wisconsin alumni travel 2024

Wisconsin Alumni Association

The Wisconsin Alumni Association and Go Next are pleased to offer exceptional travel opportunities available to you, your family, and your friends. Join fellow alumni and experience the camaraderie of exploring the world with like-minded travelers. Each Go Next trip has been thoughtfully selected with you and your alma mater in mind. We take care of the details, so you can relax and enjoy the company of your fellow alumni. For questions about the Wisconsin Alumni Travel Program, please contact [email protected].

Because of the exceptional value and limited space, we encourage you to make your reservation as soon as possible.

Reservations and Questions

Purchasing travel insurance is highly recommended to protect you, your belongings, and your travel investment. To view travel insurance offered through The Wisconsin Alumni Association, click here .

Wisconsin Alumni Association Group Programs

Embark on a breathtaking 10-night journey through the enchanting islands of French Polynesia.

Embark on an extraordinary 11-night cruise along the Panama Canal and the Caribbean Sea, where enchanting tales of the past merge seamlessly with breathtaking coastlines and vibrant local cultures.

Let your senses come alive as you uncover the secrets and treasures of the fabulous Down Under on this 14-night cruise aboard Oceania Cruises’ Regatta .

Embark on a mesmerizing 7-night river cruise through the Netherlands and Germany, culminating in the enchanting beauty of Switzerland aboard Emerald Cruises’ Emerald Sky.

2024 Travel Catalog

Travel ON 2024 TOUR OFFERINGS

EXCLUS IVELY FOR MEMBERS OF THE WI SCONS IN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ®

Find the Right Trip for You

Alumni Travel from the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) brings Badgers together to explore the world. With more than 40 tours offered in 2024, you’re sure to discover a destination that’ll deliver memorable experiences and new friendships. Among the destinations are some all-time favorites with exciting, revamped itineraries — giving you a chance to gain a fresh perspective. Looking to explore ancient lands and unearth historic legacies? Want to immerse yourself in an exotic culture? How about taking a journey sprinkled with culinary delights? Or going on an adventure surrounded by abundant wildlife? Whatever your interests, Alumni Travel has a tour to fulfill your bucket list. Such a wide array of destinations is a big reason why WAA members, UW alumni, and friends of the university continue to travel with us year after year. But it’s the Badger camaraderie you’ll enjoy and the knowledge you'll gain from expert guides that makes Alumni Travel stand out from the rest. Now, embrace the journey by paging through this catalog to find that next great world-class trip to take with Alumni Travel. Amy Klus '05 Director of Travel Sarah Schutt Chief Alumni Officer and Executive Director, WAA Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association Book your next tour now! Email [email protected] or call 888-947-2586. Visit uwalumni.com/travel for the most current trip information and to request specific tour brochures.

No Single Supplement Thinking of traveling by yourself? Check out these tours that feature no extra fees for solo travel. Croatia and Cruising the Dalmatian Coast April 16–27 | Page 3 Dutch Waterways April 22–30 | Page 3 Flavors of Northern Italy May 4–12 | Page 3 Cruise the Rhine and Mosel Rivers: A Family Journey June 21–29 | Page 5

Portugal: Alluring Alentejo September 22–30 | Page 7

France: Normandy's 80th Anniversary September 27–October 5 | Page 8 Flavors of Provence by Luxury River Ship October 1–10 | Page 8 Spain: Andalucía in a Parador October 17–25 | Page 8

Featured 2024 Tours Antarctica Discovery January 11–22 | Page 1 Journey through Vietnam January 20–February 3 | Page 1 Finland: Arctic Magnificence April 3–11 | Page 2 South Africa Spotlight May 8–21 | Page 4 Denali National Park June 9-14 | Page 5 Paris: Featuring the African American Experience October 19–27 | Page 8 Passage to Arabia: United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar November 11–23 | Page 9

All tours, dates, and prices are subject to change.

HOI AN, VIETNAM

2024 SCHEDULE

Hue and charming Hoi An and from the Mekong Delta to Saigon. Discover amazing Angkor Wat and PhnomPenh with an optional five- day/three-night post-tour extension. BALI, SINGAPORE, THAILAND, AND ANGKORWAT JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 14 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $6,395 From the lovely shores of Bali to modern Singapore, exciting Bangkok to legendary Angkor, this incredible journey reveals the best of Southeast Asia. Thrill to Bali’s traditional culture, explore Singapore’s diverse neighborhoods, cruise along Bangkok’s legendary canals, and “TRAVEL can be the most rewarding form of introspection.” Lawrence Durell

ANTARCTICA DISCOVERY JANUARY 11–22 OPERATED BY ORBRIDGE Starting at $9,995 Join this truly life-changing adventure to experience the boundless beauty and pristine vastness of Antarctica. This remote continent and its precarious waterways have hosted some of themost courageous explorers in history. Your expedition vessel for this amazing journey is the modern, 190-guest OceanVictory , a nimble craft designed specifically

for polar cruising —with large cabins, exceptional amenities, and a knowledgeable and friendly crew. JOURNEY THROUGH VIETNAM JANUARY 20–FEBRUARY 3 OPERATED BY ODYSSEYS UNLIMITED Starting at $3,495 Encounter Vietnam’s breathtaking natural beauty, abiding traditions, and profoundly hospitable people on this comprehensive journey fromFrench-accented Hanoi and stunning Ha Long Bay to imperial

Find the right tour for you. Refer to these icons for a better understanding of the type, and focus, of each trip.

No Single Supplement

Cruise/Ship Component

NAGOYA, JAPAN

INTRIGUING INDIA FEBRUARY 23–MARCH 8 OPERATED BY ORBRIDGE Starting at $6,995

Colorful. Chaotic. Mesmerizing. Exotic. Many words describe India — a vast, diverse country with the Himalayas in the north, beaches in the south, tribal territory to the east, and desert to the west. Experience India's vibrant interior during an in-depth exploration of its history, culture, and wildlife — featuring larger-than-life palaces, battle-scarred forts, and engaging artisan encounters, along with flora and fauna sightings.

MOROCCO: LANDOF ENCHANTMENT FEBRUARY 16–25 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $4,295 Embrace Morocco’s ancient wonders and age-old traditions on this journey to Marrakech and Rabat. Explore colorful souks and Jemaa el-Fna Square, tour ornate gardens, and marvel at towering minarets. Enjoy tea with a Berber family in the Atlas Mountains, visit chic Casablanca, and marvel at the wonders of ancient Rabat! This program features deluxe hotels and a generous meal plan. PANAMA POTPOURRI FEBRUARY 16–26 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $3,299 Join us on a thrilling voyage to the Panama Canal aboard Oceania Cruises’ Sirena . Revel in a journey through the Panama Canal, one of the modern world’s most heroic feats of engineering. Explore ancient Mayan ruins in Costa Maya; hike through the rainforest in Santo Tomas; relax on the beach in Roatan; and discover Puerto Limon’s incredible wildlife at Cahuita National Park.

explore the jungle-clad temples of Angkor. Plus, meet welcoming locals and dig into savory regional dishes. Enjoy first-class accommodations, an extensive meal plan and flights to Singapore, Bangkok, and SiemReap. MAORI HERITAGE FEBRUARY 6–24 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $7,699 Escape to the great Down Under on this adventure through Australia and New Zealand aboard Oceania Cruises’ Regatta . Experience colorful geysers, hot springs, and Maori culture. Cruise along captivating fjords as craggy cliffs tower over you. Watch for kangaroos, sea lions, and other exotic wildlife. Sip vintage wine at famous vineyards and adventure through an exhilarating mix of natural and urban wonders. February

JAPAN: LANDOF THE RISING SUN

MARCH 19–APRIL 1 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $6,199

Embark on an epic journey through Japan on this cruise aboardOceania Cruises’ Riviera . Encounter the vibrant lights and life of Tokyo andNagoya before exploring the quainter town of Kochi. Witness the remnants of Nagasaki’s history alongside itsmodern city, volcanoes, and beautiful offshore islands. Meander through the Hiroshima gardens andmarvel at themajestic viewof Mount Fuji fromShimizu. FINLAND: ARCTICMAGNIFICENCE APRIL 3–11 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $4,495 Embrace Finland’s majestic beauty and Nordic charm on this active journey! Explore vibrant April

MACHU PICCHU TO THE GALÁPAGOS APRIL 16–MAY 1 OPERATED BY ODYSSEYS UNLIMITED Starting at $8,295 Encounter two of South America’s greatest treasures on this small- group tour, exploringMachu Picchu’s enigmatic ruins and witnessing the fascinating Galápagos Islands’ wonders on a four-night adventure. Further discoveries await in Lima, the Sacred Valley, Cuzco, andQuito. Experience the Amazon rain forest with an exceptional four-day/four- night pre-tour option. DUTCHWATERWAYS APRIL 22–30 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $3,395 Glide along picturesque waterways in the Netherlands and Belgium on this wonderful, first- class cruise. Take in Amsterdam’s gabled canal houses, Keukenhof Gardens’ breathtaking tulips, and the old-world ambience of Bruges and Antwerp. Plus, enjoy a choice

Helsinki and indulge in the quintessentially Finnish tradition of a rejuvenating sauna. In northern Lapland, gaze at the awe-inspiring northern lights from your glass-domed cabin. Plus, enjoy a snowshoe trek bymoonlight and a fast-paced dogsled ride across the pristine fjells. You’ll also tour the splendid old townof Tallinn, Estonia! CROATIA AND CRUISING THE DALMATION COAST APRIL 16–27 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $5,295 Discover the bounty of Croatia on this incredible journey, including a seven-night Adriatic cruise! Begin in Zagreb, followed by a visit to the stunning Plitvice National Park. Then board your intimate, first-class yacht to sail along the Dalmatian Coast. Sail away from the crowds to enjoy the beauty of Rab, Hvar, and Kor č ula, and unravel history in Split, Zadar, and Trogir.Wrapup your adventure in marvelous Dubrovnik.

of included cultural and culinary experiences in several ports. Savor the ever-changing panoramas and carefree comforts that make river cruising so enticing! No single supplement.

FLAVORS OF NORTHERN ITALY MAY 3–11 OPERATED BY ORBRIDGE Starting at $4,995

Join this small-group journey to the culinary and cultural heart of Northern Italy —a regionbrimming with exquisite local wines, specialty ingredients, soul-satisfying signature dishes, and thewonderful Italians who conjure themwith time-honored techniques. Settle into a beautiful wine estate outside Verona.With eachday highlighted by access to authentic Italy, you’ll revel in la dolce vita— the joyful celebration of food, friends, and life!

