University Travel Programs
 

Has anyone tried a University Travel Program before?
Especially, programs with an educational focus for mature (40+ in age) adults?
I was looking at tours offered by a university in Texas. A friend highly recommended this specific program.
https://www.facebook.com/UNTTravelLearn
http://call.unt.edu/TravelLearn
She has traveled a lot and really enjoys her trips with the university program. Thought I would see if others had experience with this program or similar programs.

Any advice/suggestions/opinions?

Seems to me that you could arrange something similar for less money.

For me, those programs are super expensive. Of course, everything is done for you, but if you are willing to do some work, you can do it for considerably less. DH and I can usually travel together for less than the cost of one of those tours.

We have gone on several that were planned by a professor who accompanied the trips. We had entrance to places the normal tourist doesn't get to see due to the profs' connections. They are among our favorite travel experiences although , otherwise, we are independent travelers.

These trips are more expensive than organizing something on your own but you get the benefit of expert guides and something “extra” that you don’t have when you travel alone. It’s like getting a guide to show you round a historic site –sure, you can do it yourself for a fraction of the price but you are likely to miss a lot and the money spent could be worth it when you consider the stories you hear and the insight you receive. I have done both in the past – traveled independently and with a professional history tour guide – and enjoyed both.

It depends on what you want to accomplish on this trip. I escorted two separate educational trips while I worked at a university. The program coordinator in Paris had 2 PhDs, one in Art History and one in French history. So, of course he had a wealth of knowledge. And we had two or three "classes" with profs locally. So, you definitely learn a lot, much more in depth than if you have your guidebook and are touring on your own. In Italy, my counterpart was an architecture lecturer, and we also had knowledgable local guides.

So...you are paying for their expertise.

The down side is that you are on a schedule, and often you eat at larger, less "authentic" places, as they will take larger crowds.

When I travel personally, however, I plan it all myself. It's something I really enjoy.

So, again, it's about what you want to experience on your trip.