• Date: Sunday, May 28
  
• Optional Trip
  
• Price: 55 euros
  
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall front steps at 8:15 a.m.

The Office of Student Life invites students to zipline across the Huécar on Europe's longest double zipline. Following the ziplining, students will be able to explore Cuenca on their own and participate in a walking tour where they can cross the San Pablo Bridge, see the Hanging Houses, discover a forbidden love, and learn about Cuenca's unique history.

• Dates: Saturday, June 3
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall front steps at 8:30 a.m.

The Monasterio de Piedra was founded in 1194 when Alonso II granted an Arab castle to the monks of Poblet to build a monastery in the hopes of consolidating Christianity in the area. Legend says that this monastery is where the first chocolate candy was made. The natural park of Monasterio de Piedra offers an unbelievable experience, with a two-and-a-half hour walk through a lush parkland with waterfalls and grottos hidden in one of the driest areas of the region of Aragón. 

• Dates: Thursday-Saturday, June 8-10
• Faculty: Mónica Pérez-Bedmar
• Course: EAS 1050 Introduction to Oceanography
• Mandatory trip
• Price: 385 euros

The field trip will take students to Cabo de Palos, in the region of Murcia on Spain's southeastern coast. As one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the Mediterranean Sea, it proves an ideal site to study the main environmental issues the region is facing. The field trip includes visits to nearby oceanographic institutes, a desalination site, natural reserves and natural parks. The excursion includes a dive at one of the most important Mediterranean reserves, Islas Hormigas, off the coast of Murcia, which provides the opportunity — weather permitting — to snorkel in its crystal blue waters and identify the different organisms studied in the course. The trip also includes kayaking along the most developed Mediterranean coastlines to identify coastal issues and successful restoration projects. The price includes transportation, lodging, excursions (as programmed in the final itinerary) and breakfast. 

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: David Howden, Ph.D.
• Course: MKT 4550 International Marketing 
• Mandatory trip
• Price: TBD
• Departure from front steps at Padre Rubio Hall

Join the International Marketing class on its annual shopping safari. The class visits multiple retail spaces in Madrid to see how marketing differs between stores. Along the way, they also learn firsthand how the same companies differ in their marketing approaches depending on the country they operate in.

• Date: Thursday, Aug. 31
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall front steps at 8:30 a.m.

The Monasterio de Piedra was founded in 1194 when Alonso II granted an Arab castle to the monks of Poblet to build a monastery in the hopes of consolidating Christianity in the area. Legend says that this monastery is where the first chocolate candy was made. The natural park of Monasterio de Piedra offers an unbelievable experience, with a two-and-a-half hour walk through a lush parkland with waterfalls and grottos hidden in one of the driest areas of the region of Aragón. 

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 23
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall's front steps at 9 a.m.

Segovia is one of the must-do day trips while in Madrid. Join us in visiting this UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for the Roman aqueduct that stands in the center of the old quarter. In addition, you will see numerous Romanesque churches and the cathedral and fortress (castle). 

• Date: Friday, Sept. 29
• Faculty leader: Mónica Pérez Bedmar, M.Sc.
• Course: EAS 1310 Water Our Precious Resource
• Mandatory trip
• Price: TBD

Students will understand how aquatic habitats function. They review the process of how aquatic habitats form. They learn about water use in agriculture activities. They experience and learn about the mismanagement of water resources.

• Date: Friday-Saturday, Sept. 29-30
• Faculty leader: Timothy Ryan Day, Ph.D.
• Course: ENGL 3470 Introduction to Shakespeare 
• Mandatory trip
• Price: 75 euros

ENGL 3470 Introduction to Shakespeare includes a mandatory trip to the town of Shakespeare's birth and death, Stratford-upon-Avon. During the two-day trip, students will see a production of the Royal Shakespeare Theater, visit Shakespeare's birthplace, and tour other important historical sites such as the church where he was buried and the cottage where his wife Anne Hathaway spent her childhood. It's a unique opportunity to see the sites that inspired some of the English language's most important poetry and theater.

• Date: Friday-Sunday, Sept. 29-Oct. 1
• Optional trip
• Price: 200 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall at 8 a.m.

Open to all students of all faiths. Travel to the Basque countryside of northern Spain and visit the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. This is an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Spiritual Exercises in the place where St. Ignatius was born and lived his life. 

• Dates: Friday-Sunday, Oct. 6-8
• Faculty: Iván Sánchez, Ph.D.
• Course: EAS 1080 Introduction to Environmental Science
• Mandatory trip
• Price: TBD

On this trip, students will travel throughout the Basque Country where they will evaluate the environmental and landscape impact of different human actions. This will include scientific vegetation sampling, learning how to reduce threats to biodiversity and the natural processes, discovering agroforestry systems in different environments, conducting bird censuses and scientific ringing, and assessing sustainability, conservation processes, and ecological underlying mechanisms in marine reserves. Price includes transportation, lodging, excursions (as programmed in the final itinerary) and breakfast.