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE: MALTA, SICILY, TUNISIA, CALABRIA MAY 7–15 OPERATED BY GOHAGAN Starting at $4,995 This carefully curated itinerary explores resplendent shores and prized remnants of bygone civilizations. Cruise along two of Europe’smost dramatic coastlines through the fabled Strait of Messina to the Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean Seas. Journey from the island of Malta to the ancient Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and to the souk (marketplace) of Tunis, Tunisia. Enjoy calls at Taormina, Trapani, and Palermo on the island of Sicily before cruising to Syracuse. Enhance your tour with theMalta pre-programoption. SOUTH AFRICA SPOTLIGHT MAY 8–21 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $4,999 Experienceoneof theworld’smost riveting wildlife destinations on this cruise through South Africa aboardOceaniaCruises’ Nautica . See spectacular views as anatural lagoon andsanddune surroundyou.Keep watch for fascinatingbirds, including flamingos and pelicans. Encounter small-town charmand dip your toes in the pristine sands of local beaches. Enjoy the thrill of horseback riding and dolphinwatching. EUROPEAN COASTAL CIVILIZATIONS MAY 12–21 OPERATED BY GOHAGAN Starting at $6,495 Explore storied legacies and dynamic cultures on this cruise

of coastal Portugal, Spain, France, and England. And commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day with guest speaker Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Discover Portugal’s renowned wine country, walk in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela, visit Bilbao’s iconic GuggenheimMuseum, and see UNESCO-inscribed Mont-Saint- Michel’s impressive abbey. Extend your journey with the Lisbon pre-program and London post- program options. MARVELOUS MEDITERRANEAN: BARCELONA TO ROME MAY 14–25 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $3,699 FromBarcelona to Rome — say goodbye to themundane on this captivating cruise aboardOceania Cruises’ Sirena . Set sail along the sunnyMediterranean, where palms line silky sands, Gothic cathedrals shadowbuzzing shopping districts,

and the best wines in the world complement authentic fare, from tapas to truffles. Browse the posh boutiques of Palma deMallorca. Wander the Tuscan hills and sip world-class wines in an ancient Italianwine cellar in Livorno. NORWEGIAN FJORDS AND MIDNIGHT SUN MAY 26–JUNE 5 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $5,395 Treat yourself to an unforgettable Norwegian adventure! Explore captivating Oslo, Bergen, and far northern Tromsø. Discover sensational scenery, cultural treasures, and life above the Arctic Circle on this first-class, small- group journey. Cruise along the breathtaking Aurlandsfjord, watch storybook landscapes unfold aboard mountain railways, and experience themidnight sun phenomenon.

that will delight travelers of all ages. Journey to France, Germany, and the Netherlands aboard a first- class ship, and explore Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Cologne, Amsterdam, andmore. Choose froma variety of included excursions, such as cycling, hiking, and culinary tours — plus onboard fun for younger generations. Open to ages 7 and up. No single supplement! ICELANDIC REVELATION JULY 6–17 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $4,499 Come with us on an unforgettable cruise through Iceland and Denmark aboard an extraordinary ship, Oceania Cruises’ Sirena . Enjoy the ambience of Grundarfjörður’s serene waterfalls and unique July

views like Kirkjufell or “church mountain.” Tour amaritime museumor fish along the bay in Isafjörður. Surround yourself with Icelandic folk culture in Akureyri. Enjoy time in themysterious Faeroe Islands with itsmix of stunning rocky cliffs andmodern-day cafes. NORTH SEA ESCAPADE: PARIS TO STOCKHOLM JULY 12–23 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $4,299 Sail away with us to the North Sea on this cruise aboardOceania Cruises’ Nautica . Admire the colorful wooden houses in Kristiansund and be inspired by the Viking spirit inOslo. In Copenhagen, see why the Danes are considered some of the happiest people. Tour Tallinn’s underground passageways and learn about its

THE CHARMOF THE AMALFI COAST JUNE 5–13 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $3,995 Your Italian daydreams will come to life on this handcrafted, small-group journey along the AmalfiCoast. Enjoy seven nights in Sorrento, venturing out to the special towns of Ravello, Amalfi, and Positano. Unravel history during excursions to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Paestum; visit a rural farm; and experience bustling Naples. Plus, tuck into delicious local dishes and engage with the region’s welcoming locals. DENALI NATIONAL PARK JUNE 9–14 OPERATED BY ORBRIDGE Starting at $3,995 Journey into the scenic wilds of Alaska. Your destination: the magnificent, six-million-acre Denali National Park and Reserve. This dazzling and vast wilderness is home to Dall sheep, eagles, wolves, migrating caribou, and grizzly bears — catching sight of them is a thrill not soon forgotten. A final highlight includes traveling aboard the historic Alaska Railroad with superior viewing fromyour upgradedGoldStar glass-dome seat.

CRUISE THE RHINE ANDMOSEL RIVERS: A FAMILY JOURNEY JUNE 21–29 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $3,795

Treat the entire family to a cruise on the Rhine andMoselle Rivers

SITKA, ALASKA

wonders of Budapest. August ENCHANTING GEMS OF AUSTRIA AUGUST 7–16 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $3,995 Delight in Austria’s jewel-box cities of Graz and Salzburg on this wonderful small-group journey. Savor stellar cuisine and engaging cultural excursions. See the celebrated Lipizzaner horses and tour Riegersburg Castle. Cruise on picture-perfect Lake Hallstatt and enjoy Mozart’s remarkable music at a concert and dinner. A day in the Bavarian Alps finds you atop the historic Eagle’s Nest, inside a salt mine, and lunching inabeer garden. STUNNING SCOTLAND: HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS WITHMILITARY TATTOO AUGUST 10–19 OPERATED BY ORBRIDGE Starting at $6,295 Experience the puremagic that is Scotland by cruising the infamous LochNess to Inverness, sampling heavenly spirits refined over centuries, and taking in the iconic music that illustrates the tales of this extraordinary land. Wander cobblestoned streets on panoramic city tours, explore fascinating castles, tour the southern area of the Isle of Skye, visit delightful shops to browse works crafted by skilledmasters, and perhaps even try on a traditional tartan or two.

“LIKE ALL GREAT TRAVELERS, I have seen more than I remember, and I remember more than I have seen.”

Benjamin Disraeli

historic past. ALASKA INSIDER JULY 15–26 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $7,619

DANUBE DELIGHTS WITH PRAGUE JULY 23–AUGUST 2 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $5,499

Join fellow adventure-seekers for a cruise through Alaskanwilderness wonders aboard American Queen Voyages’ OceanVictory , including a one-night pre-cruise stay in Sitka. Learn themeanings of Ketchikan’s totempoles and hop in a kayak or Zodiac raft to get closer to the Fiordland Conservancy’s glacier- gouged cliffs. Hear the humpbacks at Five Finger Lighthouse, watch bears fish at Salmon Bay, and explore the wildlife-rich bays and inlets of Misty Fjords National Monument.

Old World charm and captivating architecture await on this Danube River cruise aboardEmeraldCruises’ Emerald Destiny . Experience the ultimate river cruise meandering throughGermany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary with an included two-night pre-cruise program in Prague. Visit Regensburg’smedieval center andseePassau’s soaringSaint Stephen’sCathedralwith the largest pipe organ in Europe. Tour Melk Abbey, an 18th-centurymonastery, and spend two days exploring the

CELTIC KALEIDOSCOPE: DUBLIN TO EDINBURGH AUGUST 13–24 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $4,799 Join us for an unforgettable adventure through the green coasts of Ireland and Scotland on a cruise aboard Oceania Cruises’ Nautica . Visit Waterford, a 1,110-year-old Viking town. Let the rainbow-colored buildings of Belfast welcome you to a place where local business and street art thrives. Retrace the steps of ill- fated Scottish heroes at Culloden battlefield near Invergordon. CANADIAN ROCKIES EXPLORERWITH GLACIER NATIONAL PARK AUGUST 28–SEPTEMBER 7 OPERATED BY ODYSSEYS UNLIMITED Starting at $5,595 Canadian Rockies richly reward outdoor-loving travelers. Featuring three trulymagnificent national parks, this small-group journey includes amountain gondola ride, a trip aboard a legendary Red Jammer sightseeing bus, and a glacier drive in an all-terrain vehicle, among other adventures. One of North America’s great unspoiledwildernesses, the

See the famous Reversing Falls in Saint John, participate in a fudge- making class in Sydney, and enjoy a performance at the Théâtre du PalaisMunicipal in Saguenay. In Quebec City, delight in high tea at the iconic Château Frontenac. SWISS ALPS AND THE ITALIAN LAKES SEPTEMBER 25–OCTOBER 4 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $4,295 Embrace thewonders of Switzerland and Italy. Stay in chic SaintMoritz and lakeside Stresa, immersing yourself in these celebrated destinations. Journey by train to Zuoz andwind through incredible scenery on the Bernina Express. Cruise to the Borromean Islands and explore romantic Bellagio and Como. Stand before da Vinci’s The Last Supper and prepare regional dishes at a family restaurant. CLASSIC SAFARI: KENYA AND TANZANIA SEPTEMBER 26–OCTOBER 11 OPERATED BY ODYSSEYS UNLIMITED Starting at $8,795 On safari in two premier safari destinations — Kenya and Tanzania — you’ll enjoy a small- group adventure, experience

PORTUGAL: ALLURING ALENTEJO SEPTEMBER 22–30 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $3,695 Explore hidden gems in the

enchanting Alentejo countryside on this small-group adventure. Discover sparklingmarble towns and the breathtaking royal city of Évora. Learn how to prepare authentic Portuguese dishes in a private home and relish a delicious meal at a family-ownedwinery. Plus, admire the remarkable Roman ruins of Mérida, Spain, and choose to see Lisbon’s cultural riches! Enjoy a deluxe hotel in picturesque Vila Viçosa, guided tours, and enriching lectures. No single supplement! IN THE PATHOF CARTIER: BOSTON TOMONTREAL SEPTEMBER 25–OCTOBER 6 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $4,799 Immerse yourself inwild and natural wonders on this cruise aboardOceania Cruises’ Nautica . Get a taste of Nova Scotia inHalifax and Sydney as you try a sampling of local brews in downtown pubs.

CHÂTEAU FRONTENAC, QUEBEC CITY, CANADA

escape to Italy’s Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany regions! During stays in Parma and Cortona, uncover the alluring spirit of these celebrated destinations. Witness Bologna’s porticoes and Parma’s lauded cathedral, and visit charming villages and beautiful farms. Along the way, savor culinary favorites, including balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese, and prosciutto; sip locallymade wines; and learn to cook typical regional dishes. SPAIN: ANDALUCÍA IN A PARADOR OCTOBER 17–25 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $2,995 Immerse yourself in southern Spain’s enchanting culture and history. Fromyour base in a first-class, modern parador in Andalucía’s heartland, discover the legacy of Moorish Spain. Explore Granada, Córdoba, Sevilla, and Ronda, and along the way, gain insights from local experts. Embrace the passion of flamenco and sipwine in the Andalucían countryside. No single supplement! PARIS: FEATURING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE OCTOBER 19–27 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $3,995 In the decade followingWorld War I, Paris earned a reputation as a leader in civil rights, providing unparalleled freedoms and opportunities for African Americans towork and live in ways that weren’t accessible to them in the United States. During carefully curated excursions, gain an in-depth perspective on the contributions and indelible

intimate game drives, see stupendous landscapes, stay in top-rated game lodges, and meet gracious local people. Stay at the legendary Mount Kenya Safari Club and encounter more wildlife with an optional three-day/two- night post-tour extension. FRANCE: NORMANDY'S 80TH ANNIVERSARY SEPTEMBER 27–OCTOBER 5 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $3,995 Immerse yourself inNormandy’s remarkable history and enchanting beauty on this first-class journey based in the lovely seaside resort town of Deauville. Explore Omaha the 80th anniversary year of this crucial operation. Take in stunning Mont-Saint-Michel and the Bayeux Tapestry. Enjoy a wine tasting and lunch at a 10th-century castle and taste Calvados, Normandy’s celebrated apple brandy, on an estate. No single supplement! FALL COLORS ONMARK TWAIN'S MISSISSIPPI SEPTEMBER 28–OCTOBER 6 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $4,369 aboard AmericanQueen Voyages’ AmericanCountess . Experience the places that inspired the timeless writings of Mark Twain and see his boyhood home inHannibal. Relax in a waterfront cafe in Bettendorf ormeander down the riverfront trail as you take in themighty Mississippi. Visit the Dubuque Museumof Art, seek out a local brewpub in La Crosse, and learn the pioneering history of RedWing. Discover the beauty of the Mississippi River in autumn andUtah Beaches and other renownedD-Day sites during

FLAVORS OF PROVENCE BY LUXURY RIVER SHIP OCTOBER 2–10 OPERATED BY ORBRIDGE Starting at $4,795 Awaken your senses as you explore the French countryside, sailing the picturesque Rhône and Saône Rivers. From the comfort of your 140-guest luxury vessel, Amadeus towering castles, feel the texture of vines that produce the wines of Burgundy and the Provence, and taste your way through France’s gastronomic capital, Lyon. History, art, architecture, and natural beauty stimulate themind and satisfy the soul on this journey. HADRIAN’S ITALIAN HOMECOMING: BARCELONA TO VENICE OCTOBER 2–13 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $4,599 Discovermust-seeMediterranean destinations on this cruise aboard Oceania Cruises’ Vista . Sip specialty Menorcanwine as you embark in the Spanish paradise of Barcelona. Glide down the famous Grand Corniche and try your hand at the Monte Carlo Casino. Take a tuk-tuk ride around the Bay of Kotor or go local in Split and cook some coastal cuisine withCroatian villagers as you partake in country festivities. ITALY: TUSCANY AND EMILIA-ROMAGNA OCTOBER 8–17 OPERATED BY AHI TRAVEL Starting at $4,295 Incredible heritage and culinary history are yours to enjoy on this Provence , discover a bounty of flavors, stand in awe before

the world’s tallest building, the iconic Burj Khalifa. Take in the royal private home of the Ruler of Sarjah, beautiful mosques, ancient sites, and world-class museums on your cruise with calls at United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar.

