TRAVEL

Do you want to live the island life? Join us for a fun-filled, jam-packed, amazing adventure to the Bahamas. Scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, cliff jumping, and so much more awaits you at The Island School in Rock Sound, Eleuthera.  At the Island School, we will live on a sustainable campus all while studying marine ecology, environmental sustainability, and explore the beautiful deep ocean. You will see ocean life like you have never seen before!

Our band is really going places! We would like to make our first stop in Chicago during mid-winter break of 2022. On this two-day trip, between February 17 and 21, we will be able to hear a live performance of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, play for and work with clinicians at VanderCook College of Music, see either a live musical or performance of Blue Man Group, have a meal at Navy Pier and spend some time at the Art Institute of Chicago. For Winterim 2022, students are highly encouraged to participate in a morning band-trip-centered class, but this will not be required, just encouraged. We hope many (if not ALL!) band students will be able to participate in this first stop of our GRCHS band tour over the next few years!

Do you want to make a significant impact in the lives of others, build new friendships and serve children? Would you like to explore a new culture and practice your Spanish skills? Then join us as we demonstrate Jesus’ love and joy to children in the Dominican Republic. God has a deep love for his people and calls us to be his hands and feet in our world. We will SERVE children in a community school founded by a local mission, teach Bible and English lessons, play with kids, serve meals, and work on light construction projects. We will enjoy building strong relationships within the team and with our Dominican friends, and take time to physically and spiritually REST so we can pay attention to the work God is doing in our midst. Rest also includes exploration of this beautiful island: hikes to waterfalls, enjoying time at the beach, and a tour of the historic Colonial District. Lastly, we will GROW in our relationship with the Lord as we serve, worship, pray and spend daily time in scripture. Each day our hearts will draw closer to God as we better understand his faithfulness, compassion and provision for his people. We will be inspired to love as God loves, and joyfully serve in his name. Come join us in the Dominican Republic!

Come explore and marvel at the biodiversity of Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands! Located off the coast of Ecuador, this archipelago straddling the equator is home to a unique biodiversity found nowhere else on earth. Unique plants and animals abound.  Our hiking and snorkeling expeditions will offer direct interaction with iguanas, penguins, flightless cormorants, various finches, blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, sea-lions, and an abundance of extraordinary marine life. We will island hop through the Galápagos, where we will move from mangrove swamps to lava flows to sunny shorelines, encountering scores of exotic creatures along the way. At the Charles Darwin Research Station, we will visit the breeding center for the famous giant Galápagos tortoises. Our experienced guides will help us to understand and experience not only the unique flora and fauna, but also the cultural and historical aspects of Ecuador. This trip offers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to snorkel with sea lions and sea turtles in the warm equatorial waters of the Pacific!  We will also spend two days in mainland Ecuador with trips to famous historic destinations, including Mitad del Mundo,  where you can straddle the equator, among other stops in and around Quito, Ecuador’s beautiful capital city. Come and join us as we chart the Galápagos Islands and discover some of the biological wonders of God’s creation! Prepare for the adventure of a lifetime!

Join us for a multi-day backpacking trip down into the Grand Canyon! These are the most beautiful miles of the Arizona Trail and we will be partnering with the Arizona Trail Association for a service project along other sections of this 850-mile National Scenic Trail! Come on this trip to learn backpacking or to refine your skills in one of the most beautiful places in our nation!

Have you ever wanted to see the Sistene Chapel, learn what school is like in a different country, or walk the streets where Paul the Apostle taught?  Join us as we explore major citiies like Rome, Livomo, Montecatini, Florence, and Pisa, learn firsthand about Italian culture from students in our sister city of Perugia, and experience sites that were integral in the formation of the Christian church.  On this trip we will see amazing works of art and architecture, build community, and learn about historical sites and their significance.  We hope you are iterested in coming on this adventure!

Jamaica Deaf Village is part of the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf. The CCCD exists to “reach, teach, and nurture the Deaf of Jamaica so that they can experience the joy of knowing Jesus and serving within their community. Jamaica Deaf Village (JDV) is a place where the Deaf can live, work, and grow. “  On this trip, we will spend a week at JDV interacting with the deaf community while we volunteer at JDV, visit children at their school, and eat and play with people in the deaf community. We will also get to know each other better as we work and play.  We will spend the first week at JDV and the last couple of days in Montego Bay.  NO SIGN LANGUAGE IS NEEDED!  If you know sign language, this is a great way to practice; if you don’t, it’s a great way to learn!

