Dutch Floral Design

The largest cut flower producer and exporter in the world, Holland offers a unique opportunity to visit the biggest wholesaler on the planet and take hands-on design classes to further understand Dutch horticulture.  Participants will also appreciate the flower fields, botanical gardens, greenhouses, and Holland’s famous tulips in full bloom. Visits to a fishing village, castle, dairy farm, and working windmills, as well as tours of the Anne Frank House and the Van Gough Museum complete this rich cultural experience.

Quick Information

Location

Located on Netherland’s western shore, Holland’s flat landscape is great for those who enjoy biking or strolling around town. Canals, beaches, dunes and forest provide opportunities for outdoor exploration and the beautiful architecture, museums and shopping districts allow you to investigate the cityscape. Students will also have the chance to explore the floating flower market or take a canal ride during their free time.

Accommodation and Meals

Students will be housed in group accommodations for the duration of the program. Rooms will be shared, and the number of participants in a room will vary. All housing costs are included in the program fee.

Some meals are included in the program fee; however, students will be responsible for most of their meal costs. As the program itinerary is finalized, an estimate for out-of-pocket meal expenses will be provided. Please note that the individual spending habits of each student will vary, so participants should use the estimate as a baseline and adjust according to their own eating habits.

Program Travel

International round-trip air travel will be arranged for the Holland group. This flight generally departs from and returns to Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, MO.  Transportation from Columbia to Lambert will be the responsibility of the student.  The faculty program leader, Lesleighan Cravens, travels with the group flight to facilitate airport check-in and transfers. Because of the fluctuation in airline prices, the airfare estimate is listed separately below; however, once group reservations are made and the flight is finalized, the ticket cost will be added to the program fee and billed to participants’ MU accounts.

All in-country program travel is organized by CAFNR and is included in the program fee. Some individual local transportation costs may be accrued by students wishing to explore program locations independently during their free time.

Academics

Students are enrolled in three credits of AFNR 2191: International Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (humanities; graded A/F) for the spring semester. Students should work with their advisors to determine how these credits will count toward their individual graduation plans.

Please be aware that there will be mandatory orientation classes prior to departure. Dates and times for the class meetings will be available shortly after the confirmed program participant list is finalized, generally around mid-November. Participants will be notified of the class meeting details via email.

Estimated Cost

Missouri Resident Tuition (3 credits, spring semester): varies per student. See website for details.

Special Considerations

There is a lot of cobblestones and walking with our program. Stairs can be very narrow and hard to go up and down. Most facilities do have access to elevators but there are a few sites that do not offer any ADA standards. You will walk a lot, and this can be upwards of 5-7 miles per day while touring facilities. You will go on a canal tour that can cause motion sickness and the small and narrow roads can also cause motion sickness on the bus.