“NO ONE REALIZES HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS TO TRAVEL until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”

GREAT TRAINS AND GRAND CANYONS NOVEMBER 17–22 OPERATED BY PREMIER WORLD DISCOVERY Staring at $2,850

Inspire your sense of adventure and board the Grand Canyon Railway for an epic journey to the South Rimof Grand CanyonNational Park. Ride the Verde Canyon Railroad along a spectacular route between two national forests. This experience combines the scenery of the AmericanWest withNative American history, and five nights at a picturesque property in Sedona. so although anyone — UW– Madison graduate or not — is welcome to explore the world with Badger travelers, at least one person in your party must be a WAA member to participate in a WAA tour. Membership information is available at uwalumni.com/membership. Traveling with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® (WAA) is now a member benefit,

EGYPT AND THE ETERNAL NILE NOVEMBER 8–22 OPERATED BY ODYSSEYS UNLIMITED Starting at $4,595 Accompanied by an expert Egyptian guide, this singular small- group journey reveals antiquity’s treasures inCairo, then on a Lake Nasser cruise and a classic Nile voyage fromAswan to Luxor, before returning to Cairo. Discover fabled Petra, ancient Jerash, and Amman with an optional five-day/four-night post-tour Jordan extension. PASSAGE TO ARABIA: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, OMAN, BAHRAIN, QATAR NOVEMBER 11–23 OPERATED BY GOHAGAN Starting at $7,495 Experience the architectural wonder and breathtaking scenery of the Arabian Gulf on this extraordinary, five-star land and sea tour. On your city tour of Dubai, see the famous seven- star Burj Al Arab hotel and visit

influencesmade by African American expatriates. This

thoughtfully balanced programalso allows you to experience one of the world’smost dazzling cities.

RENAISSANCE TRIUMPHS: ROME TO BARCELONA NOVEMBER 3–14 OPERATED BY GO NEXT Starting at $2,799 Take in art, architecture, history, and romance inspired by the Renaissance and the Enlightenment periods on this cruise aboardOceania Cruises’ Riviera . Escape to Naples to see Pompeii, a preserved ancient Roman city once buried under the ashes of nearbyMount Vesuvius. Sip hand-craftedwine inMessina. Cruise the terracotta cliff-lined waters of the AmalfiCoast and visit Valletta to see the celebrated Saint John’s Co-Cathedral. Take in Italian Renaissancemasterpieces in Florence and Pisa.

YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE AWAITS EXPLORE TRAVEL PROGRAMS WITH

A trusted partner of the Wisconsin Alumni Association, Go Next is dedicated to providing UW alumni and friends with exciting travel opportunities. Envision yourself exploring iconic cities, discovering hidden gems, and enjoying all of the amenities a cruise affords as you see the world with fellow Badger travelers. We’ve got a trip with your perfect balance of adventure, relaxation, and new learning experiences.

Maori Heritage – Australia & New Zealand 16 Nights • February 8 - 24, 2024 • Oceania Cruises’ Regatta • From $7,699

Sydney • At Sea • Melbourne • Burnie (Tasmania) • At Sea • Dunedin • Christchurch (Lyttelton) • Picton • Wellington • Gisborne • Rotorua (Tauranga) • Whangarei • Bay of Islands • Auckland

Panama Potpourri 10 Nights • February 16, 2024 - February 26, 2024 • Sirena • From $3,299 Miami • At Sea • Cozumel • Costa Maya • Harvest Caye • Santo Tomas • Roatan • At Sea • Puerto Limon • Panama Canal Daylight Transit • Panama City • Oceania Cruises’ • Land of the Rising Sun 12 Nights • March 20, 2024 - April 1, 2024 • Riviera • From $6,199 Tokyo (Yokohama) • Nagoya • Kochi • Kagoshima • Nagasaki • Busan • At Sea • Hiroshima • Beppu • At Sea • Kyoto (Kobe) • Shimizu • Tokyo (Yokohama) • Oceania Cruises’ •

South Africa Spotlight 12 Nights • May 9, 2024 - May 21, 2024 •

Nautica • From $4,999 Cape Town • At Sea • Walvis Bay • At Sea • Cruising the Cape of Good Hope • Port Elizabeth • Durban • Richards Bay • At Sea • Mossel Bay • Cape Town • Oceania Cruises’ •

Marvelous Mediterranean 10 Nights • May 15, 2024 - May 25, 2024 •

Sirena • From $3,699 Barcelona • Valencia • Palma de Mallorca • Mahon (Menorca) • Sete • Saint-Tropez • Monte Carlo • Portofino • Propriano, Corsica • Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno) • Rome • Oceania Cruises’ •

Icelandic Revelation 10 Nights • July 7, 2024 - July 17, 2024 •

Sirena • From $4,499 Reykjavik • Grundarfjordur • Isafjordur • Akureyri • Seydisfjordur • Djupivogur • Torshavn • At Sea • Heimaey • Reykjavik • Oceania Cruises’ •

North Sea Escapade 10 Nights • July 13, 2024 - July 23, 2024 •

Nautica • From $4,299 Paris (Le Havre) • At Sea • Kristiansand • Oslo • Copenhagen • Lübeck (Travemünde) • At Sea • Riga • Tallinn • Helsinki • Stockholm • Oceania Cruises’ •

Alaska Insider 12 Nights • July 15 - 27, 2024 • American Queen Voyages’ Ocean Voyager • From $4,599 Sitka • Kake & Frederick Sound • Endicott Arm • Tracy Arm • Petersburg • Waterfall Coast (Gut Bay) Wrangell • Misty Fjords • Ketchikan & Metlakatla • Kynoch Inlet, Fiordland • Canadian Inside Passage • Vancouver

Danube Delights with Prague 10 Nights • July 24 - August 2, 2024 • Emerald Cruises’ Destiny • From $5,490 Prague • Regensburg • Engelhartszell • Passau • Durnstein • Vienna • Bratislava • Budapest

Celtic Kaleidoscope

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From the sensational northern lights to a soothing sauna, revel in outdoor adventures and cool Finnish traditions on this seven-night, active journey. Drive a team of lively huskies across the fjells, take a snowshoe hike by moonlight, and spot reindeer in the wild! Enjoy three nights exploring in dynamic Helsinki and four nights in northern Lapland in a glass-domed cabin, plus visit the charming old town of Tallinn, Estonia.

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Flavors of Provence by Luxury River Ship

Set sail along the serene waters of the Rhône and Saône for seven captivating nights aboard the luxurious Amadeus Provence , navigating through the heart and soul of France. At each stop, gain a deep connection with the region's rich history and cultural treasures while immersing yourself in the charm of picturesque villages and renowned wine regions. From notable historic sights that unfold the tales of centuries past to engaging cooking classes that bring the flavors of the French countryside to life, every moment of this journey offers an indulgent blend of relaxation and discovery.

Program Highlights

– Survey the region's history with tours of Beaune's Hôtel Dieu and Caves Patriarche, Lyon's Fourvière Hill, and more.

– Tour the Village of Fleurie with an exclusive wine experience at family-owned Château de Chasselas on 12 hectares of vines located in the Burgundy and Beaujolais wine regions. 

– Visit a goat farm in the Mâconnais countryside to learn about cheese production and sustainability.

– On a walking tour of historic Lyon, navigate through  traboules, or secret passageways, and gain an understanding of their purpose.

– Tour Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse indoor market, and taste why Lyon is said to be the "world's gastronomic capital."

– Learn the deep roots of Christianity's influence in Avignon on a guided tour of the Palace of the Popes.

– Join an intimate, hands-on cooking class with a professional French baker to produce traditional baguettes in a  boulangerie.

– See the passion, technique, and respect for olive oil production at an olive oil mill in Les Baux, sampling products from this effort.

– Elevate your wine knowledge and appreciation with unique tasting experiences and education by winemakers and sommeliers.

– Participate in the search and retrieval of truffles, and relish the opportunity to try the delicacies.

What's Included

• 7 nights aboard the stylish and modern  Amadeus Provence
• 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 7 dinners (including beer, wine or soft drinks with lunch and dinner)
• All lessons, private tours and tastings, and unique small-group excursions noted in the 9-day itinerary
• Full guiding services of an Orbridge Travel Director and expert local guides
• Private motor coach transportation
• Luggage porterage
• Gratuities to Orbridge Travel Director, local guides, drivers, and wait staff for included meals
• Airport transfers for guests arriving and departing during the suggested times

Day 1: En Route from U.S. Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Day 2: Arrive in Lyon, France – Embarkation Thursday, October 3, 2024 Welcome to Provence — a region that elicits visions of sunflowers, lavender, olive trees and wine. Uncover gems of this fascinating region along the Mediterranean coast with a program featuring its quintessential elements both big and small. 

Step aboard the incredible  Amadeus Provence and delight in a number of on-board facilities housed within tasteful, modern design. This vessel sailing the Rhône and Saône Rivers offers all the luxuries of a floating five-star boutique hotel, with an infinity pool, restaurant, and lounge. Comfort, style, and sophistication complement the surrounding glorious views. 

Later, get to know fellow travelers during a welcome cocktail reception followed by dinner. Overnight: Amadeus Provence (R,D)

Day 3: Mâcon Friday, October 4, 2024 Stimulate your curiousity and your palate by exploring the history of Fleurie and tasting the wines at Château de Chasselas. 

A village of around 1,300 inhabitants, Fleurie is located in the heart of the Beaujolais Crus. It owes its fame to an important viticulture. Monks first planted vines here in the fifteenth century. 

Accompanied by a guide, take a walking tour to learn why Fleurie is a special place for those loving not only oenology, but gastronomy and nature. Stroll past town hall, experience the wonderful atmosphere of the village center, and see the famous chapel of the Madonna with hilltop views highlighting all the Beaujolais and the Saône Valley, the Dombes, and the Alps. Dombes is a vast expanse of a thousand or so ponds teeming with flora and fauna. Wild and migratory birds including mallard, purple heron, eared grebe, black-winged stilt and more flock here, and Dombes is also the leading freshwater fishing region in France. 

Next, head to Château de Chasselas. Located in both the Burgundy and Beaujolais wine regions, this estate contains nearly 30 acres of vines and is structured around a magnificent chateau. The winery cultivates the most notable grapes of the region, producing the celebrated Pouilly-Fuissé from Chardonnay, Beaujolais from Gamay, and a variety of red and white sparkling wines. The well-known Rosé Eternelle is a sparkling rosé that’s full of surprises. Enjoy a tasting of red and white wines led by an expert sommelier with a discussion of their characteristics. Overnight: Amadeus Provence (B,L,D)

Day 4: Chalon-sur-Saône | Tournus Saturday, October 5, 2024 Begin the day with a scenic drive along the Route des Grand Crus, also known as the Burgundy Wine Route, to Beaune. Along the way, pass through some of the most well-known vineyards in the world: Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, and Côtes de Nuits.

Regarded as the wine capital of Burgundy, Beaune is home to one of France’s most prestigious historic monuments, The Hôtel Dieu. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the structure features flamboyant Gothic architecture, polychrome roofs, and a renowned vineyard. It once served as a place where a person in need could find food, shelter, and comfort. The Hôtel Dieu in Beaune covers a large area of the town with its museum, three courtyards, outbuildings, fifteenth century bastion, and cellars. 

While in the center of Beaune, discover Caves Patriarche, considered the largest cellar in Burgundy. Over three million bottles of wine are housed in its five kilometers of galleries running beneath the town. During the visit, a sommelier of the estate introduces the group to a combination of red and white wines representing the region. A local dish known as gougères, a baked savory pastry made of choux dough and mixed with cheese, will be served as a perfect accompaniment to the wine.

Savor a traditional lunch incorporating the flavors of the region before embarking on a picturesque drive through Southern Burgundy—where vineyards cover the rolling hills, and châteaux speckle the countryside. Engaging with local communities while traveling is one of the best ways to learn about the world, and one of the most enjoyable ways to do this is by experiencing the local cuisine. 

