And Away We Go!

Which Trip Will You Choose?

Explo at Yale offers more than 40 fantastic trips each session, allowing you to explore locations throughout New York City and the New England area. Weekend trips are focused on cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities, including sight-seeing, theatre trips, and outdoor adventures.

We also use weekends as a time to offer additional on-campus seminars and sports clinics. See listings below.

All residential students attend weekend trips, and although day students are not required to attend weekend trips, we highly encourage them to participate. Trips offer students a chance to meet new students and experience a side of Explo not found on campus.

Many trips are available to all students, but some are limited in size due to location or the necessity of reserving space in advance. On any given weekend, we offer up to 30 different trips to choose from. With the exception of the special weekend events listed below, regular weekend trip sign-up occurs at the program.

Wednesday College Trips

On the second Wednesday of each session, students may elect to sign up for day-long college trips to tour nearby colleges and universities. Whenever possible, these trips will include a campus tour and visit to the admissions department. (In addition to our Wednesday College Trips, we will also be offering trips to some of the more popular colleges, such as Harvard, Brown, NYU, and Columbia, as weekend trip options during the summer.)

• Harvard University + Boston College
• Wesleyan University + University of Connecticut
• New York University + Fordham University
• MIT + Boston University
• Columbia University + Fairfield University
• Brown University + Providence College
• Princeton University + Rutgers University

There is an additional $55 fee for students signing up for a Wednesday College Trip.

Please Note: In order to have enough time at each school, many of our trips may leave Yale as early as 5am. If you sign up for a college trip, it is your responsibility to get on the bus regardless of departure time. No refunds will be given for students who sleep through or miss their bus.

Special Weekend Events

The special weekend events listed below are offered in addition to our regularly programmed weekend trips and are not required. If you are interested in attending a weekend event, you must sign up in advance on your application. During the summer, you may drop a special weekend event with parental permission. A refund for special weekend events will be available only if a replacement is found.

Extended Day/Overnight Trips

Boston, Massachusetts - Overnight Trip
First Session: July 6-7; Second Session: July 27-28
This weekend will give you the opportunity to experience some of the most exciting highlights of "Beantown." You will get to know Boston on a Duck Tour in an authentic, renovated World War II amphibious landing vehicle that will carry you through the streets of Boston and into the Charles River. You will also see the USS Constitution, Boston Common (the oldest public park in the United States), and dine at the Hard Rock Cafe before seeing the Blue Man Group. Glimpse Boston's past when you visit Quincy Market, Fanueil Hall, and the Freedom Trail. Other not-to-be-missed Boston sites include the Museum of Fine Arts, Fenway Park, and the unique shopping area of Harvard Square.
Cost: $295

Philadelphia, PA - Overnight Trip
First Session: July 6-7; Second Session: July 27-28
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love! We’ll begin by touring many of the historic sites unique to the home of the Founding Fathers, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, along with the United States Mint, before dining at Philadelphia’s Hard Rock Café. At night, we’ll explore Philly under the city lights with a Ghost Tour around town. And Sunday, we’ll visit the Eastern State Penitentiary, the once-home of some of America’s most notorious criminals including Willie Sutton and Al Capone. On our way out of town, we’ll visit Citizen Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team!
Trip Cost: $295

Washington D.C. - Overnight Trip
First Session: July 12-14; Second Session: Aug 2-4
This two-night trip to Washington, D.C. will give you an exciting taste of our nation's capital. You will arrive Friday evening and dine family style at Buca di Beppo before heading out for a night tour of several monuments, including the newly dedicated memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. During the weekend, you'll visit Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House, and one of the Smithsonian Museums. Visit the memorial to beloved President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Saturday night, you’ll head to Old Arlington for a taste of southern comfort food. Make a final stop at the United States Holocaust Museum before heading back to Yale on Sunday evening. 
Trip Cost: $425

Sea Kayaking - Overnight Trip
First Session: July 13-14; Second Session: Aug 3-4
Explore the gorgeous islands and beaches of Long Island Sound from the best seats available--our expedition grade sea kayaks. Some of the world's top expedition paddlers are based in near New Haven, CT. This multi-day clinic and flatwater expedition will provides personalized instruction and coaching on kayak maneuvering, safety, basic navigation, reading wind and waves and can be also tailored to extend the skills of even experienced paddlers. We'll begin with a crash course on wet exits, turning and draw strokes, then get fitted for our outings to extend our skills as we explore paddling hot spots such as such as Stonington or the islands near Hamburg Cove.
Trip Cost: $350

Newport Rhode Island - Extended Day Trip
First Session: Sun, July 14; Second Session: Sun, Aug 4
Newport is famous for its picturesque beaches, rich history, and distinct New England flavor. You will head out early Sunday morning and spend the day seeing the best of this coastal town. During this extended day-trip, you will have a chance to relax in the sun, toss a Frisbee, or go for a swim at Easton’s Beach. Tour one of Newport's world-renowned mansions on Bellevue Avenue and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. You’ll even have time to explore the shops and boutiques along Thames Street, where you might watch glass-blowing artists at work or find souvenirs of New England to bring home. The day will be capped off with a traditional New England lobster and clam boil. 
Trip Cost: $175

College Seminars

The College Search Weekend Seminar

First Session: Sun, July 14; Second Session: Sun, Aug 4
There are a lot of rumors and half-truths about what works in college admissions and what doesn't. Join us in this workshop and we will set the record straight. Logan Powell, Director of Admissions at Princeton University, leads The College Search Weekend Seminar — a daylong seminar that gives you insider access into the college admissions process. Find out which guidebooks are the most reliable. Estimate your chances of admission and how to put together a list of schools. Understand the anatomy of a typical college application. In this workshop, we'll demystify what happens behind the closed door of an admissions panel — answering your questions and providing you with sample student applications that you will learn to evaluate from an admissions perspective.

Seminar Cost: $135

Logan Powell is Director of Undergraduate Admission at Princeton University after serving as Senior Associate Dean of Admission at Bowdoin and spending five years as a member of Harvard's admissions staff. Powell is a graduate of Bowdoin and earned his M.Ed. at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.

Sports Clinics

Golf Sports Clinic
First Session: July 14
Second Session: August 4
This clinic will help you work on every facet of your golf game by emphasizing putting, driving, pitching, and full range swings. Coach Pulaski, named the 2003 Teacher of the Year by the Connecticut PGA, and his staff will give one-on-one instruction. After a day at the putting and driving ranges, you'll try your skills out on one of the difficult holes at the Yale Golf Course. The weekend golf sports clinic is a one-day commitment and takes the place of a regular weekend trip. This clinic is a one-day commitment.
Sports Clinic Cost: $60

Sailing at the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club
First Session: July 13-14
Second Session: August 3-4
Come experience this two-day intensive sailing clinic for beginning sailors. Held at Yale's recently renovated sailing center, this clinic will provide eight hours of training with two Yale Sailing Instructors who will lead you through a number of sail and rigging demonstrations as well as thorough on-the-water training. Learn basic maneuvering, capsize and rescue, and landing techniques while you brave the waters of Long Island Sound. After just two days, you will be ready to charter your own (small) craft and sail off into the wild blue yonder. The weekend sailing sports clinic is a two-day commitment and takes the place of two regular weekend trips. This clinic is a two-day commitment.
Sports Clinic Cost: $250