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- High School
- Exploration
Faroe Islands & IcelandExploration at the World's Edge
Travel abroad this summer on an adventurous student travel program to the Faroe Islands, where puffins congregate and waterfalls tumble directly into the sea. On these 18 islands in the North Atlantic, enjoy the warm hospitality and culture of the Faroese as you explore their home by land, sea, and air. En route, spend three days among Iceland’s glaciers, geysers, and volcanoes.
Details
Highlights
- Hike to a lighthouse overlooking cliffside colonies of puffins
- Travel to an isolated islet the only way possible—by sailboat or helicopter
- Get up close with Iceland’s glaciers, geysers, and volcanoes
- Rappel down sea cliffs and explore hidden caves
Itinerary
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
- Departure
- Travel Day
Meet your fellow high school student travelers and one or more of your leaders in New York, and fly together to Reykjavik, Iceland. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- 3 days
Arrive to Reykjavik, Iceland’s bustling capital, for your introduction to island life. Get to know your group and leaders during an in-depth group orientation. Explore the Settlement Museum to learn about Viking migration to Iceland and the Faroes. See the country’s famous geysers, waterfalls, and glaciers, up close and personal.
- Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
- 3 days
Travel to the heart of the Faroes’ 18 islands and use the capital city as your base for exploration. Walk the ninth-century streets of the Tinganes Peninsula, home to the country’s parliament. Learn about the whales, sea birds, and wildlife that flock to these islands and help the Faroese sustain a traditional way of life. Hike past puffin colonies and lighthouses, then rappel down cliffs to reach secret caves. Dive into Faroese culture through in-home dinners, cultural presentations, and meetings with local students.
- Outlying Islands, Faroe Islands
- 2 days
Visit some of the smallest Faroese islands, with populations in the single digits. Learn what life feels like surrounded by cliffs and ocean. Practice traditional crafts with the families that make a living here. Stay nearby at a family-run guesthouse.
- Vágar, Faroe Islands
- 5 days
Travel back across the country, returning along the way to Tórshavn to celebrate Ólavsøka, the country’s 2-day national holiday, with boat races, parades and festivals, and singing in the streets of the capital. Continue exploring the remote corners of the Faroes, meeting locals, gathering experiences, and working on your independent project, which you’ll present to the group during a final celebration.
- Return
- Travel Day
Fly from Tórshavn to New York via Reykjavik with your group and a leader, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here
A Day in the Life: Torshavn
- Due to the traveling nature of this summer program abroad, each day is different. Here is a snapshot of a day during our time in Torshavn.
- Enjoy breakfast at your hotel
- Embark on a ferry ride to Mykines Island
- Hike to the lighthouse and puffin cliffs
- Lay out a picnic lunch with your group
- Return by ferry to Torshavn
- Go for a photo scavenger hunt through Torshavn
- Spend time journaling and working on projects
- Experience Heimablíndi, a traditional dinner in a Faroese home
- Group meeting to discuss the day and upcoming schedule
What to Expect
- Independent Project
Pursue an independent project and explore an aspect of local culture of particular interest to you—become an expert on Faroese folklore, create a recipe book filled with local dishes, or teach your traveling companions a traditional song.
- Physical Activity
This is a physically active travel program. Life in Iceland and the Faroe Islands is best experienced outdoors, and you will be moving about often throughout the program—there’s so much to see! You do not need to be at peak fitness to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, that you are excited about trying all activities, and that you can walk up to five miles on uneven terrain.
- Accommodations
We stay in comfortable hostels and hotels throughout our time in the island country.
- Meals
The group mixes picnics with dining out in Icelandic and Faroese restaurants, along with traditional in-house family-style dinners cooked by local residents.
Next Steps
This program is directed by Micah Sewell. If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!Similar Programs
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Katelyn Sheehan Mount Saint Mary College, B.S., Human Services
While pursuing her undergraduate degree over 11 years, Katelyn lived in and adventured through more than 40 countries. She was a crisis intervention specialist and focused on anti-human trafficking efforts in the red-light district of Mumbai, India; went on to be a Department of State critical language scholar; and graduated with high honors in social work and Hindi linguistics. After an undercover brothel investigation in Pokhara, Nepal, Katelyn found herself decompressing on a hike in the Himalaya. There she discovered the healing power of wilderness and decided to shift her focus to wilderness therapy, in order to help people “find their passions, not prescriptions.” Katelyn now works as a wilderness and backcountry guide and responsible philanthropy consultant. She spends half of her year taking veterans with disabilities on healing, backcountry backpacking and mountaineering expeditions. The other half of the year she leads international trips for young adults in a variety of conservation, exploration, and global leadership pursuits. Recently she has led three young adult trips to Costa Rica. Katelyn also teaches wilderness emergency medicine and is certified as a whitewater and glacier guide. This winter she’ll return to India before starting her master’s in social work. Katelyn is proficient in Hindi, conversant in Polish, and learning Spanish.
Adam Pawlikiewicz College of William and Mary, B.B.A., Business Administration, minor in Hispanic Studies
While at William and Mary, Adam focused on entrepreneurship and Hispanic studies, studying the intersection of international business and Latin American culture, which culminated in a six-month study abroad experience in La Plata, Argentina, and numerous trips to the U.S.-Mexico border to learn more about immigration policy. After graduating from college, he biked solo and unsupported across the U.S., ending in Washington, D.C., where he began working as a management consultant for Deloitte Consulting. Adam has always had a passion for photography and travel and after three years of work at Deloitte, he began contributing video and stills for a variety of outdoor brands and publications, including Rock & Ice magazine and Adidas Terrex. He has lived abroad in Colombia, Poland, Argentina, and Mexico, and has traveled extensively through Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. He now works full time as a traveling freelance photographer and owns his own media agency, On The Go Media. Adam is fluent in Polish, Spanish, and English. This fall, he will be returning to his business and growing his influence even further in his home state of Colorado, shooting an adventure documentary in August.
Micah Sewell
Gonzaga University, B.S., History & International Studies; University of Montana, M.S., Environmental Studies
Hailing from Montana, Micah developed field science travel programs for teachers and students before coming to Putney. He has worked as a bike guide, a science educator, small-scale farmer, volunteer teacher, audio narrator, and travel consultant (among other things), loving nothing more than connecting people with meaningful experiences, at home and abroad. You can usually find him on a bicycle (or Nordic skis, depending on the season), slinging puns, in the ceramic studio, playing banjo, or engaged in kitchen experimentation. Micah directs programs in Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Italy, the Faroe Islands, Canada, and Scotland.
