelle Korczynski will vacation in Columbia later this month and see how the country is living up to its new reputation as the next “up and coming” destination!

What destinations will you be exploring next? Tell us!

Don’t forget to visit us at www.academic-travel.com

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National Geographic Expeditions Scotland’s Highlands

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I accompanied the National Geographic Expeditions group on the Scotland’s Highlands and Islands program, July 31 – August 10, 2008. From the very beginning, I was awed by the country, the people (our expedition staff in particular!), and this fantastic itinerary. While it’s hard to list every fond memory I have of our time in Scotland, I am eager to share just a few of my favorite highlights:

Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle: The stunning skill of the marchers, musicians, and performers could not have had a better backdrop than this fortress. And we could not have had a better view!

The Lord of the Glens: Our home for seven nights, the ship and her staff were warm and accommodating. From the bagpiper’s welcome to the elaborate haggis presentation during our farewell dinner, no energy was spared by Brian, our hotel manager; John, our captain; or Sandy, our bartender; to make our stay entertaining and comfortable.

Scottish music and dance private performance: While we were docked in Banavie, Cullough, Natalie, and Angus joined us on board to perform classic Scottish piping, dancing, fiddle, and accordion. This group is famous in Scotland for its award-winning shows – we all felt so lucky to have the chance to chat with them about their skills after the performance.

Whisky tasting led by Jim and Stuart: No one knew we had such a wealth of knowledge about the many varieties of single malt whisky on board until Stuart and Jim chose their three favorites to describe, characterize, and sample with us! A whisky beginner myself, it was the perfect introduction (after they added a little water . . .)

NG Expert Jim Russell and Blue Badge Guides Iris Barry and Stuart Cowie: – Between Jim’s lectures on Scottish history, and Iris and Stuart’s ability to bring the battlefield of Culloden or Glencoe to life (in addition to some colorful commentary on Highland sheep and cows!), I was never left wanting for background on anything I was seeing. Or eating.

Natural Beauty: A few members of our group rose early most mornings for a run around the town we had docked in the night prior. The clean, crisp, cool air was a welcome respite from the heat and mugginess we had felt in D.C. for the weeks prior to our departure. With days spent in quaint towns with one-lane roads surrounded by lush, green, rolling hills, it was hard to imagine returning to the hustle and bustle of most of our lives.

There is so much I haven’t mentioned – but I could go on forever. Thanks to all our travelers and staff for a wonderful trip! For more photos from the trip, visit Academic Travel Abroad’s Facebook album HERE – and “friend” us while you’re there!

- Whitney Kulesz

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