Overnight flight to Ireland. Leave Brandywine campus with shuttle to JFK or meet group at the airport
Checking at JFK airport is no later than 6:00 PM. Depart JFK on Aer Lingus #106 leaving at 9:10 PM
Assistance and transfer upon arrival in Dublin. Go to the hotel and leave your luggage in storage. Proceed for an orientation tour of Dublin to be acquainted with the city and see the most landmark of the capital of Ireland. Part of the tour will be walking. Your guide will explain local currency and customs. Tour will end when it is time to check-in at the hotel which could be as late as 3:00 PM
Remainder of the day free to investigate the city of Dublin and work on the pacific of your academic program.
Day in Dublin for academic studies.
Optional: Visit to the National Museum of Dublin or to the Guinness Factory
8:30 AM leave Dublin and Ireland for Northern Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway and Belfast. Guided day tour: the Giant Causeway formation, the History of Northern Ireland, the Riots of Londonderry.
In Belfast: orientation tour on arrival including West Belfast and its murals.
Check-in at your hotel for 2 nights.
Day in Belfast for your academic studies. Optional: Visit to The Ulster Museum of Belfast
8:00 AM Early departure by coach to return to Ireland
Morning drive to Galway; Belfast – Check-in at hotel for 2 nights
Afternoon in Galway for walking tour in the city center and academic studies
Day in Galway. Morning guided excursion to Connemara National Park, a vast expanse of mountains, bogs, heathland and lakes, all forming a beautiful and unique scenery.Learn about the formation of the bogs and the history of the Potato Famine. Afternoon for academic studies.
Transfer to Shannon airport in the morning for departure of Aer Lingus back to JFK
Shuttle bus to return to Brandywine campus
KINES 81. Wellness Theory/Comparative Wellness in Ireland
Kines 81 with the travel experience to Ireland is a specific section of Wellness Theory designed to engage students in acquiring knowledge about dimensions of wellness concerning variations in lifestyles in Ireland and U.S. The course focuses on the studies of health-related theories, attitudes and behaviors enhancing health and overall quality of life, use of the data-driven national objectives to improve health (Healthy People 2030), and occurrences of chronic diseases in the U.S. and Ireland.
Pre-travel coursework will focus on Irish and American guidelines for nutrition and physical activity, social determinants of health, and dichotomic Great famine in old Ireland and obesity epidemic in the current one. Each student will work with the instructor to design a research topic where they compare health related topics between Ireland and the US. Those will be explored during their travel abroad and concluded through the final poster.
During the trip, students will observe and compare physical, emotional, environmental, and other dimensions of wellness in two countries through observation and sampling of traditional restaurant menus, fresh produce at markets and its prices, Irish pub culture, bike utilization, pedestrian zones, and access to trails. Some of the sites supporting their investigations will include the Guinness Factory, giant Causeway formation, and Connemara National Park.
After the return, students will continue to research the adopted topic, and with the combination of their research and travel observation will evolve to the final project-poster.
COMM 100N. Mass Media and Society in Ireland
COMM 100N is an overview of the interaction between mass media and society. The course pays particular attention to the social influences, economics, politics, technology, law and culture that shape media messages. Among others, the course examines the nature of media controllers as well as the character of “users” and “consumers” of media products. Students learn the overall structure and scope of mass media and its power and influence with media messages and practices. Mass media is dynamic and influential in today’s society.
Pre-travel coursework introduces students to various forms of mass media; books, newspapers, radio, television, and film. During the embedded trip students will review the role media currently and previously has in Ireland and conduct a comparison to the United States. Final papers will be in regard to current event comparisons and their portrayal in the media in both the United States and Ireland. Throughout this course students will work with the instructor to critically think about the place media has played and will continue to play in Irish society and culture. Visits to the Book of Kells, one of the oldest books in medieval history and a steadfast study in mass media, at Trinity College of Dublin, local radio stations in Dublin and perhaps Galway Bay FM, and local newspapers, such as the Belfast Telegraph of the UK (different than the EU), and other musical and historical venues will reinforce and further educate about the place mass media has in our lives.