Among the prestigious châteaux is the Castle of Cormatin. Surrounded by wide moats, the château impresses with its military style facades. This exterior demonstrates a show of power and prestige featuring imposing turrets, a high rusticated basement, gun ports, and drawbridge. Abandoned for many years, the castle was later purchased and restored. Lush gardens have been recreated with flowerbeds, a box maze, an aviary, groves, theatre, and water features.

Nestled in the valleys throughout the Mâconnais countryside roam arguably 150 of the happiest goats in France. The final stop today is a goat farm offering a range of eleven local cheeses made from raw goat milk. Cabrin, Clochette, or Tome de Lys are among the varieties made here, and these are intended to be consumed semi-dry, fresh, or matured.

Did you know? Mâconnais was established by wine growers. At one time, goat breeding was a complementary activity that allowed small pastures to be used for manure production and cheesemaking. Often cheese was consumed while working on the vines. 

Goats are fed hay and non-GMO materials as the management of the farm respects ecological gestures and sustainability. All varieties of cheese are produced directly on site. During the visit, enjoy a tasting of the farm’s most delectable cheeses before returning to the vessel. Overnight: Amadeus Provence (B,L,D)

Day 5: Lyon Sunday, October 6, 2024 Lyon is where the Saône and Rhône converge, and so much more. Today, it holds the title of "the gastronomic capital of France" and is surrounded by some of the world’s most famous vineyards. The city’s 2,000 years of history has been well-preserved, offering visitors an abundance of ancient Roman ruins and early Christian sites to explore.

In Vieux Lyon, or Old Lyon , discover Fourvière Hill, the site where Romans first founded the city around 43 BC. During the Middle Ages, Lyon grew to be an important trading city with easy access to Italy, the Mediterranean, and most of northwest Europe. The significance of the city’s past, along with its pristinely preserved Renaissance architecture, qualifies Old Lyon as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Between Fourvière Hill and the Saône River, travel back in time to when Lyon was home to wealthy banking families from neighboring countries and was also the center of silk manufacturing in Europe. Channel your inner Sherlock Holmes and walk through Lyon's secret passageways known as  traboules to discover mysterious connections linking buildings. The word "traboules" is a corruption of the Latin "trans-ambulare," or "to pass through." These allowed people more direct access to the town’s fresh water source than the winding streets provided. Become acquainted with the Roman Theatre of Fourvière, where even today artists still perform, and marvel at the Basilique Notre Dame where one church sits on top of another.

Visit Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, an indoor market originally created in 1859 and dedicated to upholding the highest standards to represent Lyon and the surrounding region. The Halles have undergone many refurbishments and changes throughout its history, but the most significant occurred between 2004 and 2006 when the desire to elevate the place to reflect European standards changed the name to honor Chef Paul Bocuse, one of the world’s most talented and celebrated chefs. Today, guests are treated with a variety of flavors and this commitment to gourmet excellence. Explore over 13,000 square meters covering three levels that include cheese makers and bakers, pastry chefs and gardeners, and butchers and fishmongers. During the tour, revel in a tasting of goods from different vendors and wineries and celebrate the delicious expression of culture and essence of the region.  Overnight: Amadeus Provence (B,L,D)

Day 6: Avignon Monday, October 7, 2024 Welcome today to the medieval history, youthful exuberance, and wordly sophistication of Avignon.  Avignon's history dates back to well before when the Romans came to town, but it was the Catholic Church that put the city on the map. Learn about this French city's UNESCO-recognized history and landmarks with a guided tour. 

In 1309, the French pope Clément V was elected. Clément V moved the papacy to Avignon, as he feared Italy was too dangerous. Along with clearing out vast spaces for public squares and building a three-acre papal palace, the Church erected more than three miles of protective wall (and 39 towers), mansions for cardinals, and residences for its bureaucracy. 

The Palace of the Popes was a symbol of power with 10-foot-thick walls. Today it's the largest surviving Gothic palace in Europe. In all, seven popes ruled from here, making Avignon the center of Christianity for nearly 100 years. Nowadays, the palace itself is largely empty, but along with lots of big, barren rooms, guests may see some original wall paintings, an elegant Gothic chapel, and beautiful floor tiles. The tower offers grand views for those making the climb. 

During this outing, be introduced to the impressive symbols that influenced the Church and the western world in the 14th century, including the Pont d’Avignon, the square in front of the palace where the Baroque façade of the former mint is visible, the Petit Palais Museum, and, finally, the Cathédrale des Doms with its ramparts and gardens.

The Pont d'Avignon, also known as Pont Saint-Bénezet, is a famous medieval bridge built between 1171 and 1185, with an original length of about 2,950 feet. Learn about this marvel of construction, and both the legend of the miracle and the children's song associated with it. 

A former cardinal's residence turned into a museum, the Petit Palais houses an impressive collection of Italian primitive art, old sculptures by Avignon artists, and paintings from the Avignon School. More than three hundred painted and sculpted works take visitors on a journey through the artistic creation of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Peer closer into Avignon life by rolling up the sleeves for a fun, hands-on culinary opportunity. Learn the inner workings of a boulangerie , or French bakery. A French bakery is different than a classic pastry shop, and bakeries must make their bread on-premises to hold the title of "boulangerie." In France, the law restricts the use of the word "pâtisserie" to bakeries who employ licensed  maître pâtissier  (master pastry chefs). One other key difference to note is that while pâtissiers work with mostly cold ingredients, a boulanger (or baker) will master the techniques and processes of warm rising dough.

The group's class is led by a professional baker with over 30 years of experience teaching the art of making something beautiful—to the eyes and the palette—by using 25-year-old yeast and a variety of flours made from the same wheat. Traditional French breads include baguettes and pain de campagne. Take pleasure in learning the method French bakers have used to bake baguettes all over France throughout the years, and have sold in farmer’s markets everywhere. (Class capacity is limited. Reserve your space while on board the ship.)

Continue learning while in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a prestigious village of the Côtes du Rhône. Located in the northern hills outside of Avignon, this location's ancient history, beautiful countryside, diversity of soils, and remarkable climate make it a traveling highlight for people passionate about wine.

Wine has been made in Provence for over 2,600 years, making it the oldest wine-producing region of France! White grapes of Provence include: Rolle, Ugni Blanc, and Bourboulenc. Most of the traditional red wine grapes are also found elsewhere in France and the Mediterranean, and include: Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Mourvedre. Have you heard of Tibouren, Braquet, Calitour, Folle Noir, and Barbaroux? These are some of the more obscure and unique red varieties of Provence.

Arrive at a Domaine where a sommelier explains the in-depth marriage of Grenache and the flavors of Provence through a tasting etiquette. Did you know? Grenache is responsible for some of the most delicious and expensive wine in the world. From exalted regions like Châteauneuf-du-Pape to cult California wines, Grenache is equally as important in the wine world as Cabernet Sauvignon. The medium-bodied taste of Grenache has been likened to candied fruit and cinnamon, and depending on where it is grown, often has subtle aromas. In Old World regions such as Côtes du Rhône and Sardinia, it may have smoky, herbal notes of dried oregano and tobacco. The Rhône is a slightly cooler region, often making wines with more finesse and slightly less alcohol.

With the tasting etiquette, discover the wine in a unique way by highlighting the texture, aroma, and flavor. Ninety-five percent of the wines produced in Châteauneuf-du-Pape are reds with Grenache as the backbone. The grape is often blended with thirteen different varietals to create the spicy, meaty wines of which the region is known. Many of the Châteauneuf estates produce the classic, dark reds with stem from the vineyards rich in galet—the rounded, heat-absorbing stone found almost exclusively in this area—and soils heavy with clay and sand. Overnight: Amadeus Provence  (B,L,D)

Day 7: Avignon | Arles Tuesday, October 8, 2024 The region of Provence features many treasures: a multitude of vineyards, breathtaking scenery, fascinating heritage, bustling cities, and quaint villages. 

Depart the ship for a full-day to explore the Alpilles, which many regard as a "must-see." It's a place of untamed natural beauty and proudly preserved traditions. A place where small mountains are covered in scrubland and forests, and fields of olives stretch as far as the eye can see. A place of both prestigious monuments and simple charms. 

Travel by motorcoach to the top of the Alpilles for panoramic views stretching from Mont Ventoux to the Cévennes, and from Sainte Victorie Mountain to the Camargue. These mountains are the source of the white limestone that was extracted from the quarries to erect the village of Les Baux-de-Provence, whose name is derived from bauxite.

Enjoy a brief stop in the tiny, hilltop village, officially classified as one of the country's "most beautiful" before dining at a local restaurant in Alpilles with a three-course lunch.

Next, visit the olive oil mill at the foot of the Château des Baux. The owners have combined centuries of experience with passion, rigor, technique, and respect for the olive trees. Sample the oils and embrace the flavor of Alpilles and the skill of the millers.

For wine, Les Baux-de-Provence is known for its high quality red and rosé wines made predominantly from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The classic Les Baux-de-Provence wine is a deeply colored red with aromas of mountains herbs, black olives, violets, and stewed blackberries.

Vines flourish here with the mixture of clay, gravel, and marl—an unconsolidated sedimentary rock or soil consisting of clay and lime with the mineral calcite. The sun shines over 300 days during the average year in this part of the Provence, creating ideal conditions for producing exceptional wines. Most of the vignerons in Les Baux-de-Provence practice organic viticulture. Their efforts towards sustainable, low intervention viticulture is facilitated by the warm, dry climate, which reduces the risk of rot, disease, and the need for chemical interventions.

During a tasting, the Domaine will select wines that represent the region and discuss the characteristics that embody Les Baux-de-Provence.

Enjoy a relaxing scenic drive through the countryside as you rejoin the ship in Arles. Overnight: Amadeus Provence (B,L,D)

Day 8: Châteauneuf-du-Rhône | Le Pouzin Wednesday, October 9, 2024 The gentle, rolling beauty of Drôme Provençale is a region seemingly suspended in time, and is sometimes called "old Provence," as it possesses a certain wildness not found in Provence proper. The area of Drôme Provençale roughly covers between Montélimar to the west, Rosans and Orpierre to the east, and Séderon to the southeast, along with other towns.  After a scenic drive of mountain vistas and fields of lavender that color the landscape blue and purple for much of the summer, travelers arrive at a truffle farm surrounded by the plains of Grignan.

In this part of the Provence known as the Tricastin Region, the treasures referred to as “black diamonds” are abundant. In fact, Tricastin is France's leading truffle-growing region, producing 60% of the nation's truffles.

Greatly appreciated by gourmets, the truffle is a mushroom that grows underground, in limestone soil, ideally at the foot of an oak tree. Two varieties of truffle are harvested in Tricastin: Tuber Melanosporum and Tuber Brumale. The former is the most sought-after as it is the most fragrant and adds the most flavor to dishes. 

Visit the estate and get to know about specially bred dogs with a keen sense of smell for unearthing black and white truffles. A demonstration is held on the search and digging method that leads to the discovery of the delicacy. Learn how truffle oil is produced and conclude with a tasting. 

Next, tour Grignan, a lovely, village perched on the edge of Provence dominated by its large château. Travel through a thousand years of rich history with the architectural gem that was dismantled during the French Revolution and later rebuilt. Learn the connection the structure has with a Parisian aristocrat who was also a prolific letter writer. Tour the château and find the beauty of the apartments, furnishings and artworks, as well as immense reception rooms.

Guests may also wish to feast their eyes on the St-Sauveur collegiate church, the Lavoir du Mail washhouse, the beautiful winding streets, and the panoramic views over the countryside with leisure time to explore and savor the town of Grignan independently. 

Tonight, onboard the ship, enjoy the Captain's Gala Dinner.  Overnight: Amadeus Provence (B,L,D)

Day 9: Lyon – Disembarkation | Depart for U.S.  Thursday, October 10, 2024 Today after breakfast, guests departing during the suggested times will take a complimentary transfer to the airport for flights home.  (B)

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Activity Level

Activities are generally not very strenuous, however, we expect that guests can enjoy two hours or more of walking, are sure-footed on cobbled surfaces, and can walk up and down stairs without assistance. Historic city centers are usually more accessible by foot than by vehicle, and sometimes it is not possible for your motor coach to drop you off at site entrances. Due to the structure of some buildings, facilities for the disabled may be limited. Also, dexterity to use kitchen tools and participate in the cooking lesson is not necessary, but adds to the enjoyment of this program. 

