BC Beyond Educational Travel is pleased to facilitate lifelong learning opportunities through travel. We work with tour operators who expedite the travel arrangements and make available educational tours across the U.S. and around the world to Boston College alumni, parents, and friends. The program aims to connect alumni with Boston College, to showcase its faculty, and to embrace and expand the global reach of Boston College, in alignment with its Jesuit mission to learn continuously and to serve others.
Details of our upcoming 2024 and 2025 tours are below. Please join us, and explore the world through BC!
Inquire: 2025 Tours
For more information and to register, please call Odysseys Unlimited toll-free at 888-370-6765.
For more information and to register, please call Thalassa Journeys toll-free at 866-633-3611.
For more information and to register, please call Odysseys Unlimited toll-free at 888-370-6765.
For a mailed printed brochure please email continuinged@bc.edu.
2025 Tours
Machu Picchu to the Galapagos
January 7-22, 2025
Waitlist Only
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16 days from $9,993 (from Boston)
Join us to explore two of South America’s treasures: the enigmatic ruins at Machu Picchu and the fascinating Galapagos Islands. We’ll begin with a tour of colonial Lima, Peru, then fly to Cuzco to explore the beautiful Sacred Valley. Following a captivating train ride to Machu Picchu, we’ll have two opportunities to visit the stunning ruins.
In the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, following a tour of Quito’s historic center, we’ll spend four nights in the lush highlands of Santa Cruz Island, our base for exploring the islands. Enjoy day excursions aboard a privately chartered yacht to North Seymour, South Plaza, and Santa Cruz Islands, where wildlife and colorful flora abound! Our journey will conclude in Quito; guests may also opt to join a 4-day pre-tour to the Amazon Rainforest. Tour group size is limited to 20 alumni and friends of Boston College.
Lima, Peru • Cuzco • Sacred Valley • Ollantaytambo • Aguas Calientes • Machu Picchu • Cuzco • Quito, Ecuador • Santa Cruz / Galapagos National Park • North Seymour • South Plaza Island • Punta Carrion • Santa Cruz • Quito
| Day | Itinerary | Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Depart U.S. for Lima, Peru | Westin Lima Hotel |
| 2 | Lima | Westin Lima Hotel |
| 3-4 | Sacred Valley | Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel |
| 5 | Machu Picchu | Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel |
| 6-7 | Cuzco | Belmond Hotel Monasterio |
| 8-9 | Quito, Ecuador | Swissotel Quito |
| 10-13 | Galapagos Islands | Royal Palm Hotel Galapagos |
| 14 | Quito | Swissotel Quito |
| 15 | Quito / Depart for U.S. | (overnight flight) |
| 16 | Arrive U.S. |
Your BC Faculty Host
Ángeles Picone
Ángeles Picone is an Assistant Professor of History at Boston College. She is interested in the intersection of nature and nation-making in border regions. Particularly, she is drawn to questions on how people experience a shared sense of community through their spatial practices. She grew up in the Patagonian Andes, where her education was sprinkled by field trips to caves, glaciers, and mountain peaks. At BC, she teaches courses on Latin American History, Spatial History, Environmental History, Global Borderlands, and Sports. In her free time, she rows on the Charles River.
Passage from Ireland to Iceland
May 30 - June 13, 2025
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14 days from $11,990 (from Boston)
Join fellow travelers on this ocean voyage from Dublin to Reykjavik as we explore Europe’s northernmost islands aboard the new, state-of-the-art, expedition cruise ship, Diana, with a maximum of 192 guests. Following visits to the Irish capital of Dublin and the spectacular Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland, embark on a tour of the ancient castles of the Isle of Skye, the Scottish Orkney and Shetland Islands with Neolithic sites, and the Danish Faroe Islands, known for their Viking heritage.
For the second half of the voyage, circumnavigate the fascinating island of Iceland, home to some of the most extraordinary geology on the planet. Marvel at stunning fjords, volcanic landscapes of lava fields and hot springs, magnificent waterfalls and ice-capped mountains, and the thousands of seabirds and puffins that abound here. Experience some of Europe’s most intriguing and seldom-visited islands on this once-in-a-lifetime tour. Tour group size is limited to 30 alumni and friends of Boston College.
Dublin / Embark Diana • Portrush, Northern Ireland • Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland • Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland • Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland • Torshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark • Djupivogur, Iceland • Seydisfjordur • Grimsey & Hrisey Islands • Husavik • Isafjordur • Dynjandi Waterfall • Reykjavik / Disembark Diana
| Day | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 1 | Depart U.S. for Dublin, Ireland |
| 2-3 | Dublin / Embark Diana |
| 4 | Portrush |
| 5 | Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland |
| 6 | Stromness, Orkney Islands |
| 7 | Lerwick, Shetland Islands |
| 8 | Torshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark |
| 9-14 | Iceland Circumnavigation |
| 15 | Depart Reykjavik for U.S. |
Your BC Faculty Host
Robert Savage
Professor Savage is a member of the Boston College History Department and served as one of the directors of the university’s renowned Irish Studies program for over 15 years. He has degrees from Boston College and University College, Dublin. Savage teaches courses in Modern Irish, British, and Atlantic World History and courses in media, film, and propaganda. He has been awarded numerous Visiting Professorships and is an award-winning author who has published six books and numerous articles and chapters exploring contemporary Irish and British history.
