FAQs / Travel Tips

Travel Study classes are frequently offered at SCC! Check this webpage for updates; here you find information on courses currently enrolling, future Travel Study classes, and previous classes offered.

Registration is easy. Current SCC students simply add the class, using the Course Registration Number (CRN) listed in the schedule of classes.

Registration is easy. Current SCC students simply add the class, using the Course Registration Number (CRN) listed in the schedule of classes.

Destinations may vary, depending on the class, instructor, or semester—be sure to check this site to see what destinations are currently being offered.

Solano instructors generally offer Study Abroad/Travel Study classes in the Winter intersession (early to mid- January) and during the Summer. They range from one to three weeks, often with pre- and post-travel meetings on campus. If you are interested in a full-semester (Spring or Fall) Study Abroad opportunity (with non-SCC instructors), please contact the Counseling Department.

How far you go depends on you!—and the class you want to take. Eye-opening opportunities exist just beyond your doorstep, as well as the other side of the world.

Solano College’s Study Abroad/Travel Study Program (SATS) features classes taught in foreign countries as well as classes taught in major U.S. cities, regions of the country, and our own San Francisco Bay Area.

To find out if a passport is required, check with the instructor listed under the course information.

Only registered SCC students may enroll in a Travel Study class. However, the application process is easy—simply fill out the application online or in person in the 400 building of the Fairfield campus—then register for the class.

Yes! The number of credits vary, depending on the class and its duration. Be sure to check in the schedule of classes to verify the number of credits for the class you want to take.

Transferability varies, depending on the class. Check the class number (for example, ART 002, PHOTO 151, etc.) to be sure. Generally, classes numbered 1-50 transfer to UC and CSU. Classes numbered 51-100 transfer to CSU, but not UC.

All Travel Study classes are taught by SCC faculty. We believe in keeping the community in Solano Community College; having our own faculty lead students in Travel Study is a reflection of that commitment.

Some courses are specially-designed as Travel Study courses; other courses are simply travel versions of classes regularly taught on campus. In addition to the listings noted on this website, Travel Study classes will be clearly marked in the schedule of classes.

Enrollment costs, per unit, the same as any SCC class. However, additional fees will vary, depending on how far you are traveling, and how long you are staying. Please check with the class instructor for cost estimates. Note that air fare is often available at a reduced group rate.

The instructor may choose to make arrangements himself/herself, and will set a payment schedule. Some instructors use a travel company to handle payment. Please check with the instructor to determine the amount and timing of payments. Please note that a deposit is required to hold your spot for any Travel Study courses beyond the San Francisco Bay Area.

Students are strongly encouraged to purchase travel insurance, just in case a last-minute cancellation is necessary. Travel insurance is not expensive, and will ensure you get your money back, even if your plans fall through.

All travel involves a certain amount of risk—this is why you have so many forms to fill out, whether you take a trip to Taos or Thailand! However, Solano College is determined to make your travel study experience as stress-less and secure as possible. We are glad to have our own experienced faculty at the helm, to guide students with expertise and confidence. If you have any safety concerns (about a particular destination, or travel-study in general), please feel free to contact the instructor of the class.

Put simply, travel broadens the mind. You encounter new sights, sounds, people, and perspectives that take you beyond the old and familiar. You discover a new way of seeing the world, a new way of thinking, which continues to nourish you through future educational, work, and life experiences.

We have assembled a comprehensive Proposal Packet, which will lead you step-by-step through the process—from devising a Travel Study course, to your triumphant return!

You can do either, but each choice comes with certain caveats…

If you write a new “Travel Study” course, if will have to go through the Curriculum Committee, just like any other new course. You might look at the course outlines of existing Travel Study courses at SCC for ideas how to build one of your own. Keep in mind that transferability might be an issue for customized Travel Study courses.

If you choose to use an existing class, and simply take the class “on the road,” this class has the advantage of being already “on the books.” If the class transfers to UC or CSU, that transferability would be retained, regardless where the class is physically taught. However, it would be ill-advised to try to fit all the rigor and depth of a 3-credit course into a compressed week-long journey. If you want to be sure your class stays transferable, you should build pre- and/or post-travel work into the course; for example, have students attend lectures, complete readings, and/or conduct research before departure—and have students complete written projects, present portfolios, give presentations, engage in discussion, or have other meaningful assessments after their return.

You should certainly discuss your Travel Study ideas with your department colleagues and your dean. When you are ready, please fill out the Proposal Packet, and submit it to Ferdinanda Florence (x4494), current Chair of the Study Abroad/Travel Study Committee. This is a subcommittee of the Academic Senate. Although its job is advisory, you should not skip this important step!

Yes! The Packet is more than a formality; it is a tool to help you think through the details of your travel study course. In completing the packet, you will likely notice costs, concerns, and caveats you might not have considered before. The Committee will help ensure that you are fully prepared, so that you and your students will have an enriching, successful trip

As might be expected, there are a number of legal forms that will protect you and the college from liability. They are available here and also on the intranet.

After your trip, kindly distribute a Feedback Form to your students, to be sent to the SATS Committee. Note that this is not an evaluation, but rather a resource for the Committee, to help them identify areas of strength as well as areas of concern as the SATS program matures. There is also a Feedback Form for you to fill out, so the Committee can better advise future SATS faculty.

The completed Proposal Packet should be sent to the SATS Committee Chair. All the legal documents should be kept in your Division office (in the same way Field Trip forms are kept).

You can certainly use a travel company. You are not required to use a particular travel company’s services. The Proposal Packet includes a form that you could send to two or three travel companies, so that they can give you bids from which to choose. You are also free to make all your own arrangements.

If you choose to make arrangements through a Travel Company, they will conduct all money transactions, from deposits through final payment. They will also set a payment schedule.

If you choose to make arrangements yourself, the College has a Study Abroad/Travel Study account set up for this purpose. Please contact Amanda Lim in the Fiscal Services Office (Building 600)