Your Guide(s)

Marie-neige medina — insider, interpreter, epicure, host | main program.

As you explore the region's culinary and cultural flavors, an Orbridge Travel Director will infuse your journey with an epicure’s appreciation of food and wine, a local’s knowledge and pride of place, and a travel aficionado’s ability to enrich the beauty of all senses to your discoveries. 

Whether at a wine tasting, visiting with locals, sightseeing, or raising a glass with you over an exquisitely crafted meal, the contribution of your Travel Director is essential to the intimate and educational qualities that distinguish this program. Catch their enthusiasm and explore the flavors of this wonderful region with added confidence, understanding, and appreciation. 

Accommodations

Amadeus provence.

October 3 - October 9

Beautifully designed and stocked with stand-out amenities— Amadeus Provence is intimate, elegant, and a perfectly relaxing stage for exploration. 

Stateroom Categories

C4, C1:  Individual climate control, small panoramic window (cannot be opened), choice of bed configuration (double or twin bed), spacious wardrobe, flat-screen TV, phone, safe, and spacious en suite bathroom with shower and hair dryer. Staterooms with connecting doors are available on request. (172 sq. ft.)

B4, B1, A1:  Individual climate control, drop-down panoramic window, choice of bed configuration (double or twin bed), walk-in wardrobe, flat-screen TV, phone, safe, and spacious en suite bathroom with shower and hair dryer. (188 sq. ft.)

Suite:  Individual climate control, walk-out exterior balcony, choice of bed configuration (double or twin bed), walk-in wardrobe, comfortable corner sofa, flat-screen TV, phone, safe, and luxurious en suite bathroom with shower, bathrobes, and hair dryer. (284 sq. ft.)

Terms and Conditions

THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2022.

Note: Travel credits and transfers are subject to the Terms and Conditions agreed upon at the time of the original reservation.

ORBRIDGE® TERMS AND CONDITIONS, RELEASE AND BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT

For Around the World by Private Jet Terms and Conditions, click here .

This Agreement includes contractual terms and conditions and releases Orbridge, LLC from liability. Any payment to Orbridge, including but not limited to deposits or full payments, constitutes your acknowledgement of, and agreement to, this Terms and Conditions, Release and Binding Arbitration Agreement Orbridge set forth below and in subsequent tour documents.

Limitation of Responsibility. Orbridge LLC, its shareholders, directors, officers, employees and affiliates (collectively, “Orbridge”), does not own or operate any entity that provides goods or services for your trip including, for example, ownership or control over hotels or other lodging facilities, airline, vessel, bus, van or other transportation companies, local ground operators, providers or organizers of optional excursions or equipment used thereon, food service or entertainment providers, etc., even if they use the “Orbridge LLC” or “Orbridge” name. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. As a result, Orbridge is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person or entity, or of any other third party. Without limitation, Orbridge is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to person or property, death, delay or inconvenience (collectively, “losses”) in connection with the provision of any goods or services occasioned by or resulting from, but not limited to, acts of God, acts of government, force majeure, acts of war or civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, or the threat thereof, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, structural or other defective conditions in hotels or other lodging or vessel facilities, mechanical or other failure of airplanes or other means of transportation or for any failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart timely or safely, dangers associated with or bites from animals, pests or insects, marine life or vegetation of any sort, dangers incident to recreational activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding, surfing, swimming, kayaking, sailing, canoeing, rafting, hiking, bicycling, rock climbing, etc., sanitation problems, food poisoning, lack of access to or quality of medical care, difficulty in evacuation in case of a medical or other emergency, illness, epidemics, pandemics or the threat thereof or for any other cause beyond the direct control of Orbridge. In addition, I release Orbridge from its own negligence and assume all risk thereof.

Rates. Program rates are based on minimum participation levels, current fares and costs (air, water, land, rail), tariffs and currency values. While Orbridge does everything possible to maintain the listed program rates, they are subject to change effective immediately upon posting unless otherwise specified by Orbridge. In the case of invoicing errors, we reserve the right to re-invoice with the correct pricing.

Reservations, Deposits and Final Payment. To secure your reservation, deposits are due upon placing a reservation as follows: (1) $850 per person per program and $500 per person per pre-tour and/or post-tour except for programs noted in (2) and (3); (2) $2,500 per person for Antarctica Discovery and African Expedition and $500 per person per pre-tour and/or post-tour; (3) a non-refundable $750 per person is due for Tanzania Wildlife Safari’s Rwanda pre-tour. Orbridge accepts payment by check, automated clearing house (“ACH”), wire transfer or major credit card. 

Final payment, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives, is due for: (1) all programs except Antarctica Discovery and African Expedition—no later than 90 days prior to the program’s scheduled departure date; (2) Antarctica Discovery and African Expedition—no later than 195 days prior to the program’s scheduled departure date. 

If your reservation is made between the final payment due date and the program’s scheduled departure date, the full cost of the program, plus any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives, is due at the time of registration. 

If final payment is not received by Orbridge by the final payment due date, Orbridge may, at any time and with or without notice, cancel your reservation in its sole discretion with no right of refund.

Reservation Grace Period. Reservations made no sooner than 120 days prior to all programs’ scheduled departure date, except Antarctica and African Expedition, and no sooner than 225 days prior to Antarctica’s and African Expedition’s departure date may be cancelled within 30 days following the reservation date (“Grace Period”) for a full refund.

All payments made for Tanzania Wildlife Safari’s Rwanda pre-tour are non-transferrable and non-refundable.

Notice of termination must be received by Orbridge during the Grace Period and provided in writing either via email or mailed letter. The date of receipt will be used for the effective date.

Reservation Changes.  Reservation changes (including, but not limited to, name changes) are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. Reservation changes will not incur an administration fee except in the following cases: 1) Reservation changes completed 90 or fewer days from the program’s scheduled departure date for all programs except Antarctica and African Expedition will incur a $150 administrative fee plus any third-party penalties and/or charges. 2) Reservation changes completed 195 or fewer days from the program’s scheduled departure date for Antarctica Discovery and African Expedition will incur a $150 administrative fee plus any third-party penalties and/or charges. In addition, any reservation changed from double occupancy to single occupancy will be charged the single occupancy rate, which will be due at the time of final payment or upon receipt of an updated invoice if received after the tour’s final payment due date.

Reservation Cancellation and Refunds. Notice of cancellation must be submitted to Orbridge in writing either via email or mailed letter. The date of receipt will be used for the effective date and the cancellation will be processed as follows:

(a) For all programs except those noted in (b) and (c), if the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge more than 90 days prior to the program’s scheduled departure date, all monies paid to Orbridge for the main program and for any pre-tour and/or post-tour will be refunded less an administrative fee of $350 per person for the main program and $200 per person for a pre-tour and/or post-tour. If the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge between 90 and 76 days prior to the scheduled departure date, a 25% cancellation fee will be applied to the full cost of the program, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives, and the balance will be refunded. If the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge between 75 and 61 days prior to the scheduled departure date, a 50% cancellation fee will be applied to the full cost of the program, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives, and the balance will be refunded. If the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge between 60 and 46 days prior to the scheduled departure date, a 75% cancellation fee will be applied to the full cost of the program, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives, and the balance will be refunded. If the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge within 45 days prior to the scheduled departure date, a 100% cancellation fee will be applied to the full cost of the program, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives.

(b) For Antarctica Discovery and African Expedition, if the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge more than 195 days prior to the scheduled departure date, all monies paid to Orbridge for the main program and for any pre-tour and/or post-tour will be refunded less an administrative fee of $950 per person for the main program and $200 per person for a pre-tour and/or post-tour. If the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge between 195 and 150 days prior to the scheduled departure date, a 25% cancellation fee will be applied to the full cost of the program, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives, and the balance will be refunded. If the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge between 149 and 120 days prior to the scheduled departure date, a 50% cancellation fee will be applied to the full cost of the program, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives, and the balance will be refunded. If the cancellation notice is received by Orbridge within 119 days prior to the scheduled departure date, a 100% cancellation fee will be applied to the full cost of the program, including any pre-tour and/or post-tour, optional excursion(s) fees and optional electives. 

(c) All payments made for Tanzania Wildlife Safari’s Rwanda pre-tour are non-refundable. 

A 100% cancellation fee applies to all non-refundable airfare. Refunds, if any, will be processed within 30 days of our receipt of your written notice.

Travel Insurance. Orbridge strongly recommends that you purchase travel and cancellation insurance to protect your investment in the event of unexpected or unforeseen circumstances. In addition, we recommend that you consider obtaining a policy(ies) that will cover emergency medical evacuation insurance and cancel for any reason insurance. Travel and cancellation insurance policies and dates by which policies must be purchased vary by provider/insurer, maximum coverage (including cancel for any reason) is generally only available for purchase within 14 days of your reservation being confirmed. It is advised to determine your insurance needs and make necessary arrangements soon after reserving on tour. If you do not have, but are interested in purchasing, travel and cancellation insurance please contact us.

Program Cancellations or Postponements.  All programs are subject to cancellation or postponement by Orbridge prior to the scheduled departure date for reasons such as, but not limited to, insufficient participation, or logistical problems that, in Orbridge’s sole judgment, may impede program operations or represent conditions or events that may expose program guests and/or Orbridge to undue risk of harm, injury, damage or inconvenience. In the event of program cancellation or postponement by Orbridge, Orbridge may offer you alternative arrangements such as the option to join the same tour on a different date or a different tour. If the price of your alternative booking is lower than your original booking price, Orbridge will refund the difference within 30 days of the alternative program’s departure date. If it is higher than your original booking price, Orbridge will invoice you the difference and you will be responsible therefor. Transferred guests are subject to the terms of the original tour. Except for force majeure, if a program is cancelled or postponed by Orbridge, Orbridge will refund all payments made within 30 days of notice of program cancellation or postponement if an alternative arrangement is not offered.

Itineraries. Accommodations, the itinerary, travel directors or expedition leaders, lecturers, hosts, faculty or organization representative, and arranged excursions are subject to change or substitution at any time due to unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond Orbridge’s control. Reasonable efforts will be made to operate programs as planned, however adjustments, substitutions and changes may occur after the final itinerary has been issued. Orbridge may, in its sole discretion, withdraw a program or any part of it, make such alterations or substitutions to the itinerary or program inclusions as it deems necessary or desirable, and pass on to program participants any expenditures or additional costs caused by any such adjustments, or by delays or events beyond its reasonable control.

Not Included. Unless otherwise specifically noted in the itinerary, program prices do not include the following expenses, which if applicable are your sole responsibility to pay and satisfy: trip cancellation insurance and passenger travel protection plan; domestic, international, and internal airfares except as indicated in program inclusions; transfers and luggage handling fees except in connection with scheduled group flights; costs associated with obtaining passports or entry visas; airport departure taxes; airline ticketing fees; airport transfers when arriving/departing on other than scheduled group dates; excess baggage charges; any new value added taxes or other taxes added to program costs by applicable governmental authorities; gratuities to drivers, guides, or ship’s crew not specified; meals and beverages other than those specified as being included in the itinerary; sightseeing not included in the itinerary; personal expenses such as laundry, communication charges and optional activities (which are subject to availability); ship, air, or transportation fuel surcharges, if applicable; any items not on the “included” list of the tour documents.

Health and Fitness to Travel. Through your participation in your tour, you assume responsibility for your own health, safety, and welfare and acknowledge that Orbridge cannot absolutely guarantee your safety or health. Your physician can provide guidance on your personal health risk and precautions to take while traveling. Some programs include physically active elements. To enjoy these programs as intended, a minimum level of fitness is required and Orbridge will require all guests to follow local, state, national and/or World Health Organization health and safety mandates. Accordingly, you must be in good physical and mental condition to participate. You represent that you have no physical, mental or other condition, impairment or disability that may or will cause or create a risk of injury or other hazard to yourself or others in respect to any aspect of the program you have selected. Orbridge may, in its sole discretion, limit, restrict or prohibit from participation in any aspect of any program any individual that it considers in its sole discretion to be impaired or unsuitable due to fitness level. In addition, Orbridge may, in its sole discretion and at the participant’s sole expense, remove the guest from the program, or restrict the program-related activities of any individual whose physical or mental condition may or is likely to cause a hazard to himself/herself or others, or otherwise impair the enjoyment of other program participants. Any physical condition requiring special attention, diet, or treatment must be reported in writing to Orbridge at the time a program reservation is made. Should you have any questions or need any clarification about a specific program, please ask for details at the time of registration. Orbridge will try to accommodate your situation if possible. 

