Immerse yourself in the history of ancient Greece, take a deep dive into English literary greats in London, or explore local culture and politics in Ecuador for a few weeks of summer. Sound like a dream? Not at all! These very opportunities—and more—are available to University of Vermont (UVM) students through the summer travel study program.
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) encourages all students to spend time studying in another city or country, and UVM provides a wide range of opportunities to do this throughout the year. For students who aren’t able to spend an entire semester or year away from campus, summer travel study offers an excellent alternative. The program offers the chance to gain hands-on global experiences and immersion in another culture in a shorter timeframe.
According to Emma Swift, director of the Office of International Education, travel study programs are part of the overall suite of study abroad options at UVM. She notes that they differ from other study abroad programs in that they’re designed for UVM students by UVM faculty members who travel with the students and use the experience as the basis for course content.
Travel study courses typically last one to three weeks and earn each participant one to three academic credits. “This allows us to run them during winter term, spring break, and summer term,” says Sophia Trigg, director of CAS’s Office of Experiential Learning and Discovery.
Penny Evans, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the Program in Classics in the School of World Languages and Cultures (SWLC), ran a classics/history travel study program last summer in Italy and is developing a course, Ancient Greek History and Culture, for Greece in summer 2026 (see below for more on that). “In the classroom, we work mostly with texts and images. But visiting archaeological sites and museums allows students to acquire new perspectives about the past,” she says.
Evans adds that travel study experiences also offer students opportunities for growth, particularly when it comes to gaining confidence. “In the beginning, students are nervous about being in a new place with a new language, but by our last week, they are able to use public transportation, grocery shop, and navigate basic interactions. These experiences encourage students to grow and be independent, but they also rely on one other and learn to exist in a community with folks they might not otherwise become friends with, and that’s a really beautiful thing.”
Kieran Roberts, a junior double-majoring in classics and art history, participated in Evans’s travel study program, Italy: Ancient Roman History and Culture, in summer 2025. “Travel study offers a more accessible version of study abroad than doing an entire semester, both cost-wise and in regard to the time commitment,” Roberts says. “I had a fantastic time, and I don't think I would have been able to attend if it had been a semester-long course. Professor Evans was amazing, and we managed to pack a massive amount of learning and experiences into a three-week course.”
Trigg says that CAS runs both domestic and international travel study courses, so there are options for students in a broad variety of subject and content areas, sometimes including ones that are relatively close to home. She’s hoping to enroll around 35 students in three domestic travel programs this school year. The average number of CAS students who participate in international travel study programs is about 54 each year, according to Hayley Barrierre, Education Abroad Programs Coordinator at UVM.
There is no centralized financial aid package or system for travel study—it is dependent on the students’ financial aid package and existing scholarships. “We recommend that students who are seeking financial assistance talk to Student Financial Services as well as their home department to find out if there are any specific scholarships or aid available,” Trigg says.
Summer 2026 travel study offerings range from a weeklong trip to the U.S. capital to longer excursions to South America and Europe. Each program has its own set of prerequisites, minimum class standing, and deadline, and all offer online applications. If one of these intrigues you, please see the program’s webpage for more details.
Washington, D.C.: Debates in U.S. Foreign Policy (POLS 2990)
Number of credits: 2
Dates: May 31, 2026–June 6, 2026
Application Deadline: January 27, 2026
Program leader: Peter Henne, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Political Science
Program Description: In this week-long course, you will learn about debates in U.S. foreign policy through engagement with think tanks in Washington, D.C. The course will involve pre-course reading on U.S. foreign policy, readings drawn from each of the think tanks, and two essays. Professor Henne will accompany you and your fellow students on visits to the International Spy Museum; the Smithsonian American Art Museum; and the National Gallery of Art’s concert series Jazz in the Garden.
Number of credits: 3
Dates: May 18, 2026–June 1, 2026
Application Deadline: February 1, 2026
Program leader: Peter Shear, lecturer in the Department of Geography and Geosciences
Program Description: You will learn from the social dynamism of Ecuador through volunteer work, community and farm stays in the Andes and cloud forest, agroecology practicums, and talks with political activists, students, campesino and indigenous organizations, and the rural agrarian people of Ecuador. The class will focus on a case study looking at the consumer/producer dynamic of non-renewable mineral resource extraction in Ecuador.
England: Literary London (ENGL 2885/HCOL 2000)
Number of credits: 3
Dates: May 23, 2026–June 6, 2026
Application Deadline: February 1, 2026
Program leader: Lisa Schnell, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of English
Program Description: This course will explore the relationship between London and literature, from the representation of the city and its people in literature to the production of literature in the city to the places some of its great writers lived and congregated. The first and last week will be online—the first spent preparing you for what you will be doing in London and engaging in preliminary discussion of the course texts, and the last week spent completing written work.
Greece: Ancient Greek History and Culture (CLAS/HST 2990)
Number of credits: 3
Dates: May 27, 2026-June 14, 2026
Application Deadline: February 1, 2026
Program leader: Penny Evans, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the Program in Classics in the SWLC
Program Description: You will learn about the history and culture of ancient Greece, from the Early Bronze Age through the Classical Period. Through readings of primary source texts, you will become adept at synthesizing historical, literary, and archaeological evidence to better understand the complex tapestry of events, identities, and voices of ancient Greece. Examples of site visits include, but are not limited to, the Acropolis and Agora in Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Epidauros, and Mycenae. There will also be opportunities to hike, swim, and explore neolithic caves.
Spain: Barcelona in the Arts (CAS 2990)
Number of credits: 3
Dates: July 16, 2026–July 30, 2026
Application Deadline: February 1, 2026
Program leader: Tina Escaja, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in the Program in Spanish in the SWLC
Program Description: This class will focus on Catalonian art and society. Among the authors and movements discussed will be Antoni Gaudí and Catalan “Modernisme,” “Neucentisme,” and the avant-garde. You will learn to describe artistic and cultural movements in Catalan arts and society from the turn of the 20th century to the present; recognize the artistic styles of Gaudí, Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Subirachs, and Tàpies; and discuss social and political movements in the region in relation to the artistic trends.