With Christmas preparations under control and every bedroom in our house filled with company, I’m basking in the joys of the season. I’m also letting my mind drift ahead to January, February and March when the San Francisco Bay Area can be downright chilly.

If you're someone who's always dreamed of getting away from it all, there's nothing like a cruise to get you in the mood.

Eliza Wick is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a major in the History of Art and Architecture and a minor in Museum Studies. She originally attended the University of Kentucky, but changed majors in the middle of her time there and other factors led her to transfer to Pitt. Eliza recently completed the London Field Studies Program with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Study Abroad and she is currently an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Florida Culture for the Week of September 24, 2017 By Josh Garrick 

Pamela Douglas Webster studied European history while traveling in nine different countries at the end of her college career. After working in private historical societies and nonprofits, she learned how to sail. She now lives on board a 34 foot sailboat with her husband and dog and cruises the Chesapeake Bay and eastern United States. She works and plays at pet-friendly travel and blogs about life on board with her dog at http://www.somethingwagging.com.

Olivia Darr is currently a senior at the University of Pittsburgh studying Communications. She’s also in the process of completing certificates in Global Studies, Community/Corporate Relations, and Nonprofit Management. Throughout her time at Pitt, she’s been lucky enough to participate in five study abroad programs, all of which have helped shape her into who she is today. 

China: a place both ancient and modern, well known and unknown, distant, different: a powerful contemporary nation that is still little known and even less understood by most people in the west.

Do you love to travel? Chances are, if you’re reading this, the answer is yes. Travel can provide a good time, relaxation, and fun. And, when you’re traveling (whether at home or abroad), there is a whole world to explore - chief of all, the chance to meet people, learn different languages, explore a variety of cuisines, and revel in new music, landscape, and activities.

Florida Culture for the Week of September 17, 2017 By Josh Garrick