• Dates: Friday-Sunday, Oct. 6-8; Friday-Sunday, Oct. 20-22; Friday-Sunday, Oct. 27-29        
• Faculty: Mónica Pérez-Bedmar 
• Course: EAS 1450 Introduction to Oceanography
• Mandatory trip
• Price: 370 to 399 euros

The field trip will take students to Cabo de Palos, in the region of Murcia on Spain's southeastern coast. As one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the Mediterranean Sea, it proves an ideal site to study the main environmental issues the region is facing. The field trip includes visits to nearby oceanographic institutes, a desalination site, natural reserves and natural parks. The excursion includes a dive at one of the most important Mediterranean reserves, Islas Hormigas, off the coast of Murcia, which provides the opportunity — weather permitting — to snorkel in its crystal blue waters and identify the different organisms studied in the course. The trip also includes kayaking along the most developed Mediterranean coastlines to identify coastal issues and successful restoration projects. Price includes transportation, lodging, excursions (as programmed in the final itinerary) and breakfast. 

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 7
• Optional trip
• Price: 45 euros (everything is included: food, transportation and the venue).
• Departure time and location: 8 a.m. at Padre Rubio Hall.
• Arrival back to campus: 7 p.m.

Travel to the Sierra de Guadarrama for a daylong retreat full of exercises and other activities, such as yoga and meditation, planned to help students look inward. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on their purpose, their values, and what it is that moves them as people. This retreat is planned to tend to the body, mind and soul. 

If you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies, please contact Carla Aparicio Gallardo at carla.apariciogallardo@slu.edu.

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 21
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall's front steps at 8:30 a.m.

Salamanca has been declared a "City of Mankind’s Heritage" by UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is best known for its university, which was founded in the beginning of the 13th century. Don't leave Spain without visiting one of the most breathtaking Renaissance cities in Europe and exploring its Romanesque and Baroque architecture. 

• Date: Friday, Sept. 15
• Faculty leader: Iván Sánchez, Ph.D.
• Course: BIOL 1340 The Diversity of Life 
• Mandatory trip
• Price: 42.50 euros

Students will visit Grefa, which is a wildlife recovery center and hospital where they can learn about different species of animals. They can review case studies to better understand human behavior and the connections between human behavior and current species extinction crises and formulate potential solutions to counteract or reduce threats to biodiversity. Students will also be visiting: Majadahonda, Alpedrete, Cotos, Peñalara and the Santillana Reservoir. They will analyze the best methods in species conservation including gathering information; monitoring and assessing viability; and applying fieldwork techniques to establish new populations. They will distinguish the main types of ecosystems; study the distribution and characteristics of ecosystems in latitude and longitude; and evaluate their ecological importance. They will discover the best practices to avoid degradation of the main biomes.

• Date: Monday, Nov. 6
• Faculty leaders: Chris Ealham, Ph. D., Laura Tedesco, Ph. D.
• Course: POLS 3567 Political Development in Contemporary Spain, HIST 3330 Modern History of Spain, POLS 2930 Democracy and Authoritarianism, POLS 4590/5590 Crisis of Leadership
• Mandatory trip
• Price: TBD

On this trip, students will reflect on the significance of this monument and its impact on the political and social worldview. They will explore its symbolic significance, as well as the contemporary debates relating to its past, present, and future.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Guillermo M. Muñoz Caro, Ph.D.
• Course: PHYS 1130 M01 Introduction to Astronomy
• Mandatory trip
• Price: TBA
• Departure from front steps at Padre Rubio Hall

Students will take a guided visit to a large European institution devoted to astronomy and space science. The students will experience an environment where professional astronomers, engineers and other staff are active and learn about their work.

• Date: TBA
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall's front steps at 8:30 a.m.

The Monasterio de Piedra was founded in 1194 when Alonso II granted an Arab castle to the monks of Poblet to build a monastery in the hopes of consolidating Christianity in the area. Legend says that this monastery is where the first chocolate candy was made. The natural park of Monasterio de Piedra offers an unbelievable experience, with a two-and-a-half hour walk through a lush parkland with waterfalls and grottos hidden in one of the driest areas of the region of Aragón. 

• Date: TBA
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall front steps at 9 a.m.

Toledo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located just outside of Madrid. It is known as the "city of the three cultures" because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together in this city for centuries. Behind its walls, Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. 

• Date: TBA
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall front steps at 8:30 a.m.

Salamanca has been declared a "City of Mankind's Heritage" by UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is best known for its university, which was founded in the beginning of the 13th century. Don't leave Spain without visiting one of the most breathtaking Renaissance cities in Europe and exploring its Romanesque and Baroque architecture. 