Accessibility. Orbridge cannot guarantee that the transportation, lodging, and entertainment/sightseeing accommodations will be accessible to all persons regardless of their physical and mental condition. In addition, many of the activities involved in each program include walking or the like for some distance on uneven ground or pavement or moving water as well as the ability to walk up and down stairs without assistance. Should any individuals seeking to participate in a travel opportunity need special accommodations to ensure their enjoyment of the trip, kindly provide notice at the time the reservation is submitted, and we will see if your participation is feasible. Please understand that the Americans with Disabilities Act is inapplicable outside the United States. 

At the time of reservation, Orbridge needs to be notified to determine if the special needs of an individual traveler can be met through special arrangements. It is possible that minor modifications to the services can be provided, but only if Orbridge is made specifically aware of anticipated needs. This notification should be made in writing no less than two weeks prior to the planned travel. Neither Orbridge nor any of the providers of transportation, lodging, or other services can provide special accommodations without this advance notice. 

Where an individual with certain specific needs will be traveling with a group, it is necessary for other members of that person’s group to be available to assist as necessary. Neither employees of Orbridge nor any suppliers of services can allow any of their employees to provide physical assistance to any guests. 

Travel Advisories. The State Department and the Centers for Disease Control periodically issue statements and advisories about risks to travelers. These statements are country specific and contain important information. The State Department information can be found at www.travel.state.gov , and the CDC statements can be found at www.cdc.gov . Orbridge highly recommends everyone to review these sites. 

Children. Orbridge welcomes the participation of children in most of its programs. However, in the event you do include your children or other minors for whom you serve as legal guardian (“Dependents”) in your travel plans, you hereby agree that you are and shall be at all times solely responsible for their care, actions, safety and protection during the program and any pre-tour and/or post-tour. Should you have any questions whether a particular program or inclusion is possible or suitable for your Dependent(s), please contact us. 

Baggage. Program rates include the price of one piece of policy-compliant baggage per person during the land, cruise or rail portion of the program only unless specified in the itinerary. Air carriers and motor coaches often impose significant other restrictions or limitations on the number of pieces, size and weight of luggage and may reject or impose additional fees on luggage exceeding such limitations or restrictions. All such fees are your sole cost and responsibility. In addition and regardless of location or transportation method, your baggage and personal effects are and shall at all times be at your sole risk throughout the entire program. Please check with your air carrier for other applicable baggage restrictions and limitations. 

Travel Documents. All guests are responsible for possessing and maintaining necessary travel documents. These documents shall be valid under state and federal law and as required by foreign countries being visited. Orbridge is not responsible for invalid travel documents and repercussions thereof. 

For U.S. citizens, valid passports are required for travel to foreign destinations and some countries require specific visas prior to entry. Please direct any questions in respect to visa requirements to Orbridge, which shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide answers as a courtesy, provided that it shall remain your sole responsibility and obligation to obtain and verify that you have all required travel documents, including visas, necessary and appropriate for the program location(s) and sufficient blank pages in your passport for visas and immigration stamps. In addition, some countries require your passport to have an expiry date of not less than six months after your anticipated return to the United States. Orbridge disclaims all liability for any expenses or costs you may incur due to your prohibition or restriction from entering a country on the program itinerary or reentering the United States at the conclusion of the program. If travel documents fail to meet these requirements, boarding of aircraft or ship to any international destination may be denied and entry into such countries may be denied.

Photos and Videos. Orbridge may take photographs and/or video of its trips and participant grants Orbridge permission to do so and for it to use such for promotional or commercial use without payment of any compensation to participant. In addition, Orbridge may use, without compensation, any photographs or video taken by tour participants and submitted to Orbridge or to SmugMug without payment of any compensation. In submitting any such photographs or videos to Orbridge or SmugMug, participant warrants that he or she took the image and that the dissemination of same does not violate the copyright rights of any person.

Data Rights, Permissions. Data collected and/or derived by Orbridge resulting from your use of the Website is the sole and exclusive property of Orbridge and may be used in any manner consistent with its Privacy Policy located on Orbridge’s website. By submitting to Orbridge a digital or hard copy form that includes your personal contact information, including without limitation, your email address and telephone number(s), you give Orbridge and any other entity identified on the form permission to use that information to contact you and as otherwise may be described on the form and/or in the Privacy Policy.

Other. Dates, program details and costs are based on tariffs, exchange rates and other information current at the time of printing, but are subject to change at any time. While we do not anticipate material revisions of the itinerary or its included features, we do reserve the right to substitute accommodations or modes of transportation and to make any changes in the itinerary Orbridge, in its sole discretion, deems necessary and in that case any additional expense or cost will be paid by the individual guest. Your baggage and personal effects are your sole responsibility at all times. It is prohibited by federal law and Orbridge policy to bring illegal drugs, firearms, or other contraband (including marijuana for medical or recreational purposes) on any program.

Orbridge may at any time and without notice modify these terms and conditions, and any modification so made will be effective for all reservations made from and after the posted Effective Date.

In the event any term in these terms and conditions is deemed unenforceable the unenforceable clause shall be interpreted to give effect to the parties’ intentions to the greatest enforceable extent, and all other provisions hereof shall remain fully enforceable according to their terms.

Individual Supplier Contracts. Individual contracts/terms from Orbridge’s contracted suppliers govern the relationship between that supplier and the Orbridge guest. These respective contracts/terms often establish limits on liability, limits on claims, define the time to file claims, the acceptable jurisdictions for making claims, etc. They should be reviewed with care.

Click any of the following for links to:

Alaskan Dream Cruises (Discover Southeast Alaska)

Albatros Expeditions ( Antarctica Discovery )

Amadeus River Cruises (Flavors of Provence River Cruise, Cruise the Danube By Luxury River Ship)

Lazy Bear Lodge  (Polar Bears of Churchill, Polar Bears & Beluga Whales)

Metropolitan Touring (The Galapagos Islands)

Ponant (Northern Adriatic: A Nautical Voyage, Cruise the Majestic Nordic Fjords, The Greek Isles by Luxury Sailing Yacht, Aegean Sea Odyssey: The Greek Isles & Historic Türkiye)

Teton Science Schools (Wolves & Wildlife of Yellowstone)

Registering for a tour and submission of payment to Orbridge acknowledges guests’ acceptance of the above contracts/terms for relevant suppliers. In addition, guests may be asked to sign an acknowledgement of these or other individual supplier’s terms upon arrival on tour as a condition of participation.

Binding Arbitration. I agree that any dispute concerning, relating, or referring to this contract, the brochure, or any other literature concerning my trip, or the trip itself shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in Seattle, Washington, either according to the then existing commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association or pursuant to the Comprehensive Arbitration Rules & Procedures of the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (JAMS). Such proceedings will be governed by substantive (but not procedural) Washington law. The arbitrator and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this contract, including but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this contract is void or voidable. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, both parties are waiving their right to a trial by jury. Any arbitration commenced against Orbridge must be on behalf of only the individual(s) to this Agreement and his or her immediate family members traveling with them, such as a spouse or child. Under no circumstances can participant be part of a class or other joint action.

Acceptance of Contract. ANY PAYMENT TO ORBRIDGE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DEPOSITS OR FULL PAYMENTS, CONSTITUTES YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AND AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH ABOVE AND IN MORE SPECIFIC TOUR DOCUMENTS.

©2023 ORBRIDGE LLC. All rights reserved.

ORBRIDGE, ORBRIDGE DESTINATION SPECIALISTS, ORBRIDGE GROUP, and OBR are service marks of Orbridge LLC. The service marks and trademarks of any supplier appearing in these materials are owned by each respective company. 

WAST# 602828994; CAST# 2098750-40   

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Alumni Travel Opportunities

See the world with alumni and friends.

Join fellow alumni and friends for once-in-a-lifetime adventures to the top destinations in the United States and the world. Each group tour is designed to enrich the educational, cultural and intellectual learning experiences of our travelers. We make travel easy, with carefully planned trips that offer first-class accommodations at an exceptional value. Our trips have included visits to Italy/Switzerland, France, Egypt, Great Britain/Ireland, Turkey/Greece, Africa and the Danube.

Begin your adventures with the UW-Superior Alumni Association today! For more information about the travel program or to suggest destinations, contact Alumni Association Director Heather Thompson at 715-394-8593 or by email .

Check out photos from past trips and events .

Discover South Pacific Wonders

February 19 – March 5, 2025

Cruise: Panama Potpourri

March 23 – April 2, 2025

Cruise: Frontier Adventures

August 8 – 18, 2025

Alumni Travel

Blugolds travel together.

What could be better than exploring the world or rediscovering a favorite destination in the company of fellow Blugolds? From Alaska to the Mediterranean, Iceland to Italy, Bordeaux to the South Pacific and seasonal tours throughout the U.S., the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association has partnered with Go Next, Inc.,  and Collette Travel to provide exceptional travel opportunities to Blugolds around the world.

Plan your next trip now!

Contact us today to learn how you can get the benefits of traveling with Go Next or Collette Travel—including supporting your alumni association—when you book any trips with our cruise partners offer.

For questions about the University Of Wisconsin-Eau Claire travel programs, please contact [email protected].

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire Alumni Association is pleased to offer exceptional travel opportunities available to you, your family, and your friends. Join fellow alumni and experience the camaraderie of exploring the world with like-minded travelers. We take care of the details, so you can relax and enjoy the company of your fellow alumni.   

Because of the exceptional value and limited space, we encourage you to make your reservation as soon as possible.

Jane Larson Alumni Relations Officer Alumni Association | UW-Eau Claire

2024 trips are listed below: 

July 13-23, 2024  - North Sea Escapade, Le Havre – Stockholm aboard Nautica. Sail away with us to the North Sea on this 10-night cruise aboard Oceania Cruises’ Nautica. Let the ebb and flow of the ocean take over as you feel relaxed and energized by the people and places along the way. North Sea Escapade   trip information . 

August 6-16, 2024 - Radiant Alaska, Seattle – Seattle aboard Regatta. Experience unimaginable views, fresh seafood, and majestic wildlife on this 10-night cruise aboard Oceania Cruises’ Regatta. Revel in the scenery of steep forested mountain slopes and pristine waters while cruising the Outside Passage and Hubbard Glacier. Radiant Alaska trip information.

October 5-16, 2024 - Italy Treasures, Vineyards, olive groves, and cities that float. Incredible history, indelible culture, and unforgettable cuisine. This is l’Italia at its most iconic. Enjoy the natural beauty and calm of the Alpine Lakes region. Snake along the edge of the sea to the medieval villages of Cinque Terre. Aboard off-road vehicles, explore the marble quarries of Carrara, where Michelangelo obtained the marble for his statue of David. Relax during a leisurely 4-night stay at a Tuscan villa. At a family-owned villa, learn the fine art of creating Tuscan cuisine during a hands-on cooking class. Explore Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. Discover Venice, a city of winding canals and bridges. From medieval masterpieces to bustling piazzas, be swept away by the legendary treasures of northern Italy. Italy Treasures trip information.

Reservations and Questions

Ready to book your trip or have a question?

Go Next or 1-800-842-9023

Collette Travel or 1-800-581-8942

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 

The links to the 2025 trips are listed below:

March 8-16, 2025 - Italian Lakes Region, Stresa, Wine Tasting, Impact Moment, Italian Riviera, Cinque Terre, Carrara Marble Quarries Off-Road Excursion, Tuscan Countryside, Italian Cooking Class, San Gimignano, Siena, Florence, Bologna, Venice.  Spain's Costa del Sol & Madrid . For more information contact Collette Travel at 800-581-8942, Refer to booking #1248910.

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• Faculty & Staff
• University of Wisconsin System

Transition of Travel Services to Fox World Travel Complete

July 2, 2024

Universities of Wisconsin’s individual travel services are now supported by Fox World Travel. Travelers can contact the Higher Education Team at Fox World Travel via phone at 608-710-4172 or via […]

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Art for All

What makes a good public painting or sculpture? Here are UW–Madison’s most successful works in plain sight.

