My Study Abroad Experience: Semester at Sea

I have officially completed the 129th Voyage of Semester at Sea.

I sailed on the MV World Odyssey with Semester at Sea from January to April, 2022. Semester at Sea is a study abroad experience—on a converted cruise ship—that focuses on intercultural relations and impactful in-country experiences. Onboard, I took classes that helped me develop a global lens to view the world; in each port of the eleven ports, I immersed myself in the local culture and experienced traditions and customs. Living on a ship for four months brought its own unique challenges and lessons, all of which have helped me learn more about myself.

I was also chosen to be the Logistical PrePort Host, where I met with multiple stakeholders to create a meeting for all 400+ voyagers before each port with logistical, safety, and COVID-19 information. I helped grow the attendance at the meetings by theming them all and encouraging audience interaction. You can check out more information about SAS on the voyage website, here.

🗺️ Voyage Itinerary

Embarcation: Naples, Italy 🇮🇹

Piraeus, Greece 🇬🇷
Limassol, Cyprus 🇨🇾
Dubrovnik, Croatia 🇭🇷
Valletta, Malta 🇲🇹
Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸
Gibraltar, United Kingdom 🇬🇮
Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹
Brest, France 🇫🇷
Greenock, Scotland 🏴
Copenhagen, Denmark 🇩🇰
Stockholm, Sweden 🇸🇪

Disembarkation: Bremerhaven, Germany 🇩🇪

Post SAS Travel: Berlin & Munich, Germany 🇩🇪; Zürich, Switzerland 🇨🇭; Buchs & Vaduz, Liechtenstein 🇱🇮; Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱; Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪; and Belfast, Northern Ireland 🇬🇧.

📨 Travel Memories

Check out my previous stories, below, and sign up for my email list for future updates!

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Italy, Greece, & Cyprus

As I am writing this from the ship terminal in Cyprus, I am looking back on Italy, Greece, and Cyprus; while looking forward to our next port of Croatia. Sign up for my email list, here! Unfortunately, with the ever-changing COVID-19 situation and the laws of each country, our voyage had to change (for the 4th time).

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Croatia & Malta

Semester at Sea Update #2 Wow, Croatia and Malta have brought so many unexpected adventures and unforgettable memories. Let me take you back to what I have done! Sign up for my email list, here!

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Spain & Gibraltar

Semester at Sea Update #3 Let me start off by saying the past two weeks have brought the highest highs and lowest lows on my voyage, thus far. We started off by being (essentially) denied entry into Spanish waters due to our high number of COVID-19 cases onboard but then we were delighted with a day (more like 10 hours) in Gibraltar!

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Foster.Hillis.SP22, singing off!

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👋 Thank you for visiting!

Updated: @Feb 14, 2026