TRAVEL Journals HONS 223

By: Puspak Sapkota

‘Travel fascinates, travel inspires and travel speaks… speaks to the hearts of billions.’ This is how I felt during each of the sessions we had during our HONS 223 class. Every aspect of the class made me realize how much I love travel… not to mention that the country presentations were simply breath taking and mesmerizing.

I have always tried to be a vivid traveler, explore things and learn new ideas. And this class fueled my interest in traveling even more. I hardly knew anything about the beautiful islands mentioned in class but after this class my knowledge regarding the world and its culture has greatly escalated. For me, travel always meant money and most of my plans about visiting different places have always been sabotaged by my financial crunch but little did I think that you just need to blow with the wind to travel. Even though, I will be done with school in less than 20 days and I won’t be getting that many opportunities to travel, I am not going to miss even a single chance I get.  I am for sure someday going to visit Galapagos Islands and enjoy the nature and the diversity of life there.

However, the most important thing this class made me realize was the fact that the dynamics of tourism is beyond the normal enjoyment of people. Tourism can contribute to a greater cause… making this earth a more beautiful place to live in and it is our responsibility as travelers to add on to this reason. The whole idea of ecotourism simply fascinates me; an idea which has  always been  admired by a traveler like me, who likes to explore and learn on his own rather than being fed with information. So, in distant years, I totally picture myself traveling most of the places discussed in class but before I travel anywhere else in the world, I’d definitely visit Bruges in Belgium… a truly magnificent medieval beauty.

HONS Travel Journals

By: Nicole Saar

Professor Kambach - HONS 223

10 November 2011

I have been in this course for close to a semester now, and I still feel the way that I did on the first day.  Most people live their lives in a shell not taking the time to experience other locations and cultures; I don’t want to be one of those people.  There is so much to see in the world, and the only way to fully live is to experience these places personally.  I feel like I have already gained so much knowledge about what is out there that is worth seeing.  At the beginning of this course, I was really interested in visiting Western Europe, which is common for those that are rather inexperienced when it comes to traveling.  There is still a great deal to see in this region, but now I have so many other places that I want to see that I never even knew existed.  Everything that Professor Bel has communicated to us about this industry sounds so amazing.  Each class was hard to sit through because I wanted to be at the discussed destination experiencing everything Bel was talking about.  It all seemed too perfect and dreamlike.

 Everything that I have seen and learned through Professor Bel’s presentations has made me realize that there is much more to the Travel and Tourism industry than what I thought.  What was really interesting was learning about how traveling to space is becoming a reality.  When thinking about space travel, it seems so far away and something that is almost too unreal to believe.  Besides learning about how the industry is changing, I’ve learned what area of the industry I would possibly be attracted to.  A particular sector that would be suitable for my interests would be the MICE segment.  I have always been interested in event planning, and this segment would be perfect.  I feel like if I were in this industry, I would always be doing something new and something that I would get enjoyment out of.  As of now, I am still majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Marketing, but this course has made me really think about what I want to do when it comes to a career.  My goal, and everyone else’s, is to find a career that I love and one that is bored proof.  Travel and Tourism sounds like it could be a contender.

HONS Travel Journals

By: Stephanie Trottier 

After completing a semester in a travel and tourism class, I have centered my college education and future on world cultures and the travel industry. The Honors 223 class, World of Travel and Tourism, has further ignited the glowing embers that are my passion for experiencing the diverse world I live in. College is the time of my life when the most crucial decisions are made.

I have decided to complement my first major in linguistics with another major in travel and tourism and a minor in intercultural communication. I plan on studying several languages including Russian, Spanish, and French to start. I may also pick another minor in environmental studies. After I complete my education, I am planning on applying to the Peace Corps where I will hopefully help with conservation efforts in places such as Madagascar, which was the country I presented in class. I will spend about two years there. If all goes well, I may spend more time in that program or find other opportunities to volunteer my time and service at.

I have learned to take every opportunity that comes to me. I took the opportunity to become an intern for an online news site contributing twenty articles a week and will stay on as a contributing writer; hopefully, I will write for the travel section soon. My ultimate goal is to be a travel writer. There is nothing more important to me than spreading awareness of important environmental and cultural issues going on in the world. After all, we all live here.  As for now, I have applied for an internship with the Rainforest Action Network and I am waiting for a reply. I am thoroughly looking forward to completing my major and minor and eventually traveling the world. A degree in travel and tourism could take me anywhere—literally.