Springtime in Provence & Burgundy | Travel the World Program
Interested in traveling the world? Look no further…
The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia organizes all the Travel 
the World trips for the national association of Councils and has been doing so for over 35 years.
The program allows individuals to travel on unique tours to fascinating destinations and have access to political experts and local guides who give behind the scenes views and briefings. Because of the reputation as one of the nation’s leading forums, the Philadelphia Council has established connections around the globe that allow us to offer members access that they can’t get when traveling alone or on other tours.
Council leaders are drawn from across the World Affairs Councils of America leadership; from the fields of diplomacy, journalism, or academia accompany some tours as lecturers thereby providing added value to the experience. They offer tours on all continents, both land tours, and small-ship cruises. Their new program line-up includes our substance rich Seminar Series, shorter itineraries focusing on foreign policy issues in key destinations.
Michelle Harpenau, Executive Director for our local council, was selected as the host in May 2019 for a nine-day French sojourn in world-famous Provence and in the Burgundy and Beaujolais wine regions. The group had the opportunity to cruise from Provençal Arles to historic Lyon along the fabled Rhône and Saône Rivers aboard the deluxe Amadeus Provence riverboat, launched in 2017.
Michelle has a BA in International Political Economy and French Language and Literature from Fordham University. Prior to joining the Council, she was the Assistant Director of International Clients at Flat Hunter located in Paris, France.
“This was my first time being selected as a host for the Travel the World program, managed by my colleagues in Philadelphia. It was a true delight and luxury to cruise down the Rhone River on a riverboat cruise, while enjoying a glass of wine on the sundeck or getting off the boat at many stops from Marseilles to Lyon for tours. Our first stop took us to Arles where we were inspired by Van Gogh’s The Cafe Terrace at Night and his personal story as related to this town. We took a moment to have an espresso in the cafe which is there still today. One of the lecturers from the Smithsonian gave a talk on the Roman influence that is seen in southern France then we were able to tour areas to see this in action by visiting the world-famous Pont d’Avignon, an almost completely intact, extensive city wall; the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pont du Gard, a 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct; and the Roman Triumphal Arch built in the 1st century as a tribute to Augustus and a symbol of Roman imperial glory to name a few. Of course, I will never forget the special, private wine tasting in Beaujolais, concert of fortepiano by Maricia Hadjimarkos (internationally recognized), and tour of the Chateau Montmelas by the owner Delphine d’Harcourt. For another special tasting, we also visited with the owner and winemaker of Chateau de Rully which not only produced two Premier Cru vintages; but, the chateau was a medieval fortress built in the 12th century which we toured. These special tours and academic learnings elevated the cruise for all the guests. My particular group joined me from MA, UT, FL, and NM for this excursion. I heard multiple times that once you start you cannot stop enjoying these splendid international travel adventures with people from all over the U.S. and the world.”
– Michelle Harpenau, Executive Director, World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
To learn more about upcoming travel the world programs, visit the World Affairs Council of Philidelphia.
