The nine-day Study Abroad program covers British literature from the late 1700s to the present, and students receive course credit for ENG-242: British Literature II.

Students visit the homes of author Charles Dickens and poet John Keats, as well as the "home" of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. They also have the opportunity to explore the British Library and British Museum, experience the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, tour Westminster Abbey and Parliament and watch an Agatha Christie play.

Dates: March 13-21, 2026

Faculty: The course will be led and taught by Wake Tech faculty member Gabrielle Volstad.

Accommodations: Students will stay at a hotel in London (two to six per room).

Meals: The hotel provides a continental breakfast every morning. Other meal options will be available in area markets and restaurants.

Cost: $4,010

The cost includes the following:

• Direct, round-trip flights between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and London. Travel is booked through Wake Tech's travel agency liaison, and arrangements made by the course leader.
• A seven-night stay at a comfortable hotel with ensuite bathroom and breakfast daily
• Ground transportation for site visits and sightseeing tours
• Program activities pre-arranged by Study Abroad Association (SAA) and the course leader
• On-site program director available 24/7 for emergencies
• SAA's mandatory health insurance
• Tips and gratuities

The following items are not included in the cost:

• Wake Tech course fees and tuition
• Any airline baggage fees
• Cost of a passport
• Single-room upgrade costs for participants
• Some lunches and/or dinners
• Optional activities
• Incidental expenses

For more information, email Gabrielle Volstad at [email protected].

Daily itinerary

• March 13 (Day 1) – Depart RDU on an overnight flight to London
   
• March 14 (Day 2) – Introduction to London
  Once checked in at the hotel, students take a walking tour to become oriented with the surrounding neighborhood, including the public transportation system and nearby pharmacies and markets. A safety briefing instructs them on steps to take in an emergency. The day ends with a welcome dinner.
   
• March 15 (Day 3) – Westminster Walking Tour
  Westminster is London at its grandest – the place where kings and queens are crowned and where politicians have governed the kingdom for centuries. Students tour Parliament, the Jewel Tower, Westminster Abbey – a World Heritage Site – and more.
   
• March 16 (Day 4) – Buckingham Palace
  Students get to experience a changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, followed by lunch in Hyde Park in the heart of the city. An afternoon tea immerses students in English culture and one of the nation's foremost traditions. 
   
• March 17 (Day 5) – Free day
  Students can visit any London landmark they wish, from Big Ben to Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye to Harry Potter Studios. Or they can spend the day shopping, riding an iconic double-decker bus or checking out various neighborhoods.
   
• March 18 (Day 6) – Dickens House/Sherlock Holmes Museum
  Students visit what's believed to be the last surviving London home of Charles Dickens, where he wrote "Oliver Twist" and finished "The Pickwick Papers." After lunch, students head to Baker Street, where the Sherlock Holmes Museum recreates the Victorian world of London's famous fictional detective.
   
• March 19 (Day 7) – Keats House
  Students visit the beautiful Regency villa where Romantic poet John Keats found friendship and love, learning about his life story and what inspired him to write some of his most famous works. After a free afternoon, students head to London's West End for an evening performance of Agatha Christie's classic whodunit, "The Mousetrap."
   
• March 20 (Day 8) – British Library/British Museum
  Students take a literary tour of the Bloomsbury district, where Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster and other early 20th-century authors hung out, and where the British Library and British Museum are located. The library is among the largest in the world, containing everything from the Magna Carta to original Beatles lyrics sheets. After lunch, students can examine some of the 8 million artifacts in the museum, many of which were collected during the height of the British Empire. The day ends with a farewell dinner to close the program.
   
• March 21 (Day 9) – Depart London on a same-day flight to Raleigh