UVM GO International offers incoming students the opportunity to participate in five-day and six-day travel programs led by a UVM faculty member with extensive experience in the city and program theme. With the guidance of Program Leaders, participants will explore new places, expand their intercultural knowledge, and begin to build their UVM community.
Students wishing to participate in UVM GO International must have a valid U.S. passport and must be at least 18 years old at the start of their program. This age requirement does not apply to students participating in UVM GO programs offered in Canada.
Each program is capped at 20 students, and all UVM GO participants are selected through our lottery system. Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the designated meetup location. Programs that include a group flight to the destination will meet at the departure airport and travel together.
UVM GO: Costa Rica 2025
Art and Ecology in Monteverde
Sunday, July 27 – Friday, August 1, 2025
Led by Prof. Pamela Fraser and Prof. Mildred Beltré
Participants must be at least 18 years old to participate in this program. Participants will travel with faculty leaders on a group flight to San Jose, Costa Rica, and are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the departure airport for the group flight.
Art and environmental studies converge in the tropical cloud forest of Monteverde. Students will create art inspired by the remarkable beauty and biodiversity in this lush natural environment. Professor Fraser and Professor Beltré, practicing artists and art educators, will guide students through various forms of art and expression. Experts from the Monteverde Institute will lead discussions on the local ecosystem and environmental sustainability. Through the lens of art and observation, students will explore how the local ecology, communities, and history of Costa Rica connect with vital global concerns.
Sample activities: Drawing, painting, and photographing the rich plant and wildlife; hiking in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and the Bajo del Tigre Forest; taking yoga and cooking classes; collaborating on a local community art project; visiting the city shops of Monteverde.
UVM GO: Montreal 2025
Exploring a Multicultural Metropolis
Friday, August 15 – Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Led by Prof. Jeanne Shea and Rhonda Lynn, M.A.
This is an early move-in program, beginning and ending at UVM. Students will check into their permanent dorm room on Friday morning, before the program begins. The program concludes on Tuesday with a closing dinner.
Montreal is a cosmopolitan city known for its mosaic of people and cultures from all around the world. After students drop their belongings into their permanent dorm rooms, the group will board a charter bus to Montreal and spend the next four days learning about the distinct languages, cultures, and foods of this vibrant city. Dr. Jeanne Shea from the Department of Anthropology and Rhonda Lynn from the Office of the President will show you a variety of neighborhoods, museums, churches, and eateries in Montreal. Your group will return to UVM on Monday and continue exploring French-Canadian influences visible around campus and in the community. This program concludes on Tuesday evening, leaving plenty of time to recharge before New Student Orientation!
Sample activities:
Montreal: Meander the cobblestone streets of Old Port area; nosh along Saint Laurent Boulevard, the historical corridor of early immigrants; discover local specialties at the famous Jean Talon food market in Little Italy; visit Notre Dame Basilica, a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture; take in the Indigenous Voices exhibit at McGill’s McCord Stewart Social History Museum; see archaeological remains of the city’s early beginnings at Pointe-à-Callière Archeology Museum.
Burlington: View a curated selection of UVM’s Special Collections materials; visit the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum to learn about Quebec immigrants who came to work in the mills; eat crepes at Skinny Pancake.
UVM GO: Iceland 2025
Island to Mainland: Culture, History and Environment
Monday, July 28 – Saturday, August 2, 2025
Led by Dr. Joaquin Nunez and Andrew McCracken, Pre-Doctoral Fellow/PhD Candidate
Participants must be at least 18 years old to participate in this program. Participants will travel with faculty leaders on a group flight to Keflavík International Airport, and are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the departure airport for the group flight.
Located on a rift between tectonic plates and being one of the geologically youngest lands on the planet, Iceland (both the island and the nation) sits at the crossroads of Europe and North America as well as between the Arctic and temperate realms. While these characteristics have given rise to many economic challenges, it has also provided fertile ground for the emergence of Iceland’s unique culture and people. Join Dr. Nunez and Andrew McCracken from UVM’s Department of Biology, along with local expert Dr. Áki Jarl Láruson to tour the island and explore how Icelanders have built a unique relationship with their ecosystem, balancing the need for sustenance with sustainability. Learn more about the UVM GO Iceland program.
Sample activities: Exploring the natural vistas near Sandgerði and the geothermal hot springs of Krýsuvík; visiting museums in Reykjavík; meeting students from the University of Iceland; visiting the Icelandic Seal Center in Hvammstangi; visiting the historic Hólar Cathedral; touring the aquaculture facility near Grindavík; exploring hiking paths at Mt. Gvendarskál.
UVM GO: Vancouver 2025
Sustainability and the City
Monday, July 28 – Friday, August 1, 2025
Led by Dr. Pablo Bose and Dr. John Sama
Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to/from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where this program begins and ends.
Vancouver, a city renowned for its natural beauty as much as its built environments, has also gained a reputation as a global city. Dr. Pablo Bose, Professor of Geography and Global Studies, and Dr. John Sama, from the Division of Academic Affairs and Student Success, will introduce students to a vibrant, multicultural metropolis, with a focus on the different communities that have called it home. The group will explore the evolution of the city, with a particular focus on the challenges of sustainability and the right to the city, immigration, and urban development, while walking, hiking, boating and biking around some of the city’s spectacular landscapes.
Sample activities: Navigating the forest canopy on the Greenheart Treewalk; biking around Stanley Park; taking walking tours of different neighborhoods; visiting the Granville Island Public Market, the Museum of Vancouver, and the Museum of Anthropology; touring the First Nations Longhouse and Reconciliation Pole; taking a ferry tour of Coal Harbour.
NEW! UVM GO: London 2025
Local Histories, Global Connections
Sunday, July 27 – Saturday, August 2, 2025
Led by Dr. Paul Deslandes and Dr. J. Dickinson, Vice Provost
Participants must be at least 18 years old to participate in this program. Participants will travel with faculty leaders on a group flight to Heathrow International Airport, and are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the departure airport for the group flight.
Incorporating museum visits, guided walking tours, and structured exploration exercises, this UVM GO program invites participants to engage with London’s long history, experience its many cultures, and grasp its many global connections. Vice Provost Dickinson and Dr. Deslandes from the Department of History will guide you as you walk among ruins, visit world-renowned landmarks, and explore modern architectural marvels. We will also cruise the river Thames and dig for artifacts in the mud along its banks and, during lunches and dinners, sample the many different cuisines that help to define London as a global city.
Sample activities: Visiting the London Museum Docklands, the Guildhall Art Gallery, and London’s Roman Amphitheater; taking a cruise on the River Thames; taking walking tours of the East End and Southwark districts; mudlarking excursion along the banks of the Thames.