Piedmont Students Share Their Travel Study Experiences
From Costa Rica to England to Italy and more, Piedmont University students have a variety of travel study opportunities each year. We asked some of our students who have completed a travel study program about their experiences; here’s what they had to say!
Cateia Jones –
Costa Rica
The travel study trip to Costa Rica in May 2024 focused on international business and project management, providing credit for the Business Internship and Accounting Internship courses I completed this fall. My favorite memories include meeting Rudolpho, the owner of Finca Sura Farm, and his wife. Exploring their farm, tasting fresh fruit, and experiencing their warm hospitality was unforgettable. Other favorites included visiting Baldi Hot Springs and staying at La Princesa de la Luna Ecolodge, nestled in the rainforest mountains, which embodied unique values and natural beauty. Spending time abroad with my favorite instructor was a bonus!
For students considering study abroad, seize the chance to earn credits while exploring new cultures. It’s the perfect way to wrap up the academic year, apply classroom knowledge, and expand your worldview. Study abroad helps you discover new perspectives, connect with classmates beyond the virtual space, and grow by embracing challenges and opportunities.
Ben Kolbie – Spain
Our study abroad trip was in Spain from May 15-27, 2024. We visited many cities in Spain like Madrid, Seville, and my favorite, Granada. My studies included Spanish 1101, and World History since the mid 17th Century.
On the trip there wasn't tons of pressure to do lots of homework there. Instead, we were encouraged to take notes and really enjoy the moment. After we returned from the trip there was homework to catch up on and finish within a few weeks of being back. But it wasn't so much that I couldn't handle it.
Traveling is always fun, but it's not often I get to do it with so many other people my age. Getting to know each and every one of the awesome people on this trip made it that much more enjoyable. I also feel like I made great connections with my professors too. My most favorite memory will be the day off I spent in the mountains of Granada near a town called Vélez de Benaudalla, and some neighboring towns like Lanjarón.
If I could do one of these [trips] every year, I WOULD. The price just made sense. I only spent a couple hundred more dollars on the class credits than I would've to take the classes on campus. It's not every day that you can take a 12-day trip to Spain AND knock out class credits.
Camryn Oddo – Greece
I traveled to Greece last summer from May 13 to 25, 2024. I studied PHRG-3325 (Environmental Ethics) and NASC-4800 (Public Health and Human Behaviors). The trip was very informative and gave students a lot of hands-on experience. My favorite memories are when we visited the Ruins of the Temple of Apollo and the Archaeological Site of Delphi. There are many intricate details on the stones, and the museums preserved the artifacts very well. The stonework and metalwork of the Greeks are brought to a different level in your mind when you see them in person. Another memory I enjoy is going shopping around Greece since there are many shops close together. The shops can range from clothing shops, jewelry, food, and more. Any advice I would give to students considering travel study is to always have an open mind about the culture and do some research before the trip. Also, make sure to keep up with your assignments on the trip so you can have fun, too.
Sarah Rowe – Greece and Costa Rica
I had the amazing opportunity to go to Greece on the 2024 Maymester. We flew into Athens and then took a connecting flight to Crete. We spent a couple of nights there before flying to Thessaloniki for a couple more nights. Afterward, we took a bus to Delphi to see the ruins before heading to our last stop, Athens. The day after returning home, I left for Costa Rica. I stayed in San Jose, the capital, with a host family. I spent a month in Costa Rica, and while there I was able to travel to both coasts, visit two volcanoes, go snorkeling, and meet some friends for life.
In Greece, I studied Environmental Psychology and Art 1100: Introduction to Art. The psychology class opened our eyes to see Greece in new ways and allowed us to think critically and take in what we were experiencing. One of the big projects we did was a journal of each day spent in Greece, which honestly was really fun because I would not have had the discipline to journal on my own. Meanwhile, the art class focused on the medium of watercolors. We would be given prompts to find and connect art to whatever we were seeing that day, and it was a way to capture the beauty of Greece through our eyes. While in Costa Rica, I took classes at the Universidad Veritas. The first class was Environmental Impact and Social Development. It was an intriguing class on how we impact the environment around us and why Costa Rica is one of the leading countries for environmental sustainability and protection. I also took Health Psychology. The teacher was brilliant, encouraged us to lead the conversations, and created a healthy room for discussions on mental health.
There are two moments that stick out to me from Greece. The first was after we had left Lepercy Island, they stopped in the middle of the ocean and let us swim. I could swear we were in the Aegen Sea. My friend, Lizzie, swears it was the Mediterranean, but either way, the feeling of floating in the salt water under the sun was like no other; it was surreal. The second moment was when I went exploring with two other girls on the first day in Athens. We had stopped at these shops in the central downtown area and one of the shop owners taught us a traditional dance! Then, we found our way to this hiking trail that took us to the top of a mountain. From the top, I could feel the wind in my hair as I looked out to see the shoreline on one side and the Parthenon on the other. It was breathtaking. However, the coolest part about this trip was that I was able to experience it with my sister. She is a student at Georgia State and was able to work with both schools to get the credits to transfer. It was awesome to be able to share such amazing memories with someone so dear to me.
In Costa Rica, I would only have class in the afternoon, so some mornings I would walk into the city for brunch. I explored different museums and national parks. One of my classes even took us on a fieldtrip up the coast the last weekend before returning home. We went to a little tiny beach so close to the border that some phone alerted people that they had crossed into Nicaragua. While there, we went snorkeling! At one point, I swam straight into a school of fish right as another school crossed right through! It was an out-of-body experience! But my favorite part was dinner. Every day after getting home from school, my host mother would have dinner ready for us. We would sit and eat together. Communicating through Spanglish, she taught me about the history of Costa Rica, the political state of the country, the beautiful nature of the people, and so much more. She was honest and real with me. She truly made me feel at home and I owe my wonderful time in Costa Rica to her.
I was able to take both trips, because of the fact that with the combination of classes I would take all summer, it would classify as a full semester load of 12 credit hours. Thus, I was able to maintain my Hope scholarship even over the summer. In addition, I would also say that if you are looking to travel but want to have the comfort of familiar faces and a stricter schedule, the Maymester is right for you. However, if you are adventurous and want to be able to explore on your own and take a further step outside of your comfort zone, the semester abroad is the way to go. You are only young once, traveling has given me such a different approach to life and appreciation for the world around me, I recommend it to any and everyone who is able.