by Jeannie Barry-Sanders

RIDE ON A GONDOLA, waltz on the Piazza San Marco at midnight, or spend the evening riding a vaporetto (waterbus) the length of the Grand Canal. Or visit a Fulani village in West Africa, where the environment is so friendly and peaceful that nonverbal communication transcends the spoken word. History, art, music, and a challenging educational experience await creative educators willing to step out from behind the podium and lead a study tour. Combining travel and teaching is a heady experience for educators at all levels. To plan and execute a travel-abroad classroom, of course, is an impressive task loaded with responsibility. It takes a savvy educator to accomplish it.

English Professor John Drury, of the University of Cincinnati, traveled with seven students (ranging in age from 20 to 43) on an eight-night literary study tour to Venice, Italy. He started planning a year in advance and also took a preliminary exploration trip to Venice alone, before the tour. Initially, he tried to work with the study tour with the American Council for International Studies (ACIS), a professional tour-organizing agency. However, it didn't pan out, and he took over the travel arrangements himself. The only hitch Drury encountered (and not his fault) was when the airline left the group's luggage in Brussels. It took a couple of days for the luggage to catch up; however, he says, "it was a bonding experience. It probably also helped that the students were older than average undergraduates were."

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