• Date: TBA
• Optional trip
• Price: 50 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall front steps at 9 a.m.

Segovia is one of the must-do day trips while in Madrid. Join us in visiting this UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for the Roman aqueduct that stands in the center of the old quarter. In addition, you will see numerous Romanesque churches and the cathedral and fortress (castle). 

• Date: TBA
• Optional trip
• Price: 150 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall at 8 a.m.

Open to all students of all faiths. Travel to the Basque countryside of northern Spain and visit the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. This is an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Spiritual Exercises in the place where St. Ignatius was born and lived his life. 

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Barah Mikail, Ph.D., Marco da Costa, Ph.D.
• Course: POLS 3567 Political Development in Contemporary Spain
• Mandatory trip
• Approximate price: 20 euros

On this trip, students will reflect on the significance of this monument and its impact on the political and social worldview. They will explore its symbolic significance, as well as the contemporary debates relating to its past, present, and future.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Mónica Pérez Bedmar, M.Sc.
• Course: EAS 1310 Water Our Precious Resource
• Mandatory trip
• Price: 33 euros 

Students will understand how aquatic habitats function. They review the process of how aquatic habitats form. They learn about water use in agriculture activities. They experience and learn about the mismanagement of water resources.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Guillermo M. Muñoz Caro, Ph.D.
• Course: PHYS 1130 M01 Introduction to Astronomy
• Mandatory trip
• Approximate price: 20 euros
• Departure from front steps at Padre Rubio Hall

Students will participate in a guided visit to a large European institution devoted to astronomy and space science. The students will get to know an environment where professional astronomers, engineers, and other staff are active and to learn about their work.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Sergio Rosell, Ph.D.
• Course: THEO 3850 M01
• Mandatory trip
• Approximate price: Students are responsible for their own transportation and will pay for headsets that are approximately 1 euro each at the museum.

On this trip, students will be presenting on some paintings related to the theme of "Jesus in the Arts."

• Date: TBA
• Faculty: Kevin Ingram, Ph.D.
• Course: HIST 2800 The Historian's Craft (Mandatory trip)
• Price: Free

In this academic trip, the students learn all of the aspects of the historian's craft. On this guided tour of the National Library, students are introduced to one of the most important libraries and archives in Madrid. The library has an immense collection of more than 26 million items, which includes 15 million books, 30,000 manuscripts, as well as music scores, newspapers and more. It also has an assortment of permanent and temporary collections.

• Dates: TBA
• Faculty: María Belén Molinuevo, Ph.D.
• Course: ANTH 2200 Cultural Anthropology
• Mandatory trip
• Price: Free

The National Museum of Anthropology offers comprehensive information on the peoples of the world. It identifies what they have in common and what sets them apart. It is a compendium of the world’s cultural diversity. The students will learn anthropology through the collection of examples of "material culture" that represent the most important topics studied in the discipline, like religion, gender roles or rites of passage.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Iván Sánchez, Ph.D. 
• Course: BIOL 1340 The Diversity of Life 
• Mandatory trip 

On this trip, students in small groups will visit Bioblitz. Students can recognize and identify plants, fungi and animals with the use of guidebooks, magnifiers and binoculars. They can recognize invasive species and see the consequences of their presence. They are conducting botanical assessments and amplifying their knowledge of the natural environment. 

• Date: TBA
• Optional Trip
• Price: 55 euros
• Departure from Padre Rubio Hall front steps at 8:15 a.m.

The Office of Student Life invites students to zipline across the Huécar on Europe's longest double zipline. Following the ziplining, students will be able to explore Cuenca on their own and later participate in a walking tour where they can cross the San Pablo Bridge, see the Hanging Houses, discover a forbidden love, and learn about Cuenca's unique history.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Javier Sánchez España, Ph.D.
• Course: EAS 1430 M01 Introduction to the Solid Earth
• Mandatory trip
• Approximate price: 21 euros

Students will embark on a well-designed geologic route through the north of Madrid (El Molar, El Espartal, Torrelaguna, Patones, El Berrueco, and Cabanillas) to see some of the most emblematic and relevant "geosites" that we have in our region. The students will be able to see and study in situ different types of rocks (sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic) with distinct ages (from very young, unconsolidated sediments from the Miocene to very ancient metamorphic rocks from the Ordovicean), aspect, mineralogy and composition.

 The trip will have a strong lithological focus where we will see concepts of sedimentology, metamorphism, and igneous activity which are being studied in the course. In addition, the trip will also include places that are ideal to revise concepts of structural geology and crustal deformation (e.g. like faulting and folding), as well as on geomorphology (erosion, transport, sedimentation) and landscape evolution.

