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WHO NEEDS THE RITZ WHEN YOU CAN STAY IN A ROOM WITH 14 STRANGERS?
By Claire Semder
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., Nov. 19 --- Traveling around Europe can quickly drain college students’ bank accounts, but students learn how to pay less in order to experience more.
As studying abroad gains popularity on college campuses, students grapple with the issue of traveling to multiple countries during their few months away from home. For students living on tight budgets, the unavoidable problem is money, and these excursions quickly add up.
Meg Franklin, Interim Assistant Dean of International Programs at Marist College, encourages students to maximize their experience abroad by traveling to nearby countries. She knows from personal experience how important it is to save and keep track of one’s money while traveling.
“As a student, I used a variety of hostels, low-budget hotels, and similar transport options,” she said. “I traveled to dozens of countries this way – all very cheaply. I stayed in a convent once in Italy. I think I slept in a cable car once in Switzerland. When you’re young, and you can tolerate less conveniences, like private bath [and] comfortable beds, this is a really ideal way to travel to a lot of places cheaply.”
Another avenue that students use in an attempt to save money is the International Student Identification Card (ISIC), sold by the Student Travel Agency (STA) and available through the Marist Abroad office for outbound students. However, Franklin doubts if this card helps students to save money.
“Reception of the card, in my experience, is spotty depending on location, and students often find having a simple student ID will get them discounts at many transport offices [and] museums,” she said.
However, Brandon Hallock, a travel agent at STA in Berkeley, Calif., said that the ISIC card, as well as the company, provides students with simple ways to save money while traveling abroad. According to the STA Web site, it is the world's largest student, youth and budget travel organization, with branches located around the globe.
“The card allows for student-reduced fares, which are made possible through contracts we have with the airlines,” he said. “We also offer reduced-priced, student-oriented tours of museums and attractions.”
In addition to providing discounts, the ISIC card, usable for one year from the date of purchase, also gives students access to a 24-hour emergency help line service and basic sickness and accident travel insurance (for trips outside the U.S.).
Lauren Pavlick, a senior advertising major at Marist College, found that although she did not always need her ISIC card at tourist attractions, she made back the seven pounds (about $14) she paid for it within one trip. She used her ISIC card at STA travel to plan most of her trips and found the travel agents very helpful. Many of the hostels and low-budget hotels she stayed at, however, were not centrally located.
“Most of the hostels, and budget hotels were not near the sights, so you had to use transportation or walk to get where you wanted to be,” she said. “It sort of puts you at a disadvantage because you may have to pay more for transportation since you are far away.”
Andrew Brever, a senior history major at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., decided that it was worth the extra money to be closer to attractions in some instances, such as staying at a hotel directly on the Grand Canal in Venice.
“[It] mattered about how much you were willing to spend,” he said. “I felt that it was important to find hostels near attractions. This might cost a little more, but it would save money in transportation costs.”
However, Brever found international travel on a budget exhilarating and saved money at every chance he found.
“International traveling on a budget added to the excitement,” he said. “It often meant that I could not settle for the easy path and had to seek adventures that cost a little less but often yielded memorable gain. One notable experience was sleeping in an airport to catch a cheaper, earlier flight back to London. Had it not been for that, I never would have experienced the surprising party atmosphere that is Valladolid, Spain at four in the morning.”
A simple way to save money and hassle according to students was to use experts like STA as a resource. Hallock explained how everyone working at STA, including himself, partakes in researching worldwide accommodations for students.
“All of our hostels and hotels are looked at by a team based in London,” he said. “They go to these places and check them out. Additionally, we [the employees] have done a lot of traveling. I will use my own experiences with places and recommend them if they were good and won’t if they were bad. We may not have all of the hostels [in an area] listed, but all of our properties have been checked out by STA employees.”
Kari Maguda, a senior fashion merchandising major at Marist, booked trips both with STA and by doing her own research on Web sites such as hihostels.com and lastminute.com while in London last spring. She said that researching accommodations first can really affect living arrangements abroad because of the “hit-or-miss recommendations that are online.”
“My first hostel experience was in a cramped, eight-person room in Scotland with a space-heater, where I slept on top of my duvet cover, using my jacket as a blanket,” she said. “However, for about three euros more, near the end of my travels, I found a low-budget hotel where I shared the room with one friend, and we had a personal bathroom with a bathtub with spa jets. It’s a learning experience, but you really have to shop around.”
Even Brever, a football player from Minnesota, found some of his hostel lodging less than accommodating, as some hostels place 14 or more travelers in a room.
“I found hostels to be generally similar: large community dorms with the odorous guy on the top bunk,” he said. “The sheets were shady, and the floors were stained. Bathrooms looked even more suspect, and some required money to work. Mornings were generic cereal and half of a hard baguette with a bit of jam.”
Although many students opt to stay in hostels in order to keep their wallets fed and not for the rooms and services, Franklin advises Marist students not to sacrifice safety for money.
“Safety should always be a priority,” she said. “I don’t encourage students to travel without planning in advance. Even low-budget and hostel environments have reputations. [Students] should always do their research in advance to make sure they aren’t going to end up in a situation that would be dangerous. Petty crime and other issues are often more of an issue in low-budget establishments or hostels that have no checkpoints or low security. Students should keep in mind to travel light, always keep essential documents on their person, and be mindful of their belongings.”
Even though money became an issue for many like Brever, as a history major he wanted to explore as much of the world outside of Minnesota as possible while living in London and did not let it spoil his experience.
“Traveling abroad is the adventure of a lifetime,” he said. “It is not something to be hindered by lack of money. Green pieces of paper can always be replaced, but building perspectives and creating international adventures never can.”