History teachers James Tallman and Chris Vermilion lead the World Travelers Club. They have taken seven trips with the club over the past 10 years.
This year’s destinations are Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, and the trip will take place during spring break.
“We encourage students to join the club and go on these trips with us because they will have great opportunities to experience cultures, taste foods, visit places and meet people they never would have even dreamed possible,” Tallman said, “World Travelers Club destinations often push students out of their comfort zone. We hope this will push them to be adventurous travelers as adults.”
The club members will leave for their trip on Thursday, March 28. They will take a bus from NC to the Chicago airport, where they will fly to Europe.
“This will be my first trip with the World Travelers Club and I am super excited,” sophomore Lillian Tabor said, “I have never been to Italy, Slovenia or Croatia before.”
Throughout the year, the club has met multiple times. They were able to help create the itinerary for the trip.
“We want our club members to get more ownership of their experience,” Tallman said, “That is what helps make this different than other travel opportunities. Our students pick the destinations, create the itineraries together and attend monthly meetings to learn about the history and culture of each destination before they actually travel.”
Students are expected to do background research before coming to the meetings to decide what sights and landmarks they’d like to see, as well as what food and restaurants they’d like to try.
“The homework was very beneficial because I learned a lot about the places, activities and food,” Tabor said, “Being able to choose our own activities and learn more about the countries was a lot of fun.”
Their first destination is Venice, Italy, where the group will spend two days. There, they will get to take a Gondola boat ride, visit St. Mark’s Basilica, visit The Doges’ Palace and take a walking tour to experience the city.
The second destination is Ljubljana, Slovenia. There, the group will visit the Postojna Cave, the Ljubljana Castle and will take an excursion to Lake Bled, where they will take a boat to the island castle in the middle of the lake.
From Ljubljana, the group will travel to Croatia where they will visit Split and Dubrovnik.
The group will spend three full days in Split, where they will visit Plitvice National Park for sightseeing, hiking and a boat tour. The next day, they will visit the famous Diocletian’s Palace and the Cathedral of Saint Domnius.
For the rest of their time in Split, the club will get to explore the city on their own, and have the opportunity to spend a full day at the beach on the Adriatic Sea.
The club’s final destination is Dubrovnik, which is nicknamed the “Jewel of the Adriatic.” There they will visit museums, memorials and palaces, and again have plenty of free time to explore the city and try new foods.
“Although we will be seeing some great historical sites, this year’s trip has a lot of extraordinary natural experiences too. We are hiking misted trails in Slovenian national parks, riding Venetian gondolas and river rafts in Croatia, spelunking deep into ancient caverns and climbing mountains in a funicular,” Tallman said.
Club members eagerly await this opportunity for the trip of a lifetime.
“I am looking forward to seeing new things in each place and eating great food,” Tabor said.
Non-participating and interested students can look forward to the upcoming announcement of next year’s trip destinations.
“The most exciting part about taking these trips is being in a land unlike any that you have ever seen before; interacting with people that are wholly different than any here in Indianapolis,” Tallman said, “It is an incredible feeling to be global, which is impossible to feel if you stay on paths that you always tread” Tallman said.
The World Traveler’s Club highly recommends students to consider future trips.
