Interterm

Destination: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

This Interterm experience provides students with an opportunity to explore the art, history, and culture of one of Europe’s most exciting capital cities: Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In addition to having free time to explore the city on their own, students will cruise the city’s famous canals, visit the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum (the Dutch national art gallery), take in one of Europe’s largest outdoor street markets, and tour the first Heineken beer factory.

We’ll have a day dedicated to Anne Frank where we’ll go to the neighborhood where the Franks lived before going into hiding, the bookstore where Anne bought her famous diary (still a working bookstore today), and tour the Anne Frank House and Museum. And we’ll venture to other cities in the Netherlands including Rotterdam, Delft, and The Hague.

For students with little to no international travel experience, Amsterdam is an ideal introduction to another culture. There is virtually no language barrier (everyone speaks excellent English), the city is very safe, and it’s one of the more affordable destinations in Europe. The cost of this class includes all expenses except for lunches, dinners, souvenirs, and passport fees.

Credits: 3 hours, P/NC
Instructor: Joe Watson jwastson@bakerU.edu and Robyn Long rlong@bakerU.edu
Tentative travel dates: January 12-20, 2026
Deposit: $500, nonrefundable once trip moves forward
Estimated total cost: $3,700

Students in this course will visit numerous West Coast National Parks and other natural areas during a road trip through California, Oregon, and Washington. We will start in Las Vegas and travel north, stopping to visit Death Valley, Yosemite, Muir Woods, and Redwood National Parks. Days will center on easy hiking and wildlife sightings. No science experience needed. Course fee covers hotels, airfare, and park entrance fees.

Credits: 3 hours
Instructor: Erin Morris emorris@bakerU.edu
Tentative travel dates: January 5-19
Deposit: $400 (Due Sept. 30)
Estimated total cost: $2,200

Destination: Toulouse, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Cannes

This travel interterm course was inspired by a National Geographic article, In the Footsteps of the Apostles (National Geographic, March, 2012). Our inaugural program will focus on southern France and the travels of Mary Magdalene and St. James. This program includes a cooking class, wine tasting, a painting session, guided visits to several churches and cathedrals, city walking tours, a visit to a farmer’s/fish market, a visit to the Musee de Beaux Arts, and guided tours of sites associated with Cezanne, Zola, and Hemingway.

Credits:
Instructor: Robyn Long rlong@bakerU.edu and Nick Pumphrey npumphrey@bakerU.edu
Tentative travel dates: June 5-15, 2026
Deposit: $500 by September 15, 2025, $1,000 in October 2025, $1,000 in January 2026, and a final deposit of $1,000-$1,500 due in March 2026.
Estimated total cost: If we have 20 participants: $3,600 per person (shared room). If we have 15 participants: $4,100 per person (shared room).

Destination: Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, England (including multiple field trips to nearby natural areas, including beaches, marshlands, woodlands, and heathlands)

The study of birds provides one of the most engaging and rewarding ways to build a relationship with the natural world around us, having inspired biologists, psychologists, historians, poets, artists, and playwrights among many others. This course provides a basic introduction to the natural history of birds for nonscience majors as well as for lower-level natural resources and biology-related majors.

Credits: Counts toward the Baker Core (NS)
Instructors: Scott Kimball skimball@bakerU.edu
Tentative travel dates: June 8-July 7, 2026
Deposit: Determined by Harlaxton. Check back later.
Estimated total cost: Determined by Harlaxton. Check back later.

Destination: Buffalo National River and Blanchard Springs Cavern in Arkansas

Get ready to immerse yourself in a wet and wild adventure on the Buffalo National River, the U.S. National Park Service’s first designated national river and one of the most scenic and wild rivers in the central United States. This trip will offer three days of canoeing and swimming, along with additional days spent hiking and exploring a cavern! Students will camp in National Park Service campgrounds along the river, create artistic expressions of their experiences, and engage in lively evening storytelling around the campfire, all while gaining an appreciation for the value of natural spaces and the role of parks in our society.

Credits: 2 hours
Instructor: Scott Kimball skimball@bakerU.edu and Robyn Long rlong@bakerU.edu
Tentative travel dates: May 18-23, 2026
Deposit: $100 (nonrefundable)
Estimated total cost: $379 (excluding meals on the drive and discretionary spending)