Around the World With Michigan Alumni Travel
After months and months of being cooped up, many of us are more than ready to fly the coop. To help set travelers on their way, the Michigan Alumni Travel program offers a full complement of options, from the literal top of the world to the bottom and everywhere in between. Following are just a few choices to help whet your travel appetite.
Historical Baseball
We will announce the exact dates of this June 2022 trip when the MLB schedule is released later this summer.
This six-day baseball experience will take a deep dive into the historical events that make baseball the game we enjoy today. Your visit to both Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park features behind-the-scenes tours and live game action. In Cooperstown, New York, you’ll take a private tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Trip highlight: After the private tour of Fenway Park, you’ll travel to Harvard Yard to visit the area and learn about Harvard’s impact on sports.
Passage Through the Panama Canal and Costa Rica
Jan. 30-Feb. 7, 2022
This nine-day journey takes you from the Costa Rican rain forest through the locks of the Panama Canal. You’ll spend time touring cosmopolitan Panama City as well as experiencing parks, wildlife refuges, botanic gardens, and the pristine waters that serve as home to diverse marine life.
Trip highlight: Casco Viejo, settled in 1673, was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997. It is the historic district of Panama City.
Antarctica Discovery
Jan. 4-15, 2022
During this polar adventure, you’ll take in the beauty and vastness of the seventh continent. Spend time in Ushuaia, Argentina, before embarking on a luxury cruise ship. Then, trek through penguin rookeries, observe vast flocks of seabirds, learn about Antarctic ice conditions, and discover the sites of both past and present scientific expeditions.
Trip highlight: The Ocean Victory expedition vessel you’ll travel on is specifically designed for polar cruising — and a far cry from the vessel that carried Captain Cook when he first sailed the region in 1773.
Insider’s Japan
Oct. 15-27, 2022
You’ll experience this land of contrasts — delicate art and bustling commerce, ancient traditions and dizzying modernity — during a 13-day trip. Journey to the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto as well as the more off-the-beaten-path destinations of historic Takayama and Kanazawa.
Trip highlight: Your adventure includes an overnight stay at a ryokan, a Japanese inn where you’ll enjoy a traditional dinner and sleep on a futon.
Cruising the Canary Islands and Morocco
April 18-26, 2022
Your journey starts with a cruise from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain, where you’ll take in the views of Caldera de Taburiente and the Mirador de la Concepción. Following the cruise, you’ll arrive in Casablanca, Morocco. There, you’ll enjoy full-day excursions to UNESCO World Heritage sites on the island of Tenerife, the ancient city of Fez, and 1,000-year-old Marrakesh.
Trip highlight: Your trip to the city of Fez features the Medina of Fez, home to the oldest university in the world.
Passion Play: Switzerland, Germany, and Austria
Aug. 10-20, 2022
Explore the northern Alps in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, including stays in Oberstaufen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Salzburg, and Munich. Gaze at majestic mountain peaks while visiting medieval towns and baroque cities.
Trip highlight: In Oberammergau, you’ll watch a once-in-a-decade performance of the Passion Play, first performed there in 1634.
North Pole
Aug. 1-13, 2022
You’ll travel to the top of the world on this 13-day excursion aboard a nuclear-powered icebreaker in the frozen Arctic Sea. Features include wildlife viewing and birding opportunities at sea and in Russia’s Franz Josef Land Archipelago, home to polar bear and walrus, in 24-hour daylight.
Trip highlight: On day seven of the trip, you and fellow travelers disembark onto the frozen sea to experience the thrill of standing at the top of the world.
United Arab Emirates
Feb. 25–March 6, 2022
This eight-night journey takes you from Dubai to the Arabian Desert and finally to Abu Dhabi. Along the way, you’ll discover the culture, heritage, and history of the region — including a discussion with a scholar at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, lunch at a private home, and a magical night under the desert stars.
Trip highlight: World Expo Dubai is a global event of culture, innovation, and entertainment with more than 190 participating countries.
If you’ve traveled recently, email your photo to [email protected] and we might publish it in an upcoming issue of Michigan Alumnus magazine.
