Hunter Butler will be celebrating his graduation while experiencing amazing theater, seeing great works of art, walking through millennia-old landmarks and basking in the Grecian sun.
Butler, a senior in civil engineering, plans to participate in the second annual senior trip to Europe hosted by the Alumni Association.
“[The trip] is a great opportunity for any senior who is ready to get out of school, but isn’t ready to start work right away,” he said.
Graduates will be embarking on a classic tour of Europe stopping in London, Paris, Rome, Athens and the Greek Island of Poros.
“Students will get to see Europe on a fast paced trip,” said Kathy Hart, associate executive director of the Alumni Association. “It offers them an opportunity to see a lot while they are young so they can decide where they would want to further travel when they are older.”
The association is offering the trip as a two-part package.
Students can sign up for the 11-day package that takes them to London, Paris and Rome, Hart said. The association is also offering the 17-day package, which takes participants to Italy and Greece where they can visit the ancient city of Pompeii and sunbathe in the Grecian sun.
Leah Bartlett, a senior in parks, recreation and tourism and an intern for the Alumni Association, said only two students went on the trip last year.
“We hope to make it bigger this year and start a tradition,” Bartlett said. “Seniors can bring younger friends with them if they’d like, and we are also offering the trip to last year’s graduates.”
The tour of Europe encourages people to travel without having to deal with the hassle of planning.
“What better way to celebrate the past four or five years of our life then with a two week vacation abroad,” Butler said.
AESU Alumni World Travel, a company that specializes in planning excursions, has been working with the Alumni Association to make the trip memorable for students.
The organization also works with older alumni to help plan vacations.
“We offer 15 different trips to our alumni,” Hart said.
Hart said even Chancellor James Oblinger plans to travel with the Alumni Association in August to visit Wales.
This classic tour of Europe, Hart said, is priced to be affordable for seniors, and she said it would be a unique graduation present for parents to offer their new graduates.
Students from other universities will join N.C. State on the trip.
“Those on the trip will have the opportunity to meet other students from different universities while they travel,” Hart said. “This gives travelers the chance to meet new people and have a wonderful experience abroad.”
Lauren Mills, a senior in business management, will be memorializing her graduation by traveling to Europe.
“I can’t wait to go to the Greek Islands,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to go because I’ve heard they are so beautiful.”
Mills said she had originally planned on going to Ecuador after graduation, but changed her mind after hearing about the Europe trip.
“Traveling all over Europe with other college students sounded much better,” Mills said.
For Melanie Bodenheimer, a senior in civil engineering, it will be the first time traveling abroad.
“I plan to do as much sightseeing as I can and experience as much as I can about the cit[ies] and how it feels to live there,” Bodenheimer said.
The trip is organized so travelers will have free time to do their own exploring.
Whether students choose to visit Buckingham Palace, spend the day exploring the eternal city of Rome or hit the shops on Via Condotti, Butler said there is an activity to inspire everyone’s interest.
“I’m not a big shopper, so I want to spend my time in places like the Louvre Museum in Paris or going to the Globe Theater in London,” Butler said. “I also want to find the places that were featured in Dan Brown’s ‘The Davinci Code.'”
Butler said he has special plans for experiencing European nightlife.
“As far as nightlife is concerned, I will have to see how many pubs I can survive without ‘forgetting’ the whole trip,” Butler said.
Students will be ending their time abroad by visiting the 2400-year-old Parthenon and the Temple of Zeus in Greece. But before returning to the real world, travelers can attend a farewell toga party on their last night.
Students can get information for the trip at http://www.alumni.ncsu.edu/students/seniors/trip.php. The official deadline for final payment is March 25.