• Dates: TBA
• Faculty leader: Hamish Binns, M.A.
• Course: Core Reflection in Action Requirement
• Optional Trip
• Price: 100 euros

In this overnight trip, students will work with children who are at risk of social exclusion in Puertollano. The price of the trip includes all meals, accommodations, transport and activity materials. To sign up for the trip, please email Hamish Binns directly at hamish.binns@slu.edu.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: María Belén Molinuevo, Ph.D.
• Course: ANTH 1200 Introduction to Archaeology
• Mandatory trip
• Price: Free

With this visit, students are able to get hands-on experience and see as the museum states "an accurate, attractive, interesting and critical interpretation of the objects that belonged to the different cultures which populated the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean region, ranging from Antiquity to more recent periods, in the firm belief that a knowledge of this history can shed light on society as we know it today."

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leader: Iván Sánchez, Ph.D. 
• Course: BIOL 1340 The Diversity of Life 
• Optional trip 

This trip is open to anyone who wants to attend. On this trip, students will take the train on their own to arrive at Collado Mediano at 8:10 p.m. and they will return to Madrid either taking the 9:45 or 10:45 p.m. train. The students will learn about and identify amphibian species for conservation as well as develop field experience while learning about landscape ecology. They will search for amphibian and reptile species.

• Date: TBA
• Optional trip
• Price: 45 euros (everything is included: food, transportation, and the venue).
• Departure time and location: 8 a.m. at Padre Rubio Hall
• Arrival back to campus: 7 p.m.

Travel to the Sierra de Guadarrama for a day-long retreat full of exercises and other activities (such as yoga and meditation) planned to help students look inward. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on their purpose, their values, and what it is that moves them as people. This retreat is planned to tend to the body, mind, and soul. 

If you have any dietary restrictions/food allergies, please contact Carla Aparicio Gallardo at carla.apariciogallardo@slu.edu.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty leaders: Emilio Velasco, Ph.D., Gonzalo Moreno Warleta, Ph.D., Bethlem Boronat, Ph.D.
• Course: MKT 4900 Strategic Marketing
• Mandatory trip

This is a collaborative learning project between Saint Louis University — Madrid Campus and Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business. SLU-Madrid students will visit Fordham's campus, and vice versa, for a hackathon-like activity over two weekends that contributes to the achievement of the learning outcomes of the courses involved.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty: Silvia Medina, Ph.D.
• Course: BIOL 1265 Principles of Biology
• Mandatory trip

During this trip to the Royal Botanical Garden, the students will focus on observation, a critical component of the scientific process. They will also be able to learn about climate, species and plant adaptations. They can study, recognize and appreciate a wide diversity of plants from around the world that are found in the Royal Botanical Garden. The Royal Botanical Garden houses 5,500 plant species, of which 1,500 are trees.

• Date: TBA
• Faculty: Silvia Medina, Ph.D.
• Course: BIOL 1265 Principles of Biology
• Mandatory trip

The visit to the zoo is an opportunity to observe biodiversity, animal behaviors, species interactions and animal adaptations to enhance survival and reproduction in certain environments. The students will also look for examples of natural selection, and understand the importance of preserving species, communities and ecosystems. 

• Date: TBA
• Faculty: Charles El Mir, Ph.D. and Josefina Torres Redondo, Ph.D.
• Multiple courses
• Optional trip

The Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) is a joint research center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA). Created in 1999, it was the world's first center dedicated specifically to astrobiological research and the first non-US associate member of NASA's Astrobiology Institute (now the NASA Astrobiology Program). It is an interdisciplinary research center whose main objective is to study the origin, presence, and influence of life in the universe. Its staff includes scientists specializing in a wide range of fields such as biology, chemistry, geology, physics, genetics, ecology, astrophysics, planetology, engineering, mathematics and computer science. Students will visit the center and will be introduced to the ongoing projects and experiments. 

• Date: TBA             
• Faculty: Mónica Pérez-Bedmar 
• Course: EAS 1050 Introduction to Oceanography
• Mandatory trip
• Price: 370 to 399 euros

The field trip will take students to Cabo de Palos, in the region of Murcia on Spain's southeastern coast. As one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the Mediterranean Sea, it proves an ideal site to study the main environmental issues the region is facing. The field trip includes visits to nearby oceanographic institutes, a desalination site, natural reserves and natural parks. The excursion includes a dive at one of the most important Mediterranean reserves, Islas Hormigas, off the coast of Murcia, which provides the opportunity — weather permitting — to snorkel in its crystal blue waters and identify the different organisms studied in the course. The trip also includes kayaking along the most developed Mediterranean coastlines to identify coastal issues and successful restoration projects. Price includes transportation, lodging, excursions (as programmed in the final itinerary) and breakfast.