You don’t need a date on Valentine’s Day when you have a passport

Eryn Gebacz

Kicking off “I Heart Travel Week” is “I Heart Travel Day.”

Taking place on Valentine’s Day, the event will provide students with a way to express their love for all things travel and learn more about summer study abroad opportunities.

The day is filled with various fun, interactive activities that are aimed at helping students learn about funding study abroad trips. 

Bradley Mueller, graduate assistant for International Programs and Education Abroad, describes how the name of the event came about since it takes place on Valentine’s Day. 

“The idea is born out of how you don’t need someone else on Valentine’s Day because you can love travel,” Mueller said.

The Office of Global Education and the College of Arts and Sciences International Programs and Education Abroad Office are partnering for the event, which will take place on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Center for Undergraduate Excellence Lobby. 

Mueller encourages all students to stop by the event even if they are on the fence about studying abroad. 

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve been abroad, are going again or have never left Northeast Ohio. Anybody and everybody interested in studying abroad should come by,” he said.

Students who are interested in studying abroad and want to express their love for all things travel can stop by and learn about four summer programs: Salamanca, Spain; Florence, Italy; Seoul, South Korea and Geneva, Switzerland.

Students can learn more about these programs by playing cultural trivia made up by peer ambassadors who have studied abroad before. Some of these ambassadors will also be taking place in a panel discussion during the event. 

“There will be a panel of different people talking about where they left their hearts when they went abroad and how to function well in two different cultures,” Mueller said.

He especially encourages students in the College of Arts and Sciences to stop by because there are scholarships that will be given away specifically for them.

“Students can come around and get information, food and entered into a raffle for two $500 scholarships,” Mueller saiid. 

Students interested in learning more about “I (Heart) Travel” day and other events taking place during “I (Heart) Travel” week can check out the College of Arts and Sciences International Programs and Education Abroad ’s website.

Eryn Gebacz is the international students and issues reporter, contact her at [email protected].