Our trip are open for anyone to participate. We have had youth, college students, young adults, married couples, parents with children, senior adults, and every other age join us for Inklings Abroad. 

We do not allow children younger than 13 to come on our trips without a parent or guardian except under special circumstances. Students 13-17 are welcome to travel with us even without a guardian, but will be more closely chaperoned by our leaders. 

As far as international trips go, Inklings Abroad is one of the most cost-efficient options available. We are not aware of any comparable trips charging less than $5000 plus airfare. 

The cost for Inklings Abroad 2027 is only $3500. This includes all your lodgings, most in-country transportation, breakfasts (but not “second breakfast”), three dinners, the majority of your admissions/activities, and the guidance and assistance of our experienced team of leaders. See the fine print on what is and is not included here.  We make this incredible price possible by volunteering our time as leaders to plan and facilitate the trip. 

Travelers are responsible for purchasing their own international airline tickets, although we may post bargains we find throughout the year. These usually run between $800 and $1200.

How much you spend on meals, souvenirs, and extra activities is up to you. Travelers usually spend between $500 and $700. 

A $750 deposit is required to claim your spot on this year’s trip. And then we follow this payment plan. 

See this guide for the complete run-down on finances and currency.  

The Rivendell Scholarship: We may have scholarship moneys available. Scholarships will be awarded on these criteria:

• Interest in the lives and works of the Inklings;
• Alignment with the Trip Values, especially Creativity in Community;
• That they have a financial hardship or limitation. This can include student status, unemployment, unexpected medical bills, etc. This criteria is by the honor system.

Scholarships offers and acceptances usually be handled before registration opens. Click here to apply. 

The Bilbo Discount: Inklings Abroad reserves the right to offer special discounts to travelers who join the trip in the final weeks (or, like Bilbo, days) leading up to the trip if we still have open spots to fill. This discount will be offered only in exceptional circumstances where the trip would otherwise lose money on empty rooms and bus seats. The Bilbo Discount also helps to mitigate the additional costs for travelers that are inherent in last minute travel, such as expensive flights, expedited passport renewal fees, and limited savings/PTO. 

• Most of the lodgings we frequent are old favorites, ones that we’ve enjoyed our stay at over and over again. We stay in a variety of locations, including hotels, clean & safe hostels (with sole use of rooms), bed and breakfasts, castles, and monasteries;

• You will only ever share a room with people from our group and of the same gender;

• Due to the layout of some lodgings (i.e. castles), Inklings Abroad cannot always guarantee roommate requests (IA prioritizes giving married couples their own rooms and has been successful at this the past several years).

• All lodgings should have breakfast included each day. 

Read more about lodgings here.

On one hand, there will be a lot of walking/hiking every day. Some of the coolest things you’ll see on this trip are things that only your legs can carry you to. This is how we steer clear of the crowds and stay off the beaten path. There are also long periods of remaining on one’s feet, such as waiting in airports or in customs, navigating through various train stations, and exploring museums and castles. 

On the other hand, most running and serious hiking is, as we like to call it, “challenge by choice.” Expect once or twice to have to sprint with your luggage to catch up with whatever train is trying to leave our group behind, but other than that, you should be fine. In 2014, a woman completed the entire trip on her cane and walker. Granted, she was probably the most epic traveler we have ever had, but still, she gives the rest of us hope.  

For those who savor the physical exercise, you won’t be disappointed. Every day, there will be opportunities to challenge yourself, such as coastal hikes, climbing mountain, diving into the frigid waters of the channel, or playing some intense English football or frisbee during the evenings. 

Group logistics and Inklings-related discussions are held each evening. They are usually facilitated by Dr. David Conley, who wrote his dissertation on Tolkien’s theology of creativity, but sometimes other leaders teach on other topics. After the talks, there is a time for open discussion. 

Past topics have included:

Tolkien’s Theology of Creativity

Echoes of Eden in the works of the Inklings

Bandersnatch: Bringing Creativity to your Community

The Planet Narnia theory

During the day, shorter talks are sometimes held at the sites we visit in order to more fully appreciate their historical or mythical significance. Occasionally we’ll read from the works of Inklings in important places, such as our readings from The Last Battle at Lewis’ grave or Mythopoeia at Addison’s Walk. 

Inklings Abroad is not a project of any specific church or denomination, nor are our trips designed to explicitly promote the doctrines of any church or denomination. 

Most of the original Inklings identified with one or more branches of Christianity. C.S. Lewis was a devout Anglican, and has since become a household name in American evangelical circles due to his skill as an apologist. J.R.R. Tolkien described his Lord of the Rings as “a fundamentally Catholic work”, and the books and life of Charles Williams are awash in Christian mysticism. 

Certainly then, Christianity will be a common theme of our group discussions. Tolkien’s theology of creativity, as outlined in his essay On Fairy Stories, will be discussed in detail, and we have group readings of some of Tolkien’s and Lewis’s more spiritual works. Travelers sometimes choose to share how the writings of the Inklings have impacted their spiritual journeys. There are options to attend religious services throughout the trip.

However, engagement in the above is always optional. We want all travelers to feel like they can enjoy the journey without the need to conform to religion in general or to Christianity in particular. This was, in fact, one of the traits that made the original Inklings so successful as writers: their ability to infuse their works with beauty and truth while remaining far from what we would call “preachy”.

Our organization is called Inklings Abroad, formerly Inklings of Clemson. The vision of our trips is Chasing Creativity in Community. We want to equip travelers with the tools to pursue beauty and truth through beautiful places, friendships, and works of creativity.

We have been conducting these trips for almost 20 years, mostly to the same set of favorite places in the U.K, so you can trust that we’ll get you “there and back again” in one piece. Our leadership team is composed of a small group of friends who enjoy traveling together. You can learn more about each of us by clicking on our portraits below or more about our philosophy of travel here. You can find contact information for our leaders here.

Join our WhatsApp for information about how to fill out the registration form and pay a deposit. Our trips fill up fast (sometimes in a few hours), so you’ll want to be in this chat before the trip is announced or your may miss it. Registration will begin on Sunday, July 5, at 5:00 pm EST.