The Story of the Sunshine Girls
How three women became friends and explored the world together with Dartmouth Alumni Travel
There is nothing quite like a road trip. You know the stories in literature and film—naïve childhood explorations of unfamiliar worlds, chaotic reunions with old friends, new retiree escapades as they enter a new chapter together. But why should that joy be confined to fantasy?
For Dartmouth Alumni Travel’s “Sunshine Girls,” it’s reality. Joined together by their love of travel, this threesome has embarked on fourteen trips together over nearly two decades—and it was their love of travel that brought them together to begin with.
It all started on a trip to Holland and Belgium in 2007. Polly Jones, not yet introduced to the Dartmouth community, was traveling with a different organization. She required some assistance while on the journey—and it was DAT travelers Suzy Brennan, a ’57 spouse, and her friend, Peggy Cole, who stepped up to help.
“Suzy and Peg immediately introduced themselves upon boarding the ship, and during the cruise they more than stepped up to the plate to help me. I would have never made it through that trip without them,” Polly said.
Suzy remembers the moment clearly.
“Within minutes we were chatting a mile a minute and establishing what would become our best buddies for the entire trip,” she recalled. “We started with eating dinner together, and that was our habit for the entire trip. We were always the last to leave the dining room —‘just one more bottle of wine.’ At the end of the trip, we had had such a great time that the idea of never seeing each other again was unbearable.”
Left to right: Suzy Brennan, Polly Jones, and Peggy Cole on the steps on Konserthuset Stockholm (The Stockholm Concert Hall), the building where the Nobel Prize is awarded. 2008.
A fast (and well-traveled) friendship began. They cruised the Baltic together the following year, basked in the hot Greek sun in 2009, traversed Cambodia and Vietnam, scaled Machu Picchu, dined in Tuscany, bundled up in Iceland, and abided by island time in Belize—and that’s just to name a few.
“I still have the nametags from every trip and have been tempted to wear all of them together on one of the trips. I thought better of it—didn't want to show off—but each name tag represents a special trip with special people,” Suzy said.
The Sunshine Girls seized every opportunity to create fun even beyond the trip itineraries. Upon discovering they’d be on a trip during Queen Elizabeth’s birthday, Peggy suggested the girls should pack tiaras and don them. “The two of us did wear the tiaras all day,” Suzy recalled. “At breakfast, we got many puzzled looks from our fellow travelers. By dinner, everyone was bowing to us.”
Along the way, the trio acquired an honorary member of the crew: Susan Ackerman ’80, emerita Preston H. Kelsey Professor of Religion. A frequent trip guide, Susan kindly participated in the group’s antics.
“On one [trip], Susan actually donned a Viking helmet,” Polly remembered. “We had purchased it for her, and she wore it for one of her lectures. What a good sport!”
Famous amongst their fellow travelers, it seemed only fitting that the crew had a name.
But why Sunshine Girls? The girls attribute it to their sheer good luck in weather.
“Our initial couple of trips were during seasons in parts of the world that should’ve challenged us with rain. But the rains never came, and we tagged ourselves the ‘Sunshine Girls,’ suggesting to accompanying travelers that they should select their Dartmouth travels based on our inclusion in the group, as we brought the sunshine with us,” Polly said. “We never even saw a cloud,” Suzy added.
Suzy loved the reputation that began to precede them—the infectious sunshine and positive energy they brought to every Dartmouth excursion on which they embarked.
When asked to recount their favorite memories, though, Polly and Suzy falter. There are just too many.
- Polly: “Entering Ha Long Bay, as the sun rose in northeast Viet Nam, was more than a magical experience.”
- Suzy: “Riding an elephant in Angkor Wat? Oh yes!”
- Polly: “Suzy, Peg, and I don’t take pictures of food. However, the food in Poland was so good and the presentations so artistic, we were taking photos of dinner entrees. Who knew?”
- Suzy: “The trip down the Mekong was just perfect on a brand-new small boat—totally elegant.”
While many have been temporarily befriended on trips throughout the years, its core members remain the heart of the Sunshine Girls. “There are truly just four Sunshine Girls, including Susan Ackerman,” said Polly. “And Suzy and I are still continuing to add to our adventures.”
A faculty member, a Dartmouth spouse, and two friends, the Sunshine Girls capture just what is so special about traveling with DAT—the unique ways it can bring together anyone in the Dartmouth community’s orbit.
For Suzy, mere mention of the Sunshine Girls names puts a smile on her face. Meanwhile, Polly offered her sincerest gratitude to John Brennan ’57, Suzy’s husband. “Had he not attended Dartmouth, a large portion of my fabulous travel life would not have happened with Dartmouth Travel, and I wouldn’t have Suzy as a Sunshine Sister.”
To explore opportunities to find your own Sunshine Sisters with Dartmouth Alumni Travel (or travel with one of their very own), visit the travel page.