Over spring break, The World Travelers Club took its eighth annual trip, this year traveling to Venice, Italy, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Split, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatia and stopping in Frankfurt, Germany on the way home.
At each destination the group stayed in a new hotel, staying at four hotels in total. Among the group, two or three people were assigned per room, generally assigned with one or more of their friends.
As for meals, breakfast was always provided by the hotel. For lunches, the group was given free time to explore the country and get lunch if they wanted. Dinners were scheduled at a new restaurant every night, with a set menu containing three courses. The group ate traditional meals from each country.
“Some of the hotels we stayed at were super nice,” senior Carter Vermilion said, “I especially liked eating breakfast outside at the Venice hotel.”
The club left on Thursday, March 28 after period eight. A bus took the students to the Chicago airport to catch their flight, arriving in Zurich, Switzerland early the next morning.
After a two hour layover, the group left for Venice, Italy. Upon arriving in Venice, the group boarded a boat to take them to Lido, an island right outside of Venice where they stayed. They had a few hours of free time to explore, met for dinner and then headed to bed.
The next morning the group took a boat into the main island of Venice, starting the day with a walking tour of Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s square. Following that, the group was given a few hours of free time to get lunch and explore. In the afternoon, they took gondola rides through the canals of Venice then visited a traditional Venetian glass blowing demonstration. After dinner the group returned to Lido, spending time in their hotel rooms together before bed playing cards and being social.
The following day the group woke up and took the bus to Slovenia, stopping on the way to visit the Postojna Caves which stretch over 15 miles long. A train was taken into the caves where the group then did a two hour walking tour of the caves. The group then finished the journey to the city of Ljubljana, eating dinner and then finishing the day together in the hotel.
“My favorite excursion we did was the caves in Slovenia because they were like nothing I’d ever seen before. It was just so sick to see the rock formations,” Vermilion said.
The next morning the group did a walking tour of the city, visiting the Castle of Ljubljana on top of a hill. The group was given a few hours of free time to explore. Then, the group took the bus to Lake Bled, visiting the church of Bled in the middle of the lake, and then exploring the castle of Bled on the hill. Small groups took boats across the lake to the church, concluding the day with dinner and hotel time.
The group then left Slovenia and stopped at Plitvice National Park on the way to Croatia. The group did a three hour hike and boat ride loop around the park, experiencing the amazing views the park had to offer. The group then boarded the bus once again, heading to Split, Croatia where they would stay for the following three days.
“My favorite excursion was visiting Plitvice National Park because the nature was absolutely gorgeous and it was a really fun hike,” sophomore Lillian Tabor said.
On the first day in Split, the group did a walking tour of Diocletian’s Palace, touring the different parts of the palace that once held a small town. The group was then given many hours of free time for lunch and exploration, meeting back at 3 p.m. Then, all together the group hiked to the top of the city where they were met with a splendid view of the city below. They finished the day with more free time and dinner.
“My favorite dinner that we ate was on our first night in Split, Croatia,” sophomore Julia Westermeyer said, “We had a really yummy first course of gnocchi with meat and an amazing ice cream cake for dessert.”
The following day, the group took the bus to the Dalmatian coast where they suited up in vibrant wetsuits and went tubing down the Cetina river. Once they returned to Split, they visited the beach and then were given more hours of free time, concluding the day with group dinner.
“The highlight of my trip was white water tubing in Split because it was kind of in the middle of nowhere and super scenic,” Vermilion said.
The next morning the group hopped back on the bus and headed to Dubrovnik, Croatia, starting the day with a walking tour of the walled Old City where Game of Thrones was filmed. The group was then given free time to explore within the walls. They then met back together for the final trip dinner.
“My favorite place we went was Croatia because we had really nice sunny weather and a lot of free time. During my free time I went shopping with my friends and ate lots of good food,” Westermeyer said.
“The highlight of the trip for me was Split, Croatia because we got to spend the most time there and explore a lot of different areas,” Tabor said.
The following day was an early wake-up in order to catch the flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Thanks to a six hour layover, the group was able to leave the Frankfurt airport to eat lunch and explore the city. Finally it was time to head back home, boarding a 10 hour flight back to Chicago. The group arrived in Chicago around 8 p.m. and then caught the bus back to NC. They were back at 2 a.m.
“The trip was amazing, 10/10,” Vermilion said, “I am going to miss World Travelers Club trips so much. I have been on two World Travelers Club trips, visiting nine countries amongst them. They are 100% worth every penny and they are some of my best memories.”
The club’s next trip will be spring break of 2025 to Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Although this trip is already full, the club takes a trip every year. If students are interested in joining the club or getting more information, talk to club sponsors Chris Vermilion and James Tallman in room H601.