Feature Stories

So What Else Did You Learn in College?

Whether earnest or eccentric, UW student organizations prepare Badgers for life outside the classroom.

Unsung Scientists

Despite significant contributions, these UW researchers have largely been forgotten by history.

The Most Successful Actor You’ve Never Heard Of

In a career paved with hard-earned achievements, screen villain Hans Obma ’02 endeavors to find the role of a lifetime.

The Small-Town Writer Who Hit the Big Time

Zona Gale 1895, MA1899 achieved spectacular literary success by staying close to home.

Sgraffito Storytelling

Tanya Crane MA’14, MFA’15 revolutionizes an ancient engraving technique to explore personal histories.

A Warm Welcome

On Wisconsin ’s summer issue offers something new under the sun.

Initiatives for the Public Good

Chancellor Mnookin announces plans for world-changing innovations.

Milk Metrics

Babcock Dairy’s top three ice cream flavors — and other tasty trivia.

The Perfect Summer Spot

What’s your favorite campus hangout for the sunny season?

A Nap at the Gym

Futuristic pods at the Bakke Center help students catch up on sleep.

Sowing 160,000 Seeds

New banners for Bascom Hall connect the UW and the Ho-Chunk Nation.

A New Entry to Picnic Point

The Lakeshore Nature Preserve Frautschi Center will be a welcoming space for visitors.

Cows: The Video Game

The UW creates a virtual farm to train workers in the dairy industry.

More On Campus stories…

A milestone in alzheimer’s research, how to print a brain, a federal boost for uw research, a badger hanging tough.

“Here, You Need to Listen”

The UW’s Center for Interfaith Dialogue teaches students to get along despite their differences.

Traditions & History

The Best Campus Burgers

Revisiting the restaurants that have sustained generations of meat-eating Badgers.

Lake Street’s Lost Golden Arches

We remember the one little McDonald’s that did its best to keep campus supersized.

On and On and On Wisconsin

The UW’s alumni magazine celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Long Live the People’s Farm

The student organization for sustainable agriculture gets a new name.

Father of the MRI

Raymond Damadian ’56’s discovery gave doctors more insight into their patients. Literally.

Wisconsin Ideas, Korean Actions

A formative five years in Madison shaped the career of Dong-One Kim MS’91, PhD’93, who heads Korea’s leading university.

Project Pawpaw

A biologist hopes to make a highly beneficial fruit more widely available.

Books & Multimedia

The Art of Loving Animals

In Ylla, Pryor Dodge ’71 pays tribute to a seminal photographer.

Saved by the Bard

Michelle Ephraim MA’93, Phd’98 looks at her life through Shakespearean eyes in Green World .

National Treasures

In The Object at Hand, Beth Py-Lieberman ’83 tells America’s story via the Smithsonian collection.

From Net Fiction to Netflix

Ali DeWalt ’13’s novel My Life with the Walter Boys gets new life as a streaming series.

Acquired Tastes in the Workplace

In Wine People , Michelle Wildgen ’97 is less interested in pairing wines than she is in pairing people.

Rise, Fall, and Resilience

In Legacy on Ice , Sam Jefferies ’11 pays tribute to a hockey great’s life after skates.

Reader Favorites

• The Speech That Launched Your Life
• Creating the Badger Brand
• Badgers at the Buzzer!
• The Millennia before UW–Madison

Staff Picks

• Beyond Jurassic Park
• A Moviemaker on a Mission
• Madison Is Simply the Best
• Nursing by the Numbers

Recent Issues

Summer 2024

Spring 2024

Winter 2023

Need to complete your FAFSA? There’s still time!

Students who have not had a chance to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA) still have time! The best chance for students to have financial aid disbursed in August is to have their FAFSA submitted no later than early July.

The Office of Student Financial Aid will be hosting one more Summer FAFSA Frenzy on Thursday, July 18 from noon to 2 pm at their office for local students. Those who need help and can’t make it can reach out via email with their questions ([email protected]) or schedule a virtual or in-person appointment using Starfish .

This post was authored by Judy Christensen on 07/01/2024.

Starting at $1,319 , double occupancy

Two-Night, Land-Only Package

September 13-15, 2024.

National Alumni Association Members receive a $50 discount off official Traveling with the Tide packages. Interested in becoming a member? You may  sign up here . If you are not a confirmed member, the nonmember package price will be charged to your credit card on file.

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Lakeland alumna back with the buccaneers.

Jul. 2, 2024

2020 Lakeland graduate Kearstin Schweitzer continues to make strides toward her dream of coaching in the NFL.

She has been selected as one of five fellows that will work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' coaching staff as the team prepares for the 2024 regular season.

This past May, she took part in the inaugural Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy and has been invited back.

Her coaching career began at Lakeland, where she received a bachelor’s degree in sport management & leadership. She started as a football manager in 2018 and was an assistant coach working with the team’s wide receivers.

This past May, she graduated from University of Wisconsin at Platteville, where she obtained her Master's of Sports Administration. At Platteville she worked as the director of football operations and assistant wide receivers coach as a graduate assistant, coordinating all travel for the team while working alongside the wide receivers coach.

This is the second NFL team she’s worked with, as she is a previous Nunn-Wooten fellow with the Pittsburgh Steelers, working as a scouting intern in 2023.

While she’s with the Bucs, Schweitzer will likely connect with 2003 Lakeland grad Steve Vollmer who is the Bucs' Vice President of Creative.

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Wisconsin tourism is having a big moment. But what goes into calculating economic impact?

It’s not a stretch to say Wisconsin tourism is having a moment.

Season 21 of “Top Chef,” which just finished airing, gave viewers a glimpse of Wisconsin’s traditions. Business boomed at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin in Spring Green after it was featured in an episode.

In a few weeks, the Republican National Convention will blanket Milwaukee, bringing thousands of delegates, politicians, staff and media who will spend money on entertainment, hotels and restaurants . 

Get daily updates on the Packers during the season.

And don’t forget about next April, when an estimated 240,000 visitors will come to Green Bay and surrounding cities for the NFL Draft. An economic impact of $94 million is the early projection . 

That boom isn’t lost on Wisconsin politicians, especially Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has frequently hyped up a “record-breaking year” for tourism in posts on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. 

“Wisconsin saw another record-breaking year for tourism, with a historic $25 billion economic impact in 2023,” Evers posted June 11, 2024. “That blows 2022's record year out of the water.”

On June 22, 2024, Evers also called out “Wisconsin's record-breaking year for tourism” and credited outdoor recreation opportunities. 

PolitiFact Wisconsin was interested in these numbers, because there’s no doubt tourism will continue to be a hot topic in Wisconsin in the months ahead.

$25 billion is clearly a large number, but what goes into the formula to generate that economic impact? Is it spread throughout the state, or only in cities? And how does it compare to past years?

In short, is Evers right that it’s record-breaking?

Let’s take a look. 

Outside report calculates visitor spending and other variables to reach $25 billion number

The $25 billion number Evers is referring to comes from the Tourism Economics Report , which is available on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism website.

The report was created by Tourism Economics — a company of global advisory firm Oxford Economics — not the state itself. 

The methodology explains the firm used a model to trace the “flow of visitor-related expenditures through the state’s economy and their effects on employment, wages, and taxes.” 

Visitors were considered people who stayed overnight on a trip or traveled more than 50 miles to a destination. Multiple data sources were used, such as from surveys and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

With that said, let’s take a closer look at how they calculated the $25 billion total impact. 

A large portion of that number — $15.7 billion — comes from direct visitor spending on things like lodging, food and beverage, retail, entertainment and transportation. 

Then there’s about $4.6 billion in what’s called supply-chain effects, such as needing to purchase more from food wholesalers and utilities. 

Finally, there’s $4.7 billion in “induced impacts” — which refers to wages that are generated directly or indirectly by visitor spending and spent in the local economy. 

That gives a picture of what goes into the $25 billion: It’s more than just the raw amount that visitors are spending in Wisconsin. 

Is that impact equally felt in the state?

The tourism department said all of Wisconsin’s 72 counties saw an increase in their total economic impact number from 2022 to 2023. A spreadsheet of county-level data confirms that. 

The top five counties with the highest economic impact, in millions, were Milwaukee, Dane, Sauk, Waukesha and Brown. 

Interestingly, popular tourism destination Door County ranked eighth at $620 million, far below Milwaukee’s $4.17 billion . 

The counties with the lowest economic impact from tourism were Menominee, Florence, Pepin, Forest and Lafayette. Those ranged from $6 million to $29 million in impacts. 

The counties that saw the highest growth in their total economic impact from 2022 to 2023 were Monroe, Menominee, and Green Lake. They saw increases from 10 to 11 percent each. 

Bottom line: All counties experienced growth in 2023, though some counties clearly benefit more from tourism than others.

Records often set each year, with COVID-19 pandemic as an exception 

Let’s go back to the part of Evers’ claim about 2023 being a “record-breaking year.” 

The tourism department has said the $25 billion last year broke a record, surpassing the previous record of $23.7 billion set in 2022. That increase is above the rate of inflation , too.

There’s a history of setting a new tourism record every year, at least under normal circumstances.

In 2017, the economic impact was about $20.6 billion, then $21.6 billion in 2018, the Oshkosh Northwestern reported . In 2019, the economic impact was $22.2 billion, according to a WPR story .

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the economic impact dropped significantly to around $17.3 billion, then increased 21% to $20.9 billion in 2021, according to the department . 

Clearly, the tourism industry has been rebounding from COVID-19. The report says that “key indicators point to the normalization of Wisconsin’s visitor activity in 2023.” 

But some of those indicators haven’t quite caught up to pre-pandemic levels. Those include employment directly supported by visitor activity, and local and state tax revenues. 

Still, previous reports show that 2023 was a record-setting year for tourism. That economic impact number appears to steadily rise and set new records each year, with the onset of COVID-19 as an exception. 

And it certainly won’t be a surprise if Wisconsin sets another record in 2024, when the effects of “Top Chef” and the RNC are accounted for.

Our ruling 

Evers claimed Wisconsin had a “record-breaking year” for tourism in 2023.

The $25 billion total economic impact did set a record in 2023. Setting a new record each year is common, though COVID-19 caused a dip that the state has largely recovered from. 

To be sure, that impact isn’t felt equally in all communities in Wisconsin — some counties benefit far more from tourism than others — though all counties saw at least some increase in their totals from 2022 to 2023. 

And don't be surprised if the state Department of Tourism announces another huge increase in 2024. 

We rate the claim True.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, People are flocking to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin after it was featured in 'Top Chef' , April 26, 2024.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 'Most we ever spent in a city': What the largest delegation plans to do in Milwaukee for RNC , June 24, 2024.

Green Bay Press Gazette, Five reasons Green Bay hosting the 2025 NFL draft is 'a really big deal' for Wisconsin , May 24, 2023. 

X. Gov. Tony Evers , June 11, 2024.

X, Gov. Tony Evers , June 22, 2024.

Tourism Economics, The Wisconsin Visitor Industry - 2023 , May 2024.

Wisconsin Department of Tourism, County by County Spreadsheet , 2024.

Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Gov. Evers, Department of Tourism Announce Wisconsin Tourism Sees Another Record-Breaking Year , June 11, 2024.

Oshkosh Northwestern, Wisconsin tourism is flourishing; its economic impact reached $21.6 billion in 2018 , May 19, 2019. 

Wisconsin Public Radio, 2019 Was The Best Year In Recent History For Wisconsin Tourism, Then Coronavirus Hit , May 5, 2020. 

Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Wisconsin Tourism Surges in 2021 , June 8, 2022.

U.S. Inflation Calculator .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin tourism is having a big moment. But what goes into calculating economic impact?

Former NIC-10 star part of first Northwoods League softball season

Before Caitlin Clark became bigger than any men's college basketball star in the last two years, softball was the breakthrough sport for women. ESPN televised 3,200 college softball games this year. Softball's College World Series passed the NCAA baseball finals with 1.85 million viewers in 2022 . Even softball's Little League World Series doubled its viewers in five years.

