Embark on an academic journey to Guadeloupe, where you'll delve into the island's rich culinary traditions and breathtaking natural landscapes. This immersive program will explore the history and cultural influences that have shaped the unique foodways of the French West Indies. Meet farmers and artisans at open-air markets, talk and taste with sustainable cultivators, learn to make signature dishes with a Guadeloupean chef, journey the island’s dramatic land and seascapes with naturalist guides, and experience the island’s acclaimed UNESCO center in honor of the memory of enslaved people to understand the roots and routes that have come to define the island’s intricate blend of African, Caribbean, and French flavor.
02/28/2026 - 03/07/2026
Registration Deadline
Tuesday, September 23rd at midnight
Pricing
$4,150 per student
Academic Information
FYE, 1 credit
Trip ID
223104
- International airfare
- Ground transportation
- 7 hotel nights
- Cultural admission fees
- 24/7 emergency support
- Embedded medical insurance
Les Heures Saines, Guadeloupe
Discover scuba diving in Guadeloupe and explore the underwater world of the Caribbean Sea. The diving center "Les Heures Saines" is located opposite the famous Cousteau Reserve, on the Malendure rock. Various experiences are offered for both beginners and certified divers, including snorkeling, introductory dives, scuba diving, freediving, and deep-sea explorations. With warm water all year round, a well-preserved environment, and optimal visibility, it’s the perfect place to dive safely.
Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe
Nestled in Pointe-Noire, on the lush island of Basse-Terre, La Maison du Cacao is a unique eco-museum that invites visitors to discover the history, cultivation, and transformation of cacao in a natural and sensory-rich setting. Stroll through a tropical garden where cacao trees grow, and learn about the cacao cultivation process—from seed to chocolate bar. Along the path, informative panels and live demonstrations immerse you in the fascinating world of chocolate. The visit ends with a guided tasting that reveals the aromas and flavors of cacao at different stages. For chocolate lovers, the “Make Your Own Chocolate Bar” workshop offers a hands-on experience.
Gosier, Guadeloupe
La Route des Épices is more than just a restaurant, it's a global culinary experience in a tropical setting by the Caribbean Sea. Every meal at La Route des Épices is an invitation to explore international flavors. With a privileged location by the pool and facing the sea, the restaurant offers a relaxed yet elegant atmosphere—perfect for energizing breakfasts or memorable dinners. The staff is attentive and professional, ensuring a pleasant experience for every guest.
Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe
The Musée du Rhum in Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe, is a must-see destination that combines history, culture, and craftsmanship. Founded in 1916, it’s part of a working distillery that still produces rum from pure sugarcane juice. Visitors explore the full rum-making process and enjoy exhibits of antique tools and machinery. The museum also features a vast insect and butterfly collection and a gallery of historic ship models. The visit ends with a tasting of white, aged, and cask-strength rums, along with traditional punches and cocktails.
Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe
The Sainte-Anne Market, located near the beach and fishing port in Guadeloupe, is a lively open-air market known for its vibrant atmosphere and local charm. Open daily, it offers fresh produce from the Grands Fonds region, homemade rum punches, and handcrafted goods by local artisans. With its colorful stalls and nearby craft village, it’s an ideal spot to experience the island’s culture and take home authentic souvenirs.
Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
Located in Pointe-à-Pitre, on the site of the former Darboussier sugar factory, the Mémorial ACTe is the Caribbean’s most significant cultural center dedicated to the memory of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. Inaugurated in 2015, this powerful and modern memorial offers a profound journey through history, identity, and resilience. The building’s striking design, silver roots enveloping a black granite core, symbolizes both the pain of uprooting and the strength of cultural roots. It stands as a bold architectural statement and a place of remembrance, dialogue, and healing.
Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
The Statue of Solitude in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, honors La Mulâtresse Solitude, a heroic figure in the fight against slavery. Created by sculptor Jacky Poulier and unveiled in 1999, the statue commemorates her role in the 1802 rebellion against Napoleon’s reinstatement of slavery. Despite being pregnant, Solitude fought alongside other freedom fighters and was executed after giving birth. The statue, depicting her in a proud, pregnant stance, symbolizes both vulnerability and strength, serving as a lasting tribute to resistance and dignity in the Caribbean.
Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe
Cascade aux Écrevisses is an accessible, popular waterfall in Guadeloupe's tropical rainforest that flows into a natural pool, perfect for swimming. Named for the crayfish that used to inhabit its waters, the easy, paved path from a parking area makes it a short and pleasant walk to a refreshing stop on the scenic Route de la Traversée. While the crayfish are now rare, the area is still a lively spot with lush vegetation, birds, and frogs, and visitors can also find picnic facilities nearby
Deshaies, Guadeloupe
In the heart of the islands of Guadeloupe, the botanical garden of Deshaies offers you a peaceful stroll through the surprising flora of the West Indies! This park offers a great diversity of remarkable plants and trees. A journey for the senses for young and old. Designed by renowned landscape architect Michel Gaillard, the garden is the former property of Coluche.
Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe
Sainte-Anne Beach is a popular family beach on the southern coast of Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, known for its fine white sand, turquoise and calm waters protected by a coral reef. It offers a wide range of amenities, including fruit and spice markets, beachfront restaurants, craft shops, and activities like beach volleyball. It’s a lively and busy spot, especially on weekends, ideal for swimming with children, snorkeling, relaxing, and enjoying the vibrant local atmosphere.
Scholarship Options: WorldStrides offers a variety of scholarships to help make study abroad possible for all students. There are three scholarship opportunities available: Higher Ed Traveler, Diversity & Inclusion, and the Natalie Shea Memorial Scholarships. You can learn more and apply here.
Financial Assistance: WorldStrides makes more than $2 million in funding available each year to students in financial need seeking educational travel opportunities. To find out if you qualify and apply, click here.
Associate Professor of French | Chair of the French, Francophone, and Italian Studies Department | Affiliate Faculty - Women's and Gender Studies
Ravalico specializes in French Romanticism and Exoticism. Her scholarship has appeared in The Comparatist, French Studies, George Sand Studies, Nineteenth-Century French Studies, Women in French, and the edited volume Staël’s Philosophy of the Passions. Her current research examines feminized space in 18th- and 19th-century cultural production.
She likes experimenting with high-impact teaching practices, often using food to enhance students' global perspectives, especially in language learning. Ravalico directed the "Global Foodways" initiative, supported by a South Carolina Humanities major grant. Her related work on critical food studies was published in Teaching Diversity and Inclusion: Examples from a French-Speaking Classroom (Routledge, 2022). She recently curated several “talk and taste” cultural events on campus, supported by a Mellon Foundation grant. She also designed a French 101 first-year experience course featuring field trips to French and West African restaurants in Charleston.
In spring 2026, she will co-teach a first-year experience course with a spring break trip, FYET 116: Culinary Roots and Routes on the French Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe.
She speaks French and Italian, and has also studied German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. She also claims fluency in the non-verbal language of her dog.
Visiting Assistant Professor
Brooke Tybush is a specialist of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century French and Francophone literature, with a specific focus on representations of race, gender, and sexuality in early modern literature. Her current project combines literary, cultural, and historical approaches to investigate how resistance, solidarity, and subversive sexuality manifest amongst marginalized and oppressed women in literature of the early modern Francosphere. Her courses cover a variety of topics that help students to think creatively and critically about the French-speaking world and the cultures that comprise it. Her “Villainization and Monstrosity” course, for instance, asks students to re-think the representation of villainous characters in popular media through an exploration of the social, cultural, and political ideologies that shape how monstrosity and virtue are defined throughout different time periods in the French and Francophone world.
Experiential learning is a the heart of what we do. Thoughtful immersions enhance each and every program by providing cultural context to push you outside your comfort zone and develop true global perspective.
With medical insurance included for each participant on our programs, parents and students can rest assured that we've got you covered! Our comprehensive plan boasts $100K in medical insurance, including 100% mental wellness coverage, security evacuation, and bedside visitor benefit for most hospitalizations.
With 50 years of experience, we've taken over 9 million students on educational programs - over 530,000 students traveled with us last year alone! We partner with more than 50,000 educators and 500 colleges and universities.
Centrally located hotels in our international destinations free up extra hours for spontaneous exploration and fun.
We carefully select where our travelers dine, making sure it's authentic local cuisine, served in local restaurants.
Our vetted guides are local, speak the native language, and have the inside scoop on the city and culture.