Better Know A Program Consultant: Julie Castanino

One of our main goals with Explorations is to give everyone an opportunity to meet the fine folks who work at Explorica to help teachers take their students on educational tours across the globe.

With that goal in mind, we’ll be introducing a new Explorica Program Consultant each week.  Watch for their posts in the following days, as they share some of their travel tips gleaned from their world wanderings, and regale us all with some of their favorite past travel experiences…

This week’s featured Program Consultant is Julie Castanino.  Here’s some of our favorite excerpts from our recent interview with her:

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Have you heard the song “Small Town“ by John (Cougar) Mellencamp?  Well in high school, we would substitute the words “small town” for “Watertown”.  Say it with a nice Boston accent “watah-town” and you’ve got the idea.  And you know a lot about where I’m from.

Where did you go to college?

The University of Richmond

This is when I had to drop my Boston accent so that my friends could understand me.  I fell in love with Virginia and was more than happy to escape Boston winters.  In Richmond, when it snows an inch, the entire city shuts down.  Being raised in Boston, this is truly amazing to me.  I grew up going to school in blizzards whereas in VA, one inch will get classes cancelled and no pizza deliveries due to “dangerous” roads.  I still miss Virginia’s weather and every Boston February I promise myself that I will move back there next year…

Where have you traveled?

Australia, Mexico, Bonaire, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Netherlands

Which Explorica tours have you taken?

London, Paris & Cote d’Azur

Best of Ireland

Athens & the Aegean

Favorite band, movie, and/or book…

Movie: Father of the Bride (close second is Sound of Music)

Book: No Ordinary Time (I love FDR!)

If you could be any animal, which animal would you be?

An elephant.  They are smart, family oriented, and it would be awesome to have a trunk.

Is white chocolate really chocolate?

Absolutely not.  I am not even sure if milk chocolate is really chocolate.  I go for dark chocolate or European hot chocolate which is basically a huge chocolate bar melted in a mug.  Or churros con chocolate – now that is some delicious chocolate.

Um, I feel pretty strongly about chocolate.

Coke or Pepsi?

Neither.  Milk does a body good.

Truffle pigs or truffle dogs?

I did some research for this question.  Initially I thought pigs because it would be great to have pigs get credit for something.  Everyone loves dogs and they always get a lot of attention, but where’s the pig love?

Unfortunately after my research, I have to go with dogs.  They are better at finding the truffles and do not eat them like pigs do.  I love truffles so I am voting truffle dogs so that there are more to eat.

P.S. I am now a truffle dog expert – ask me about how they train the dogs.  It involves a tennis ball and cheese.