INART 1 and 199. The Arts in Ireland: Themes of Conflict and Peace
INART 1 introduces students to the arts through a week-long cultural immersion, framed by coursework in arts theory. Pre-travel coursework—video lectures, homework quizzes, and essays—introduces critical and cultural perspectives in the arts and surveys Irish arts movements, musicians, and artworks. Students will learn about architectural qualities of two Dublin cathedrals, the illuminated religious manuscript tradition of medieval Ireland, including the Book of Kells, expressionism and social realism in Irish painting, and the instrumental makeup of contemporary folk music bands. Each student will work with the instructor to design an inquiry in the arts: a question which they will explore during their arts immersion abroad. Students will journal during the tour and complete daily short written assignments, and the instructor will organize arts reflection workshops over breakfast meetings. In the final paper, students will answer the inquiry they designed, drawing together pre-travel studies in arts theory, an arts immersion week in Ireland, and further research guided by the instructor after return.
A recurring theme in this arts course will be the power and efficacy of the arts and of expressive culture to grapple with social injustice, conflict, war, and peace. Ireland has gone through the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s and the violent nationalistic Troubles of the 1960s-90s. The Ulster Museum in Belfast contains an exhibit of artists of the Troubles, and the National Museum in Dublin contains extensive artworks about wars and conflict in Ireland. Students will explore conflict transformation theory as one way to understand the expressive power of artworks about war. This course also counts toward the Peace and Conflict Studies Minor.
Plaza Hotel – 3 star Dublin
2-nights check-in: March 05 check-out: March 07
Address: 10-14 Findlater Place Dublin 1, D01 X2X0
Phone: +353 1 878 0666
Holiday Inn City Center – 4 star Belfast
2-nights check-in: March 07 check-out: March 09
Address: 40 Hope Street Belfast, BT12
Phone: +44 28 9024 2494
Jurys Inn Galway – 4 star, Galway City
2-nights check-in: March 09 check-out: March 11
Address: Quay St, Galway, H91 E8D7, Ireland
Phone: +353 91 566 444
Trip price: $2,350 – twin room occupancy
Deposit of $500
Single room supplement: $545
Final payment date: January 16, 2023
| Departure Day | Departure Date | From (airport/terminal) | Departure Time | Flight # | To (airport) | Arrival Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | March 4, 2023 | JFK | 9:10 PM | 106 | DUB | 8:30 +1 |
| Saturday | March 11, 2023 | SNN | 1:00 PM | 111 | JFK | 4:05 PM |
PRICE $2350
Single supplement + 545.00
BOOK EARLY TO AVOID A HIGHER PRICE
The price of $2350 is based on a group airfare. Registration must be confirmed before December 2, 2022 and tickets must be issued no later than January 16, 2023. Aer Lingus will not allow extensions.
If deposit is received after December 2, 2022 $150 late fee will apply.
If reservation and payment is received after January 16, 2023, penalties may reach $300 or more.
Travel Insurance is highly recommended
We advise all travelers to purchase travel insurance in case of any unforeseen circumstances and if you are no longer able to travel. We offer the following insurance policies through Allianz Travel Insurance: Basic, Classic, and Classic with cancel anytime. Prices vary with age and amount insured.
Click on the link below for more details:
https://keyword.celestialvoyagers.com/leisure/leisure-insurance-passports-visas/
. 
Everyone needs a passport valid until September 11, 2023. If you are not an American citizen, a visa may be required. A Green Card or equivalent is compulsory.
All academic arrangements are made with PSU Brandywine campus and confirm agreement to abide by Penn State University’s stipulated rules of conduct.
Travel documents will be delivered electronically with a pdf.
Penn State Brandywine will hold a pre-departure meeting: It is most important to attend this meeting or send a substitute. If this is not possible, your professor(s) and Celestial Voyagers MUST be notified.
Gineth is in charge of the Operations Department, supervising ticketing and travel planning. With over twelve years of experience in the travel industry, Gineth has exceptional leadership experience, and her passion for travel has contributed to her successful career.