Insider's Japan
October 16-28, 2025
Waitlist Only
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13 days from $8,484 (from Boston)
Explore a land of delicate art and bustling commerce, of rich traditions and dizzying modernity. Japan is a land of many wonders - with remarkable history, exquisite cuisine, and stunning landscapes that, for many visitors, are entirely new and truly fascinating. This tour highlights Tokyo and Kyoto, engages us in local life, and takes us off the beaten path to the lovely historic cities of Takayama and Kanazawa.
Begin in the capital city of Tokyo, which you’ll explore for two full days, before traveling to Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park to experience the world’s most revered volcano. Take a bullet train to historic Takayama and attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Explore culturally rich Kanazawa before concluding with three nights in Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital. An optional post-tour extension to cosmopolitan Hiroshima, the “City of Peace”, is also available. Tour group size is limited to 24 alumni and friends of Boston College.
Tokyo • Meiji Shrine • Imperial Palace • Buddhist Asakusa Kannon • Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park • Takayama • Japanese Tea Ceremony • Sake Brewery • Shirakawago Gassho-zuruki Village • Kanazawa • Kenrokuen Garden • Ishikawa Gate • Kyoto • Temple of the Golden Pavilion • Arashiyama Bamboo Grove • Nijo-jo Castle • Fushimi Inari Shrine • Sanjyusangendo Hall
| Day | Itinerary | Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Depart U.S. for Tokyo | |
| 2-4 | Tokyo | New Otani Tokyo |
| 5 | Hakone | Hakone Setsugetsuka (ryokan) |
| 6-7 | Takayama | Takayama Green |
| 8-9 | Kanazawa | Hotel Nikko Kanazawa |
| 10-12 | Kyoto | The Thousand Kyoto |
| 13 | Depart Kyoto for Osaka; flight to U.S. |
Your BC Faculty Host
Franziska Seraphim
Franziska Seraphim is Associate Professor of History at Boston College. She holds a PhD in modern Japanese History from Columbia University. She published War Memory and Social Politics in Japan, 1945-2005 with Harvard, and is currently working on Geographies of Justice under the Allied occupations of Japan and Germany in global contexts. She pays particular attention to how “place” shapes Japanese culture in continuous and fascinating ways. Prof. Seraphim has taught Japanese and Asian history at BC on all levels since 2001; she also directs the Asian Studies Program.
Provincial French Countryside
August 26-September 9, 2024: Traverse the country from south to north, taking in breathtaking scenery and visiting unspoiled villages. The 14-day tour began in Toulouse and ended in Paris.
Northern Italy: From the Alps to the Adriatic
September 30–October 14, 2023: Experience the romantic Lake District, spending three nights on Lake Maggiore and cruising to beautiful Isola Bella.
Discover Southeast Alaska
August 2-9, 2024: Explore some of nature’s more secluded landscapes as we discover the remote inner reaches of Alaska’s Inside Passage.
Oberammergau Passion Play & Cruising the Danube River
June 5-15, 2022: Nestled in the storybook landscapes of the Bavarian Alps, more than 2000 residents of the quaint hamlet of Oberammergau stage one of the world’s greatest dramatic performances, the extraordinary Passion Play.
Greece Through the Ages
May 18-30, 2024: Join us for a journey that will explore the long legacy of Greece during the springtime with stops in Athens and Santorini.
Enchanting Ireland: A Tour of the Emerald Isle
September 29–October 11, 2019: It’s a beautiful, magical land, where the gentle green landscape dazzles and the people delight; where warmth and hospitality are national traits and poets are national heroes.
Disclaimer: Boston College is pleased to facilitate educational travel opportunities for its alumni and friends, and works with tour operators to make available interesting and enriching travel opportunities for Boston College travelers. Please note that Boston College does not conduct the tours, make travel arrangements, or act as an agent for guests interested in tours. The Tour Operators are responsible for all travel arrangements, payments, and bookings. Boston College is pleased to act as a liaison with tour operators should you have any questions or concerns that may arise before, during, or after your tour. Boston College encourages you to familiarize yourself thoroughly with the tour operator’s cancellation and refund policies, and also to investigate available services such as trip cancellation insurance. Boston College is not responsible for changes to trips or travel arrangements or for losses or expenses resulting from travel.