In 2016 Eckerd College launched Triton Travels, a travel program with educational, cultural and social components specifically for alumni and friends. These travel opportunities are designed to sustain your enthusiasm for lifelong learning and connect you to other members of the Eckerd community!
Some trips are hosted by an Eckerd faculty or staff member while others offer excursions led by national guides. Join fellow Eckerd alumni and friends for once-in-a-lifetime adventures to the top destinations in the world!
Upcoming Trips
Explore Cuba with Eckerd
Now is your opportunity to travel to Florida’s island neighbor just 90 miles off of Key West with an OLLI at Eckerd College-curated experience. You will see the island with Eckerd staff who lead an active program designed to immerse you in Cuban culture and history.
December 3-8, 2024
$2,550 per person (double occupancy)
$2,950 per person (single occupancy)
January 7–12, 2025
February 4–9, 2025
March 25–30, 2025
$2,650 per person (double occupancy)
$2,950 per person (single occupancy)
Questions? Contact Judy Tilton, study travel manager, at tiltonjd@eckerd.edu.
The Seine River: Paris to Normandy with OLLI
March 28–April 9, 2025
Join OLLI on an unforgettable river cruise traversing the enchanting Seine River from Paris to Normandy on an 11-day journey aboard the elegant M/S Bizet. Experience the magic of French art, history, and cuisine while surrounded by the stunning countryside.
Questions? Contact Judy Tilton, study travel manager, at tiltonjd@eckerd.edu.
Past Trips
Gateway to Argentina: Eckerd Explores Buenos Aires
November 4-14, 2024
This trip will be an amazing opportunity to immerse yourself in the captivating culture, history and natural beauty of Buenos Aires. We will attend classes on Argentinian politics, history, economics, and global topics led by UCA faculty and staff. Then we will be out in the city exploring the sites referenced in the lectures. We will have three full-day excursions away from the city, including a tour of a working ranch complete with authentic gauchos and a memorable feast, a boat ride to Colonia del Sacramento, an historic Portuguese settlement in Uruguay, and Tigre, a river delta town!
Explore Cuba with Eckerd
November 29-December 7, 2023
Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Cuba with Eckerd on a custom-curated, 9-day trip designed to fully immerse you in the rich history, art, and culture of our island neighbor.
See Cuba with our own expert, Vice President and Dean, Executive and Continuing Education, Kelly Kirschner. The trip will feature discussions with university faculty, local authors and artists, business owners, and residents. Explore the history of the area, stay with locals in comfortable accommodations, and discover the beauty of the island and its people.
Chautauqua Institution with OLLI
July 9-15, 2023
“There is no place like it. No resort. No spa. Not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world.” –David McCullough, Historian, Author
Eckerd alumni are invited to join OLLI and ASPEC members for a special Eckerd College week at Chautauqua Institution July 9-15, 2023! The week’s theme is Can the Center Hold? A Question for Our Moment and the featured keynote speaker is Bill Kristol. The Eckerd College week features some exclusive group activities in addition to the plethora of daily offerings and is guaranteed to expand your horizons!
Explore Cuba with OLLI
January 24-29, 2023
Travel to Florida’s island neighbor just 90 miles off of Key West with an OLLI at Eckerd College-curated experience led by Eckerd’s own Dean Kelly Kirschner, who has taken numerous Eckerd community members to Cuba in the past!
Explore the rich history of Cuba that is tied, not only nationally, but also locally to Tampa Bay and Florida. Visit museums featuring priceless national treasures, spend an afternoon with one of the country’s most influential musical groups, and enjoy an evening performance by a local troupe. Attend featured lectures from renowned authors, filmmakers and other that share the rich influence of Afro-Cubans and those from other Caribbean countries on every aspect of life in Cuba. Experience local neighborhoods with homestays at local B&Bs where we will engage with homeowners and families while enjoying delicious, home-prepared meals.
Holiday Markets Rhine River Cruise
December 10-18, 2022
Join fellow Eckerd alumni to feel the magic of the holidays in France, Germany and Switzerland on a seven-night Rhine River cruise. Celebrate centuries-old traditions and shop festive markets overflowing with handmade decorations, toys, jewelry and other treasures. Delight in the sounds of carolers and bells and the scent of nutmeg, cinnamon and fresh pine in the air. Sip warm spicy Glühwein on the ship. Visit a hillside castle and enjoy a musical performance in Heidelberg. Admire Cologne’s spectacular Gothic cathedral, the red sandstone landmarks of bustling Freiburg, and the pastel-colored houses of charming Breisach.
Ecuador Journey: The Galápagos Islands
January 6-15, 2020
Led by Beth Forys, professor of environmental studies
18 Eckerd friends will experience one of the most geologically and biologically diverse regions in the world, including four days exploring the Galápagos Islands by land and sea from aboard a luxury yacht. Participants must be in excellent physical condition, as you will hike through mountainous and varied terrain.
Greece featuring Athens, Mykonos and Santorini
October 8-16, 2019
Led by Emeritus Vice President, Dean of Faculty and Professor Lloyd Chapin
Step “outside the box” and into history to explore a place where the cultural foundations for much of the modern world were laid. Spend three nights in Athens and visit the city where liberal arts education, the theater, philosophy, scientific inquiry, and, perhaps most significantly, democracy came fully to life. Visit the Agora, the Acropolis, and its crowning glory, the Parthenon. Travel by high speed ferries across the Aegean Sea to the islands of Mykonos and Santorini where you can immerse yourself in the relaxed lifestyle during your stays. Friendly islanders are eager to welcome you to their picture-perfect paradise of whitewashed houses, seafront promenades and flower-filled lanes lined with quaint cafes and shops.
British Isles: Castles, Countryside and Capitals
September 13-24, 2018
Led by Emeritus Vice President, Dean of Faculty and Professor Lloyd Chapin
Discover the history and charms of the British Isles as you visit Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. See historic royal castles, the beauty of England’s Lake District and Ireland’s countryside–you’ll experience it all on this journey through these four magnificent countries. Offered by Mayflower Tours.
Alumni Service Trip with Plenitud
January 18-21 2019
Plenitud at Tres Amigos Farm is an educational center that researches, implements, demonstrates, and teaches the skills of sustainable living and the practices of permaculture design and farming to individuals and communities throughout Puerto Rico and beyond. Striving to improve human relationships with the environment, the center functions as a demonstration farm and an example of healthy group living. Eckerd College students take a service trip here at least once a year to learn about the sustainable living practices and help with the farm. Eckerd alumni and friends will travel here to continue the work our students have done.
Havana, Cuba: Alumni and Parent Trip
January 19-21, 2019
Led by Kelly Kirschner, Vice President and Dean, Division of Executive & Continuing Education, Eckerd College and April Speck-Ewer, Director of Major Gifts
Explore the cultural and political intricacies of Cuba that are captivating the interest of Eckerd students and faculty. The itinerary will highlight the sorts of curated, people-to-people trips scholarship support is affording Eckerd students. It also will provide the experience of a one of a kind exploration of Havana, including accommodations at a private home, visits to famous sites, Cuban coffee, classic cars, and conversations with artists and intellectuals as well as dinner with Eckerd students and faculty studying in Cuba.