And now college softball players have a summer league of their own. The Northwoods League has given college baseball players a minor-league-like experience for 30 years, with 340 of its alumni making it to the Major Leagues . The Rockford Rivets have played in the Northwoods League since 2016.

“It’s so much fun,” said Lindsey Schultz, an outfielder for the LaCrosse (Wisconsin) Steam. “A lot of us have not had the kind of crowds the Northwoods League attracts. That’s all new and exciting for us.

“It’s great that women’s sports in general are increasing so much. A lot of young girls are going to the stadium and watching. We are all so proud of being part of the movement in the first season and getting young girls to watch softball at such a young age.”

Like the Northwoods baseball league, which had six teams in its first season, the softball league is starting small. It has four teams: The Mankato Habaneros in Minnesota, Minot Honeybees in North Dakota and two teams in Wisconsin, the LaCrosse Steam and Madison Night Mares.

Hononegah grad Joscelyn Bennett gives Rockford one player in the pioneer season of the league. the 5-foot-1 Bennett is the starting shortstop on the league’s best team. The Mankato Habaneros finished June on a seven-game win streak to move to 10-2 to lead the league by four games.

“It’s been a great experience,” Bennett said. “Being the first ones, it gets a little chaotic here and there with things not running the way people expected, but for the most part it’s been a really good experience.

“If this year goes good, which I think it has done so far, more areas will want to jump on it and come into the league. Down the road I definitely see many more areas come into it. I’ve heard one area is already planning on coming in next year. When baseball started this, they didn’t have as many teams as they do now. Teams will want to join the softball league, too.”

Bennett is an all-NIC-10 player who just finished her freshman season at Bryant & Stratton, a junior college in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She is trying to use the Northwoods League as a platform to sign with a four-year college after this coming year at Bryant & Stratton.

“I’ve been emailing schools and trying to get my name out there,” Bennett said. “That’s why I joined the Northwoods League, to get seen by some of these girls who go to four-year colleges and their coaches who are watching them. It’s a good way to get recruited. I just keep sending emails and keep playing and will see where it gets me.”

While most players stay with a host family, Bennett is living in an apartment with three teammates.

“It’s like a minor league baseball type of thing,” she said. “We get to travel. We have little sponsors. A nutrition sponsor. A chiropractor sponsor. We get a gym membership. We practice. We play. We do everything except school.

“I’ve enjoyed getting out there and meeting new girls, playing with girls you have never played with. That’s the most enjoyable part.”

Just playing the sport she loves. In a league of her own.

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How ‘Rural Studies’ Is Thinking About the Heartland

What’s the matter with America’s rural voters? Many scholars believe that the question itself is the problem.

Credit... Photo illustration by Pablo Delcan

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By Emma Goldberg

• June 29, 2024

Kristin Lunz Trujillo grew up proud of her family’s way of life. She spent summers getting ready to show cattle at the county fair. During the school year, she rushed home after class to feed the chickens on her family’s corn and soybean farm. Neither of her parents went to college, but they encouraged their daughter when she decided to go to Carleton, a liberal arts school a two-hour drive from their farm in Minnesota.

Despite being physically close to home, Ms. Lunz Trujillo was surprised by how foreign her upbringing seemed at the college. She was dismayed when she checked out the farm club and learned that its members wanted to brew kombucha, not milk cows. When an art history teacher asked students which famous paintings they’d seen in person, Ms. Lunz Trujillo stayed quiet, because she had never been to an art museum. This sense of cultural alienation molded her research when she became a political scientist: What is rural identity? How does it shape a person’s politics?

This year, Ms. Lunz Trujillo, now an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, was reading a new, best-selling book that cited her research to explore those same questions. But this recognition didn’t bring the thrill she might have expected.

“It seemed to be more of a hit piece on rural America,” she said.

Published in February, “White Rural Rage,” by the journalist Paul Waldman and the political scientist Tom Schaller, is an unsparing assessment of small-town America. Rural residents, the authors argued, are more likely than city dwellers to excuse political violence, and they pose a threat to American democracy.

Several rural scholars whose research was included in the book immediately denounced it. In a critical Politico essay, Nick Jacobs, a political scientist at Colby College, wrote, “Imagine my surprise when I picked up the book and saw that some of that research was mine.” Ms. Lunz Trujillo excoriated the book in an opinion piece for Newsweek as “a prime example of how intellectuals sow distrust by villainizing” people unlike them.

(The book’s authors were taken aback. Mr. Waldman said in an interview that he surmised the academics were reacting out of protectiveness toward the subjects of their own research and that he viewed some responses to the book as “over-the-top insults.”)

In recent decades, there have been many attempts to offer explanations of why rural Americans consistently vote for Republicans, from “ What’s the Matter With Kansas? ,” published during the George W. Bush administration, to “ Hillbilly Elegy ,” which came out just before Donald J. Trump’s victory in 2016. But this latest effort provoked a response that was swift and scathing and revealed something new: the existence of a tightknit group of scholars who are clamoring for more empathetic political analyses of rural Americans.

People who study rural communities often feel that politicians and pundits extract the wrong lessons from their research, partly because they are too far removed from those communities. That’s an issue that rural-studies scholars have tried to remedy, but also feel acutely. Some of these academics were raised on farms or in small towns, but their connections to universities can breed suspicion among the people they research. Books like “White Rural Rage” can make it all the more challenging to overcome that suspicion.

“We contribute to the further denigration of expertise when we say, ‘This is what the experts say about these rubes and bumpkins,’” said Mr. Jacobs, a co-author of “ The Rural Voter. ” “Who’s going to trust the experts when that’s what the experts have to say about you?”

A Rural Renaissance

There is an obvious reason for academics’ neglect of the political urban-rural divide until recently: It barely existed.

From the 1970s to the early 1990s, rural counties resembled urban ones in their presidential choices, including supporting the Republicans Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan and the Democrat Bill Clinton. It’s only since the late 1990s that there has been a marked gap between rural and urban voting patterns in presidential elections, and it has widened ever since. In 2016, Mr. Trump won 59 percent of rural voters. Four years later, that climbed to 65 percent, according to Pew . And in the 2022 midterms, Republicans won 69 percent of the rural vote.

Even if that shift does hint that “rural” may now be its own kind of identity, it’s a cohort that’s hard to define. (The authors of “White Rural Rage” threw up their hands and declared that they were “agnostic” about the different definitions across the studies they cited.)

The Census Bureau classifies any community as rural if it isn’t within an urban area, meaning it is not part of a densely settled area with 5,000 or more people or 2,000 or more housing units . (In the 2020 census, 20 percent of Americans were classified as rural.) The Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service looks at different measures of counties including population size, proximity to metropolitan areas and commuting patterns.

Beyond these basic definitional problems, rural communities can be wildly different socially. “When you aggregate to the national level, you lose so much,” said Zoe Nemerever, a political scientist at Utah Valley University. “I get frustrated especially when people talk about rural America as white America. In some states, it’s Latino America. In the Deep South, it’s Black America.”

Traditionally, political scientists argued that measuring the effects of place was just a proxy for looking at other parts of identity, like race or education. And because many did not come from rural areas, growing up rural didn’t tend to strike academics as a salient part of political identity.

Maybe because so few people fashioned themselves as “rural political experts” until recently, the few high-profile explanations for the rise of rural Republicanism were widely embraced by the chattering classes.

The most digestible theory, for years, was laid out by Thomas Frank in his best-selling 2004 book, “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” Mr. Frank, a historian, argued that the Republican focus on social issues, like abortion and guns, persuaded rural voters to put aside their economic interests and vote on cultural values rather than for candidates who supported unions and corporate regulation.

But the “Kansas” theory of heartland Republicanism wasn’t satisfying to some readers who actually lived in rural America. In fact, a handful of academics were so frustrated with the book that it inspired them to pursue their own research.

Michael Shepherd read the book in high school, college and again in graduate school, and never changed his opinion. “I felt like it was pretty snooty,” said Mr. Shepherd, now a political scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, who grew up in Bardstown, Ky., the heart of bourbon making. “It really missed a lot of what was going on in communities like mine.”

Another scholar who disagreed with Mr. Frank’s diagnosis was Kathy Cramer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But like Mr. Frank, she was interested in the question of how social class shaped politics, and thought that the way to get an accurate picture was through fieldwork. Over five years, starting in 2007, she visited 27 small towns in Wisconsin.

During meandering chats at McDonald’s, diners and gas stations, Ms. Cramer came to a different understanding from Mr. Frank’s of why people voted the way they did: Rural Americans resented city dwellers. They believed that national and state governments had enriched urban areas at the expense of rural ones, taking note of all the road-building in Madison, for example, when they drove to sports games.

Their reaction was hostility toward the very idea of government, so they supported politicians who promised to keep it out of their lives; Ms. Cramer called this “the politics of resentment.” (She herself was the target of resentment because she lived in Madison, the state’s capital. She assured people she interviewed that the university pens she handed out were funded by the alumni association, not taxpayers.)

Ms. Cramer’s 2016 book, “The Politics of Resentment,” quickly became an anchor in the growing field of rural political studies. At least half a dozen academics credit her with foundational thinking for their research. The “White Rural Rage” authors cited Ms. Cramer’s work, too, though she was dismayed by their conclusions.

“A lot of the focus has been on ‘What’s wrong with those people?’” she said. “But most people studying what’s going on with rural political behavior are people with empathy for people who live in rural places. They aren’t discounting them as ignorant or uninformed. There’s more of an attempt to understand the way they’re seeing the world.”

Community Ties

When Mr. Jacobs decided this year to convene a group of 15 scholars for a conference called Rethinking Rural, he was struck by the flurry of excitement that greeted the invitations. “It was like the first time they’d been asked to the dance,” he said.

Rethinking Rural, hosted at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, landed coincidentally on the week after the publication of “White Rural Rage.” Attendees joked about seeing the authors promoting their book on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC (presumably to coastal elites).

What rankled the experts who had read “White Rural Rage” was what they considered slapdash analysis. The authors build some arguments on polls with sample sizes as small as 167 rural people. The book is filled with critiques of rural Americans — their resistance to pluralism, their willingness to embrace conspiracies — that apply to many groups and that some scholars reject because they are not based on the long-term observation they say is needed to truly understand the political motives of any community.

The Rethinking Rural conference was full of a different type of political insight. Mr. Jacobs, with the political scientist Dan Shea, conducted surveys of 10,000 rural voters, from Gambell, Alaska, to Lubec, Maine. The pair were struck by a commonality: Rural residents tend to focus less on their own economic circumstances and more on their community’s prosperity.

Even individuals who are thriving are attuned to whether their community as a whole is being left behind by economic changes like automation or the decline of coal.

That sense of “shared fate,” as the scholars put it, arises in part because rich and poor tend to cross paths often, which Mr. Jacobs has noticed even in his own rural community, Vassalboro, Maine, population 4,520.

“If you go down my street in Vassalboro, the nicest house on the street is right across from the least nice house on the street,” Mr. Jacobs said. “Their kids go to the same school because there’s only one school.”

Such interconnectedness means that pollsters sometimes miss how rural voters are really feeling, he added. “It’s not enough to simply ask: Are you doing better than you were last year?”

There’s a shared history in rural areas that binds people in other ways, too, detailed in research by Keith Orejel, a historian who examined the decline of agricultural jobs after World War II. As millions left rural areas seeking economic opportunity, an appreciation formed for the businesspeople who stayed and tried to create jobs. That led to an outsize influence by local business leaders in the political realm, driving support for anti-union laws and tax policies generous to businesses.

Broadly, rural Americans see free trade and the rise of new technologies as hurting their communities while helping cities prosper, Mr. Jacobs said. So the resentment they felt toward urbanites didn’t come out of nowhere. Though Mr. Jacobs differentiated that resentment from the idea of “rural rage.”

“Rage and resentment are not interchangeable terms,” he wrote in Politico . “Rage implies irrationality , anger that is unjustified and out of proportion. You can’t talk to someone who is enraged. Resentment is rational, a reaction based on some sort of negative experience.”

And while resentment, like rage, doesn’t easily dissolve, he suggests that trying to understand where it comes from could start to build a bridge over that ever-widening urban-rural divide.

Emma Goldberg is a business reporter covering workplace culture and the ways work is evolving in a time of social and technological change. More about Emma Goldberg

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