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BEMIDJI — Lakeland PBS will host the first meeting of its new Travel Club at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at its Bemidji studio, 108 Grant Ave. NE.

"For years we have helped viewers explore the world, experience new flavors and discover cultural history through their television screens," a release said. "Now we are ready to take those same experiences off the screen and into real life with the Lakeland PBS Travel Club."

Aiming to continue Lakeland's mission to educate, inform and enrich its viewers, this new partnership with Collette Travel will allow participants to take advantage of curated trips to explore new places and learn about the history and culture of different parts of the world.

The club's first trip will be to Italy and southern Sicily. Travelers can expect to explore the deep blue water of the Amalfi Coast, taste the freshest mozzarella at a buffalo dairy farm, visit the Valley of Temples and wander through the twisting vines of a local winery, said the release.

"Travel broadens a person’s perspective by exposing them to different ways of living, languages and experiences that they may have never been exposed to in their hometowns," Lakeland Marketing and Communications Manager Jordan Stearns said in the release.

"While we aim to bridge that gap with our travel shows, there is a deeper level of understanding and learning from the hands-on experience and we hope this new partnership will offer our community members an easy and stress-free way to travel and gain those experiences."

Meetings will also be held at the Brainerd Lakeland PBS Studio. For more information, visit