In conjunction with a group of your fellow travel professionals, your task is to create an itinerary for a group of students (your classmates) undertaking a week-long tour of one nation. You will select the locations that your tour will visit. You are creating an educational tour to help the visitors understand the colonial and modern-day history of this country as well as learning about the people and culture of the nation. 

During this seven day trip you and your colleagues will act as guides to the sites that you have carefully selected to best enhance your tour group’s understanding both of the nation’s history since the time of its colonization by Europeans and about contemporary issues affecting the country. Your itinerary will include seven cities or regions located anywhere in the country (don’t worry about travel times between the locations) that best help explain the culture and history of the country.

You will have two “group research days.” Class will NOT meet. You should agree upon a location and time (probably on campus during the regular class time) to meet. Your group should begin researching your country. Suggestions for information include: asking the campus librarians and finding one (or more) good travel books.

South America

#1        Argentina

#2        Brazil

#3        Columbia

#4        Peru

Africa

#5        Ghana

#6        Kenya

#7        Sudan

#8        Union of South Africa

Middle East

#9        Egypt

#10      Iran

#11      Israel

#12      Turkey

East Asia

#13      Cambodia

#14      India

#15      People’s Republic of China

#16      Vietnam

What you should begin to cover in your first meeting:

Research some basic information about the history of the country:

1.      what are the major historical issues/events/people that define your country?

2.      how did the country deal with Europeans and how did Europeans deal with your country in this period?

3.      how did society in this country change because of interaction with Europeans?

4.      how/when did this society emerge from European control or influence (gain independence)?

Create a list of major historical events/issues/people/concepts in your country:

For example, a list for the United States might include: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Constitution, the Lincoln Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone National Park, Woodstock, Cape Canaveral, Hollywood, Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis Presley, Ground Zero, and Dodger Stadium.

1.      Your list should include events/issues/people/concepts in five different time periods

Before 1800; 1800-1899; 1900-1940; 1941-1960; 1961-today

2.      Create a list of places/things that could be used as focal points for a tour to EXPLAIN the events/issues/people/concepts on your list

What you should cover in your second meeting:

How to organize your trip:

1.      Day One topic – an introduction to the culture of the nation we will visit (food, music, clothes, art, religion, do & don’ts, etc.)

2.      Day Two topic – before 1800

3.      Day Three topic – 1800-1899

4.      Day Four topic – 1900-1940

5.      Day Five topic – 1941-1960

6.      Day Six topic – 1961-today

7.      Day Seven topic – where native people go for a vacation

What to do for each day:

A.     Chose one location (city, county, park) to visit for each day of your journey

• Chose at least one specific location for each day’s stop (usually two or three places per day)

• Make sure these location(s) clearly answer the question “How does this location clearly explain the culture and history of the country in the time period we are describing?”

Other Tasks:

A.     Determine what your brochure (class handout) will look like and how each group member will contribute to it.

B.      Determine each person’s responsibilities for further research.

C.     Determine how each group member will help present your itinerary in class.

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