By Brianna Saylor, News Editor
Originally Published March 19, 2024
Have you dreamed of spending a little time in Europe? Several Saint Vincent College (SVC) students and professors made that dream a reality this past week when they embarked on a week-long trip to Portugal over Spring Break! Travelers departed from Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday, March 1, headed for Lisbon, Portugal, and returned to the United States on Saturday, March 9. The trip lasted for nine days and was filled with once-in-a-lifetime memories of charming Portuguese architecture, castles, European cuisine, and beautiful landscapes.
The McKenna School of Business is known for what has become its annual Around the World Trip to Europe, organized and led by the college during Spring Break every year. While many moving parts are involved in making this trip happen from year to year, Professor Robert Markley, Business Administration Instructor, has played a critical role in planning and executing these trips for many years.
Planning and executing these large-scale trips can be daunting, especially for those unfamiliar with travel preparation. However, behind the scenes, professors and faculty at SVC take care of all the logistics and preparation so that travelers can have an enjoyable experience while abroad.
This particular trip was unique because travelers stayed in several different parts of Portugal throughout their time in Europe. The first few nights, they stayed in Lisbon and then spent two nights in Fatima, but before arriving at Fatima, they spent some time exploring the fishing town of Nazaré and the romantic medieval village of Óbidos.
In contrast, last year’s McKenna School spring break trip was taken to Munich, Germany, and trip attendees stayed in one hotel there, taking a bus to different locations throughout the week.
Erin Brody, senior English and theology double major, reflected on her time in Portugal, explaining, “Staying in different places throughout the trip gave us a taste of the different parts of Portugal, especially when we visited Evora. It was nice to get a sense of Portugal outside of its capital.”
This was Brody’s first time traveling outside of the United States. She says that while she felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement–now, she is so happy that she went.
Undoubtedly, college can be a financially stressful time for many students. However, Brody has advice to offer to students who might be on the fence about attending these trips in the future.
“I always wanted to travel and study abroad, but studying abroad for something longer than Spring Break was just not feasible for me,” Brody said.
She explained how shorter trips during Spring Break, for example, are a perfect opportunity for students in a similar situation. For Brody, this trip allowed her to visit somewhere she had never been and, coincidently enough, she had previously done a travel segment on Portugal, so when the trip was announced, she just knew this was a full-circle moment, and she had to go.
Notably, many students do not realize that these trips are often not exclusive to the department hosting the trip.
“Aside from being an Aurelius Scholar, I really had nothing to do with the business school, but I still wanted to go somewhere that is not on many people’s lists,” Brody said.
Brody has one piece of advice she would give students interested in attending these kinds of trips in the future: “Even if it is a destination that you might not think you’re interested in, still keep it in mind and save up because it might just end up being the trip of a lifetime.”
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