Custom, Once-in-a Lifetime Ireland Study Tour June 11-24 2009 Your Guides/Instructors: Mark and Sarah McKinnon

For the very first time, the Butte College Study Abroad Program is sponsoring a very unique journey to lovely Ireland for a fourteen-day stay in six of the island's finest and most beautiful towns and cities. The tour will feature daytime excursions to many important historical and cultural sites, where first-time and returning travelers (18 years and older) to Erin will fall under the magical spell of the enchanted island's green beauty and warmth of its friendly people. The unique and extraordinary quality of this trip is that participants will stay in centrally located, three-star and four-star hotels within easy walking distance to each town and city's central attractions (unlike other tours where hotels can sometimes be located 30 minutes away in out-of-the way locales). Each hotel has been personally reviewed and approved by Mark McKinnon, who has drawn on his personal experiences in Ireland to choose ideally located accommodations.

We will travel together in a deluxe motor coach (along with the services of a courier from Passports, the travel company in charge of the tour's daily details), which means there will be no stress of renting a car, arranging for insurance, and learning to drive on the left side of the road while trying to read maps and road signs. In addition, the tour price also includes roundtrip airfare, breakfast and dinners each day, and fees to nearly every excursion (a couple are on a time-permitting basis, which would require an out-of-pocket expense). Almost every day has been designed to include first-class day excursions and tours of important, unforgettable, and breathtakingly beautiful sites.

Each of the tour guides has traveled previously in and knows Ireland quite well; what's more, Sarah McKinnon lived and studied in Galway and Dublin for nearly three years in Ireland, and actually received her Masters Degree in Literature from Dublin's prestigious Trinity College. There is no doubt whatsoever that the price tag of this tour is on the high end of typical study abroad tours. The reason that this trip to Ireland is atypical is that every step of the trip has been designed to provide instructional insight, emotional impact, comfort, easy access, and a great amount of fun as we travel to six of your tour guides' very favorite locations. Of course, if there were more time, we would add many, many more incredible places to see - but they will just have to wait until the next time! Enrollments are now currently being accepted, with a deposit of $495 required to establish a reservation.

Quoted prices are only good for those who pay a deposit no later than June 15, 2008 and pay the rest of the balance by March 2, 2009. Prices will surely go up due to the dollar's weakness against the euro. Because only 30 participants will be allowed to enroll in the tour program, it is advised to pay the deposit immediately to Passports. Tour participants will also be require to enroll in one Butte College class taught by either Mark or Sarah McKinnon. One may enroll whether they are a current Butte College student or not. There are no other hidden fees; however, because lunch is not provided (remember: Irish breakfasts are usually epic!), pub time will be a daily tradition, and Ireland has amazing clothing, silver, etc., it is advised to bring along an extra $500 or so to cover all of the above if you're inclined to drink, buy a sweater, shirt, jewelry, etc.

View the Itinerary and download an Application