Cape Cod and the Islands – My Top Ten Takeaways

By: Deb Euculano
Senior Associate Director of Alumni Events
Arkansas Alumni Association

  1. How much fun it is to travel with Arkansas Alumni and friends (including travelers from University of Tennessee and Mississippi State University). For one week we were all one team!
  2. Spending time with your travel mates you learn that everyone has a unique story to tell. Hearing those stories firsthand is a unique and positive experience in itself and one you can’t get by traveling alone. It truly is what makes group travel a unique and wonderful opportunity to meet new people.
  3. This was my first opportunity to host a Razorbacks on Tour trip, and I found the experience to be delightful and refreshing. The days were planned out so you didn’t have to think about what you were going to do or where you were going to go next. Every detail is taken care of for you by the detail oriented travel planners at Premier World Discovery. They will also tell you that it is acceptable to take a day to yourself and explore other sites or just relax at the hotel and that was truly reassuring to many travelers. It’s your vacation and they want you to enjoy it!
  4. The professional Tour Directors are extremely knowledgeable and share some very interesting information that you can’t get from a brochure, so listening intently is key to having the best tour experience.
  5. The sites in and around the area are unique in their own way. Visiting the JFK Library brings back vivid memories of where you were the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I was in third grade and remember being brought into the cafeteria to be given the devastating news. The library does a remarkable job of celebrating the life and achievements of the 35th President.
  6. Exploring historic Boston and visiting the Old State House, the Old North Church, Boston Commons, takes you back in time to when the independence of our nation began. It is amazing to admire how our founders shaped and formed our nation’s path so long ago.
  7. The landscape in Nantucket and all across the Cape is stunning with wild beach roses, soft sands of unsoiled beaches, and a fresh ocean breeze that all come together makes it a place you never want to leave. Fun fact about Nantucket: it is a town, a county, and an island!
  8. Martha’s Vineyard is amazing, beautiful and historic. The colorful Victorian cottages in Oak Bluffs, the breathtaking multicolored clay cliff of Aquinnah and its impressive lighthouse, and the pristine beaches are a must-see for anyone interested in visiting this area of the country.
  9. Touring the Breaker’s Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, you can actually picture yourself living the life style of this long gone era. The Vanderbilt’s knew how to live!
  10. In addition to the comradery and the beautiful scenery experienced on the tour is the opportunity to enjoy the fresh and delicious east coast seafood. I don’t think you can ever eat too much New England clam chowder, fish and chips, or lobster and lobster rolls. Bon appetit!

To quote Anthony Bourdain: “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life and travel leaves marks on you.”

Get out there and take the time to travel and see the world!
For more information about Razorbacks on Tour, visit www.arkansasalumni.org/tours.