Explore four of the greatest cities in Europe — three countries all in one trip! If you’ve ever been interested in traveling to Europe or have thought about a study abroad program in college but weren’t quite sure where to go, then this trip is for you. Our twelve-day trip will start in London where we will see iconic sites like Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden, the regal architecture of the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. From there, we will take the fastest route to Paris via the Eurostar Chunnel crossing to marvel at the wonders of Paris’s famed Louvre museum, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. Our next stop will be Avignon, a city in southern France’s beautiful Provence; there we will expand our knowledge about ancient Roman history, gothic architecture, and the early Christian church before traveling to Spain. In Barcelona we will visit the beautiful Sagrada Familia and the famed Mercat de la Boquería before ending our tour in Madrid where we will stroll through the Plaza Mayor and visit the grand Royal Palace. Whether you are a lover of the arts, language, history, or culture (or fish and chips, croissants, and tapas), this trip will give you an excellent sample of all Europe has to offer.

In our busy lives, we often don’t take time to pursue our passions. On the Creator’s Retreat, you’ll get the chance to spend two intentional weeks on a personal project--something you’ll be proud of. We’ll start in the classroom to prepare for our work, and then we’ll head off campus to a retreat center to live and create together. We’ll eat, worship, work and play, then return to school to present our products. So what might you create? Music, visual art, film, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, spoken word, forensics speeches, podcasts, science experiments, inventions, woodworking, scrapbooking, dance or whatever else you are moved to create.

This trip has it all! Everything from history, culture, and sightseeing to nature and hiking. This tour through Peru will leave you in awe of the Inca civilization and energized from the interactions with Peruvian people. Start in Peru’s capital city, Lima, with a guided tour of the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima, San Francisco Convent,  and the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology. Then spend time in the city of Cusco, the archaeological capital of South America. Tour two ancient fortresses, visit three different towns, shop at the Pisac Indian Market, and spend time at a wildlife sanctuary. The highlight of the trip involves two days exploring Machu Picchu. Hike to Intipunku, a fortress of Machu Picchu and enjoy stunning views of Machu Picchu. The trip ends with a breathtaking rafting excursion down the Urubamba river where you can enjoy the pristine, mountainous Peruvian landscape.

Exploring “la isla del encanto” (the island of enchantment) will be a treat!  Starting in the capital of San Juan, then heading all the way around the island, we’ll tour this Caribbean U.S. territory with the perks of amazing beaches, Puerto Rican food & culture, and rainforest hiking.  We’ll visit African, Spanish and Taíno-influenced sites around PR to learn how these cultures and people contributed and molded what is modern day Puerto Rico.  We’ll do 2 days of service near San Juan - showing up for our under-aided hurricane-struck brothers and sisters.  Spanish language fluency not required, but certainly a bonus.

This tour is a cultural and language exchange: a trip that will create lasting memories. They will see such things as Claude Monet’s famous gardens at Giverny, and compare stately grandeur as they visit not only the palace of Versailles, but 3 other castles in the Loire Valley. They will have the opportunity to worship in awe of their surroundings at Chartres Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And let’s not forget all the days they will spend exploring Paris in large and small groups, seeing the sights they have always wanted to see and spending some leisurely time experiencing true French culture as they sit in cafés and walk the streets of the city. Paris, Magnifique!

Dream with us. Join Mr. VanderWerf and Mr. Julian Newman on this civil rights journey from Washington D.C. through the American South. We will start our trip at the capital city where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his famous, “I have a dream” speech. From there we will journey south to visit and explore key places, events, and people of the civil rights movement. We will return home to Grand Rapids to see our own city in new ways. Together we will learn to humbly walk with God, love mercy, and to act justly.

Join us as we head to Vietnam!  Some places around the globe are framed by a singular narrative. The purpose of international travel should be to broaden our limited perspectives and remember that God’s creation is rich and complex. We will take an immersive journey through the history, culture, and natural beauty of Vietnam to learn that it is more than just a section in a history book. From crawling through the Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War to climbing aboard a river cruise in the Mekong Delta, from floating amongst limestone pillar islands in Ha Long Bay to bargaining for deals at the Hô Chi Minh market stalls; this Southeast Asian country will dazzle your senses and introduce you to a world unlike so many other places on Earth. You’ll explore Dà Nang’s massive caves, paddle in bamboo-basket boats in Hôi An, and slurp on the country’s famous noodle soup in Hanoi. Join us for the adventure of a lifetime!