World
World Academy on MS Volendam: South America, Asia & the Pacific
Program No. 25129RJ
135 days, one voyage, countless memories — board Holland America’s MS Volendam for an unforgettable learning journey around the world!
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Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
135 days
134 nights
397 meals
133B 131L 133D
1
Arrival, Welcome Dinner
Fort Lauderdale
2
Orientation, Transfer to ship, Embarkation
Fort Lauderdale
16
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil- The Best of Rio
Rio de Janeiro
At a Glance
Board the MS Volendam for the voyage of a lifetime that begins and ends in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and continues around the globe! Set sail to South America and Antarctica — where you’ll enjoy a four-day expedition— before sailing west for Australia to explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Opera House. Voyage onward in search of unique wildlife like the Komodo Dragons, the largest lizards in the world that make their home in Indonesia and immerse yourself in the culture of Singapore on an overnight in port. Continue your journey through Japan as you discover Tokyo's Imperial Palace. Throughout this incredible adventure, you’ll enjoy lectures and discussions led by our experts to help you discover the very best of each port.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking and standing for up to three hours a day; some uneven terrain; walking up stairs unassisted, getting in and out of motor coaches.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Discover UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the moai of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
- Spend an overnight in port in Sydney Harbor and visit the renowned Sydney Opera House.
- Get up close to the remote landscapes and wildlife of Antarctica on a four-day expedition to this unique continent.
Suggested Reading List
(21 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
World Academy on MS Volendam: South America, Asia & the Pacific
Program Number: 25129
Culture Smart! Japan
A concise, no-nonsense guide to local customs, etiquette and culture, this is a helpful travel tool for visitors to Japan.
Thousand Cranes
This novella by the great Kawabata may be Japan's best-known literary work, a story of love, grief and redemption. Kawabata's prose is as economical as the tea ceremony itself and very beautiful.
Tokyo, A Biography
In his 500-year history of Tokyo, Mansfield presents the Japanese capital as an "indestructible organism" that has survived bombs, earthquakes and radiation and continues to thrive. An easy introduction to a fascinating city.
Travels in a Thin Country, A Journey through Chile
British author Sara Wheeler deploys her wit, intelligence and powerful investigative skills on the Republic of Chile in this insightful travelogue.
The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton and Antarctic Photography
Here in one handsome book are hundreds of haunting photographs by Herbert George Ponting and Frank Hurley, drawn from the albums they created during the two most famous Antarctic explorations. The stunning images are accompanied by lively essays, maps, paintings and other ephemera from the Royal Collection.
Chasing Kangaroo
In this ode to the kangaroo, Flannery weaves his own coming of age as a scientist with tales of the strange marsupial, past and present.
Full Steam Ahead, A Golden Age of Cruises
With photographs, archival reprints and firsthand accounts, this coffee table history of cruising focuses on the freedom and romance of cruise vessels in their golden age.
Naturalists in Paradise, Wallace, Bates and Spruce in the Amazon
The story of the Alfred Russel Wallace, Henry Bates and Richard Spruce, three pioneers of biology who made amazing discoveries in Amazonia. Includes 70 black-and-white and color illustrations.
Wildlife of Australia
This compact photo guide covers commonly encountered birds, mammals, reptiles and frogs across Australia, including 350 species of birds.
What We Know About Climate Change
Australia, A Traveler's Literary Companion
Arranged geographically, this collection of works by mostly local writers, including Patrick White, Peter Carey and other luminaries, introduces the cultures, geography and mindset of Australia.
Chile, A Traveler's Literary Companion
These choice stories introduce both the country and a host of contemporary writers.
Culture Smart! Brazil
A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture.
The Brazilians
A clear, comprehensive and compelling introduction to Brazil, covering politics, history, economics, ecology, conservation and culture.
Melting Away, Images of the Arctic and Antarctic
In her masterful series of 75 portraits and essays, Camille Seaman shows how climate change has wreaked havoc on both the North and South Poles.
Coming Into The Country
Coming into the Country is an unforgettable account of Alaska and Alaskans. It is a rich tapestry of vivid characters, observed landscapes, and descriptive narrative, in three principal segments that deal, respectively, with a total wilderness, with urban Alaska, and with life in the remoteness of the bush.
Roadside Geology of Alaska
Since the first edition was published in 1988, there has been a lot of changes that have taken place in Alaska. The author discusses the latest findings from events that have taken place, such as volcanoes erupting, glaciers retreating, thawing permafrost, and geological interpretations that have changed.
Where the Sea Breaks Its Back - The Epic Story of Early Naturalist Georg Steller and the Russian Exploration of Alaska
The great naturalist Georg Steller's adventures during the disastrous 1741-42 voyage of Vitus Bering. This voyage from eastern Russia across the Pacific resulted in the Russian "discovery" of Alaska. The epic journey back across the Pacific Ocean is a gripping account of survival.
Hong Kong
A wonderful portrait of Hong Kong by one of our favorite travel writers. Morris enumerates the many personal pleasures of the city, deftly interweaving reportage, history and culture.
Japan's Cuisines
This illustrated overview charts the transformation of Japanese cuisine over the ages, revealing the influences of private and public institutions, exploring the rise of tea and showing how lunch became a gourmet meal.
The Book of Tokyo: A City in Short Fiction
This anthology of contemporary Japanese short stories was edited with the traveler in mind. The ten pieces of literature, mystery, science fiction and horror form an imaginary tour of the city of Tokyo.
