Humanities European Tour

Taking students out of the classroom to experience the real thing, the BYU-Idaho Humanities European Tour takes students to England, Greece, Germany, Austria, Italy, France and Spain.

“I had so many good memories,” said Max Davis, a junior studying art. “Every place was unique, and every place was my favorite at the time.”

Before leaving on the tour, students prepared themselves with two weeks of on-campus class work familiarizing themselves with the art they would see live in Europe. Additional study and research paid off for students that put for the extra effort.

“On the tour there’d be times where the whole tour group would be around a certain painting or sculpture, and several students would be moved even to tears because they’d studied its background extensively before the tour,” Davis said.

Studying the Humanities awakening a greater sense of being and feeling in the participants.

“ The more you devote yourself to observing art in any form, the more you will find yourself feeling,” Davis said.

In traveling Europe, Davis came to value pushing himself to new experiences.

“The most valuable idea I learned while on the tour was to never get too satisfied within my comfort zone because they’re so much more world out there to experience,” Davis said.

Each stop offered something different, but Italy particularly stood out to Davis.

“Italy as a whole had to be my favorite because of all the things I purchased there, like; an Italian suit, leather jacket, plus, tons of gelato every day,” Davis said.

Advising future participants, Davis recommended getting to know the art now rather than later.

“Start researching the art now. Research something, anything; whether you’re leaving tomorrow, or in a few years,” Davis said. “A few minutes of research will make the experience infinitely more memorable and priceless.”