A few of the general comments made by students after the trip.

1. I thought that everything in the program was planned and timed almost flawlessly. I felt very comfortable and taken care of. I initially thought that the price was high for just 3 weeks in Australia, but looking back on all we did, it seems like a bargain. Although it took some adjusting to live in the same room with 9 other girls, I came to feel like each place we stayed at was home. I honestly miss those early morning muffins at Eva's and watching Big Brother with strangers at the Bellview. Anything more expensive would not have been a true backpacking experience.

Did you value all three destinations (Sydney, Uluru, and Cairns)? Explain.

There couldn't have been a more comprehensive 3 week tour, I don't think. I was thrilled by the fast-paced city life of Sydney, awed by the serene beauty of Uluru, and delighted by the touristy relaxation of Cairns. It was perfect. Don't change a thing.

Was there anything that you wished had been included in the program. Explain.

I truly don't think there's anything else that we could have done that would make me remember the time as being better or more fulfilling. We did everythingwell, maybe a skydiving or rafting trip in Cairns would have been funbut then I probably would have had a heart attack from all the excitement.

Was there enough free time? What would you have deleted from the program to make more free time? Why?

No more free time! The amount was perfect; enough to keep us from being exhausted, not enough to let us be lazy. Deleting anything from the program would be a big mistake, it all needs to be there.

Did you find the inclusion of Dr. Jon Havenhand to be worthwhile? Please comment.

Jon was great! I'm not a biology person, so maybe I didn't get as much out of his lectures as some other people did, but I still found them interesting and worthwhile. To me, that time watching Power Point lectures on the bed with the girls listening to Jon was bonding time. Sure, bring him along!

Any other comments?

If you can't tell, I adored everything about Australia, and the layout of this trip really made me feel like I experienced a lot and know enough to be able to say I really love the country. Talk about life-changing; my whole outlook has changed, I smile more, I'm actually a happier person now. I had been considering going "far away" from PA to go to graduate school, maybe Florida or Texas. Now I'm thinking that those places might not be quite far enoughthe whole world seems to have opened up. Perhaps my survey answers won't be the most helpful; I was so enamoured that maybe I'm more biased than most. In any case, the only suggestion I'd make is to tell future travelers to bring more film than they'd ever think that they would need, and take pictures of everything, even the things that they don't think they'll ever want to see again. I can't tell you how much I wish I had a picture of Eva's! My only consolation is the knowledge that I'll be backsomeday. Thanks for a great trip!

2. I think the trip was worth the money. I was happy with the accommodations though the first place w/ all 10 of us in one room was a little hard. I was happy w/ all our destination because they gave us a nice rounded view of Australia. I wish we had had a little more free time though. I could have done w/o the AMP tower, Museum of Sydney, and the Port Douglas trip. I loved the fact that Jon joined us in Cairns. He brought with him a great deal of knowledge about the reef that I don't think we would have gotten as in depth w/o him. Over all I had a blast and would recommend this trip to everybody.

3. I thought it was great to get a sample of each different place. It was absolutely worth every dime! It was the experience of a life time and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Was there anything that you wished had been included in the

program. Explain. For me the only thing I would have loved to have been able to do was to actually meet Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter). But now that he is so famous that would probably be pretty hard to do. Other than that everything was great.

Was there enough free time? What would you have deleted from

the program to make more free time? Why? I thought there was plenty of free time I was surprised and also pleased with how much you trusted us to be out on our own. No I wouldn't have taken out a thing. I got something out of all the places we visited and I honestly wouldn't change much. If I went back I'd probably just want a "few" more dive days so I could eventually go to every site on the reef...

Did you find the inclusion of Dr. Jon Havenhand to be

worthwhile? Please comment. Absolutely, John was great. He was extremely intelligent, well spoken and funny too. I liked having 2 experienced divers that I knew on the dive day. It made me more comfortable and it was pretty handy to have a marine biologist on hand too. Great job.

Any other comments?

Not really, I think I've raved about this trip enough for now. I have completed my huge photo album and successfully chronicled our trip. It almost seems like a dream now. Was I really there? It was too incredible to be real. Thank you so much for the trip of a life time!

4. I definitely thought that the trip was worth the money. I think that the price was very reasonable, since we got to do so much. The hostiles were all suitable for the type of trip and our budget. It was difficult having all ten of us in the same room, but we dealt with it. It would have been a lot better if we all had our own keys though! The travel arrangements were wonderful. I am glad that I was able to fly out of and into the airport of my choice.

After the trip was over, I was very thankful that we visited the three cities in the order that we did. In my opinion, we went from my least favorites place to my most favorite place. I did not feel like I was in Australia while we were in Sydney, since it resembled so many other cities. Even the living arrangements went from the worst to the best. I am glad we went from Sydney to Uluru to Cairns, because instead of being disappointed as time went on, I enjoyed myself better as we traveled to the different places. I think that the choices of the three cities were good and the order in which they are visited should remain the same.

I cannot think of anything that should be included in the program. I was satisfied with the whole trip.

I thought that we had plenty of free time. In Cairns, we were very busy with tours, but since they were so enjoyable, it did not matter that we did not have free time. There is nothing that I would have wanted deleted from our program.

I found it worthwhile to have Dr. Jon Havenhand join our trip. He was able to teach us a lot about the reef that was very interesting. I am glad that he went on the dives with us; it was nice having him there.

5. I think the trip was definitely worth the money; we packed a lot into each day and all the places we stayed were fine for me. I was happy that we saved the best hotel rooms for last though, because if it had been reversed, it might have been harder to adjust to. The travel arrangements were fine; I was just glad that I got to fly out of Harrisburg.

I enjoyed all three destinations and I think the right amount of time was spent in each. Sydney was great; there was tons of stuff to do and it was interesting to compare an Australian city to a US city. I was happy we visited Uluru because it was what I pictured Australia to look like: the outback. When we were in Sydney I didn't really feel like we were actually across the world, but when we arrived in Uluru, it really hit me that we were in Australia. Cairns was good because there was fun stuff to do in the town and it was a time to wind down and relax a little more. Plus there was tons of stuff to do near Cairns, so it was a good place to stop.

I don't think there was anything else I wish was in the program; I'm not really sure what else there is to do in Australia though that we missed. I kind of regret not being about to see an Aussie Rules game, and I never got the chance to go White Water Rafting in my spare time, so that would have been fun to do in Cairns. Speaking of free time, I think there was a good mix of planned activities and free time. Sydney was pretty much planned out, but I enjoyed going to the Aquarium instead of Manly (even though I got lost to and from it), I loved the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb, and I think there was an ample amount of free time in Cairns.

I'm not into Biology, but I think Jon's talk on the reef, coral, and starfish was interesting and worthwhile because as I was snorkeling, I could see what he was talking about. And I appreciated that he used terms that non-science people would understand.

All in all, I think it was a great trip and I'm really happy that I finally got to go!