How Carroll’s Study Abroad Travel Program Sparked Student’s Love of Exploring the World

When Karin Johnsson signed up for her first Carroll Community College study abroad travel program in 2017, she had a simple goal: earn college credit while seeing Italy.

Seven trips later, she’s still packing her bags to go on trips with Carroll.

Johnsson has traveled with the College to Italy, Ireland, England, Germany, Austria, and France, first for credit, then simply for the joy of learning and exploring. Along the way, she’s discovered breathtaking destinations, lifelong connections, and a deeper appreciation for history, art, and cultures around the world.

More Than a Vacation

Johnsson first learned about Carroll’s study abroad travel programs after her older brother and sister participated in one of the College’s international trips. As a Visual Art student, the opportunity to combine travel with coursework made the decision an easy one.

Even after earning her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Baltimore, she kept taking trips through Carroll.

“University of Baltimore didn’t have the same sorts of trips,” she said. “Now, even as a graduate of a different college, still being able to do the trips with Carroll is really nice.”

What keeps bringing her back?

“It’s been a great way to see a destination’s highlights, but also to sometimes go off the beaten track,” she said. Unlike a typical tour, Johnsson says Carroll’s faculty organizers build itineraries around both iconic landmarks and hidden gems.

“It wasn’t just an average tour where they say, ‘We’re going to see the top five sites in this country and that’s going to be it,'” she said. “With Carroll, it is very much, ‘We’re going to see the top five sites, but we’re going to go to this lesser-known place over here too.'” The trips also include built-in free time, allowing travelers to explore personal interests. “It was a good balance of directed activity with freedom and flexibility,” Johnsson said.

A Trip That Changed Everything

The Carroll trips at this point have made me so comfortable with international travel that I’m not afraid to go somewhere on my own now.

Although she’s now visited several countries, Johnsson still calls her very first Carroll trip to Italy her favorite.

“It was a really good introduction to European travel,” she said.

As part of a Visual Art study abroad travel program course focusing on Michelangelo, she explored many of the artist’s most famous works firsthand while conducting research for a class presentation.

“That trip was very formative for my love of European travel and experiencing the arts on a higher level.”

The experience ultimately helped pave the way for both her academic and creative future. “The Michelangelo course was when I decided, ‘This is the degree I’m going to pursue,'” she said. Today, Johnsson teaches art, creates art inspired by her travels, and has produced more than fifteen pieces based on photographs she’d taken during Carroll trips.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Whether traveling for credit or for recreation, Johnsson says Carroll’s educational approach transforms each destination into something much richer than sightseeing.

During her recent trip to France, she completed coursework centered on Impressionism. “As I was going through exhibits or walking through the streets of Paris, I found myself making more connections to what I was researching,” she said.

The study abroad travel program journal she was assigned to write for her class encouraged deeper reflection. “You’re learning from it. You’re not just observing, you’re absorbing.”

That educational experience extends well beyond formal coursework. Local guides on Carroll trips provide historical context that the travelers would likely never discover on their own.

“The guides are really good at painting those pictures, putting the places into a historical context so you can understand the social situation of the people in that place and time.”

As an artist and art instructor, these lessons became even more meaningful when inside Europe’s many art museums. “I was seeing hundreds of art pieces that I have seen in textbooks and lectures while attending college classes,” she said. “Until you see them in person, you don’t really get the same sense of what you’re looking at.”

Adventures You Can’t Plan

Carroll’s study abroad travel program offer travelers myriad chances to create unforgettable memories.

For Johnsson, one standout experience was visiting Italy’s famous Blue Grotto sea cave, which weather and tides often prevent visitors from entering. “Our guide checked the weather forecast to schedule us to go on the best optimal day,” she said.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

“We were able to go in,” she said. “It’s a beautiful cave. There’s this blue-green glow of the water up on the walls.”

On another trip, a nighttime boat ride offered a magical view of the Eiffel Tower sparkling over Paris.

“That was on my list of things to do in France,” she said. “It was a really special moment. There are always surprising experiences that end up sticking with you.”

The Comfort of Traveling Together

Having also traveled independently overseas, Johnsson says one of the greatest strengths of Carroll’s study abroad travel program is removing the stress that often comes with international travel.

“When you’re on your own, you’re worrying about your flight, your transportation, your tickets,” she said. “But when you’re with a group, you don’t have to worry about that anymore because leadership takes care of that for you.”

Experienced tour managers handle transportation, hotels, tickets, and local logistics, allowing travelers to focus on the experience itself. “If something happens, like if you lose your passport, you have people there who you can rely on,” she said.

The sense of community is another reason she keeps returning.

Whether inviting someone else in the group for gelato or encouraging them to join a museum outing, travelers naturally look out for one another. “People in the group who have gone on Carroll trips before are deliberate about pulling in the new people for activities,” she said. “Over time, we build these really special connections with each other.”

A World Waiting to Be Explored

Looking back, Johnsson says the trips have changed not only where she’s traveled, but how she sees the world.

“One of the biggest things it’s done is made me realize how young American culture is,” she said. Walking through Europe, she found herself moving through centuries of history in a single afternoon, where medieval churches, Renaissance buildings, and modern architecture all exist side by side.

After seven journeys, she’s already planning the next one.

“The Carroll trips at this point have made me so comfortable with international travel that I’m not afraid to go somewhere on my own now.”

For those traveling abroad for the first time, Carroll offers the perfect introductory experience.

“Having a group of people with you gives you more confidence and a sense of security to explore another country,” she said. “You’re not by yourself. There’s always someone that you can reach out to.”

After seven trips, Johnsson isn’t finished exploring. Greece and Croatia remain on her travel bucket list, and she looks forward to seeing where Carroll’s study abroad travel program goes next. Johnsson encourages other Carroll students and the broader community to take advantage of these enjoyable, enriching opportunities. They have helped shape her education, career, and passion for travel and showed her there are always new places, new people, and new perspectives waiting to be discovered.