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The Boston trip, put on by Residents on Campus, has long been known for its popularity with students. The Quebec trip, added more recently, has also garnered strong interest.
“I think that students need an escape sometimes from rural Maine,” said Matthew Bennett, vice president for programming in ROC. “While I think that we live and go to school in a great place, a change of scenery can be an exciting experience and makes you have a new appreciation for things.”
Bennett has organized both trips, although this year’s Quebec trip will be his last. Securing funding for them remains the hardest part, with costs for Boston at a low $1,500 compared to the $40,000 price tag for Quebec. Close to half of the funding comes from ROC itself, while General Student Senate foots around the same amount. Ticket sales are also an important factor. Tickets sold for Quebec this year will raise approximately $17,000 and will be used to cover part of the lodging costs.
Travelers will be staying at the Delta Quebec Hotel. According to its Web site, “The Quebec City hotel is located right downtown, steps away from Old Quebec, in the heart of North America’s only walled city.”
Besides lodging and travel, students must pay for their other expenses. Tickets will cost $65 for on-campus students and $85 for off-campus students, and will go on sale Thursday, Dec. 2 in front of the ROC office in the basement of Memorial Union.
Many in ROC feel that these trips are successful mainly due to positive student feedback after each one.
“I haven’t heard a single negative comment from anyone about either of the trips,” Justin Labonte, vice president of ROC, said. “They’re the most exceptionally successful trips that any student organization on this campus offers to students.”
As for the future of such trips, it depends on several factors, including student interest and, in the case of Quebec, conversion rates and passport law. This January, it will be necessary for U.S. citizens to have a passport to cross into Canada by air. The same rule will take effect for land travel next January.
