A Terp's Guide to Seeing the World

The moment Loretta Berg ’72 stepped on the plane from Maryland to Portugal, she realized she was seated next to a fellow Terp. And so began a trip of connections–faciliated by the University of Maryland Alumni Association’s Traveling Terps program.

She booked the Romance on the Douro River trip in May 2026, where she and nearly 20 other Terps, as well as alums from other universities, spent two weeks exploring on a luxury river cruise across Portugal and Spain.

Berg recently began traveling solo, and doing so with the help of her alma mater made it all the easier. From receiving a planned itinerary to having transportation and reservations booked on her behalf, Traveling Terps made the daunting parts of travel feel seamless, with room for surprises.

“As we were coming back to Porto on the last night of our trip, the captain of the ship was able to get permission to take us as close to the Atlantic Ocean as he could,” she recalls. “Seeing the connection of the Douro River into the Atlantic was phenomenal.”

One of the most meaningful ways traveling with Maryland enhanced Berg’s trip was by creating spontaneous interactions. On the trip’s opening night, she and another traveler made plans to go to a specific restaurant, only to find it was full.

“[The locals] recommended somewhere else and we had a delightful meal–a veal pasta dish–at this lovely little restaurant in Lisbon,” Berg recalls.

Other highlights included walking the 2-mile crossing back into Spain on the last night, and taking a Jewish History Tour in Porto with a group of women she met on the trip.

“Being included in that was a wonderful experience,” Berg says. “I may not have done that on my own.”

Now, Berg is looking forward to her next trip with the Traveling Terps, Morocco in February–and her next after that, possibly to Paris.

“At this point in my life, I feel like traveling, seeing the world, learning new things, meeting new people, seeing different places and how people experience life,” Berg says.

No matter where she travels, Berg stays connected to Maryland, through Athletics, as a Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association and through programs like this one.

“There’s a feeling of support from my alma mater,” Berg says. “I still am a Marylander, so keeping connected and giving back have felt good.”

Book your next adventure and explore the world with Terps.