The Anellas Abroad

Louise ’64 SMC, ’77 and Steven Anella ’65, ’71 M.B.A. built strong foundations in the South Bend community since graduation. Louise is a certified financial advisor and Stephen is a partner in the firm MPA Architects. Stephen, a native of New Jersey, and Louise, originally from Ohio, raised their family in the South Bend area, including their son, John Anella ’93.

However, as much as they love home, the Anellas have locked their doors and taken flight on more than 20 trips with Notre Dame Alumni Travel over the past 17 years. They love the organization, the diversity of trips offered, the camaraderie of travelling with fellow alumni, and the overall quality. “The two main reasons we take these trips—and this is not the only travel service we’ve used—is that we enjoy meeting the other Notre Dame people. And ND Alumni Travel is well-organized; the trips have been pre-tested, so to speak,” says Louise.

Louise, who is a self-proclaimed “water person,” enjoys snorkeling, sunbathing, and is an active walker. As an architect, Stephen enjoys learning about historical sites. “For me, personally, going back to Ephesus and Delphi during our 2008 Mediterranean trip was really wonderful,” he says. Louise agrees. “I remember walking down the white way on Ephesus, with all those semi-reconstructed buildings from 2,500 years ago, and thinking, ‘St. Paul was here.’ Amazing.” (To learn more about similar trips taking place in 2010, visit the ND Alumni Travel website.)

Travelling with fellow alumni guarantees a level of conversational comfort. “People from Notre Dame that come on the trips have a broader range of interests and we can share that intellectual enthusiasm. We have met people on trips that are our friends now, that we have travelled with again,” says Louise.

“We work hard every year to find programs all over the world that might be attractive to our Notre Dame family,” says Karen Anthony, director of ND Alumni Travel, who relies heavily on past travelers’ post-trip evaluations for new trip ideas. Louise believes Anthony succeeds in finding the right mix of destinations. “ND Alumni Travel offers places we want to go. We have what we call a “bucket list” of places we still want to see. Rather than use another service, usually we just wait for the trips to come up with Notre Dame,” she says.

So what’s left on the Anella’s list? They would like to visit the land of Louise’s Lebanese ancestors. Also, Stephen has an African safari in mind, but Louise would prefer taking the Mediterranean cruise again. And, of course, the younger Anellas have an opinion as well. “Our grandson wants to go to Madagascar,” says Stephen. “Keep your eyes on our schedule,” replies Anthony, who is always on the lookout for a new adventure for her ND travelers.

Learn more about ND Alumni Travel online or contact Karen Anthony, director of ND Alumni Travel, at 800-634-2631, or by e-mail.