Good Buying in Israel

The Israel Government Tourist Office offers a free, 24-page, information booklet to assist visiting young travelers.

“Israel--A Youth and Student Adventure” contains suggestions on where to sleep inexpensively, on transportation, where to make arrangements for work or study, holidays, museums, shopping, banking hours and companies that offer economical tours.

For example, the booklet lists who to contact for volunteer work on a kibbutz or an archeological excavation. The booklet also lists 31 youth hostels and 38 Christian hospices that offer economical accommodations to visitors.

You’ll discover that when traveling between major cities it costs about the same to travel in the comfort of a seven-passenger sherut (taxi) as it does to travel by public bus. You’ll also find that if you have a valid student identity card you can get a reduction of 10% on inter-city bus fares.

For copies of the booklet, contact the Israel Government Tourist Office, 6380 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1700, Los Angeles 90048, or call (213) 658-7462.

New Hostel

Meanwhile, Egypt-bound budget travelers won’t get a listing of the newest youth accommodations in their guidebooks. The Egyptian Youth Hostel Assn. recently opened a 43-bed hostel in the popular Red Sea tourist resort of Hurghada.

If you carry an international youth hostel membership while traveling in Egypt, you can get a 50% discount on domestic rail fares, but you must have a special voucher. The vouchers are available at youth hostels there or from the membership sales office at 1 Sharia El-Ibrahimi, Garden City, Cairo.

Students also are eligible for up to a 50% discount on rail rates, though the International Student Travel Conference points out that the discount is not available on first-class services.

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If you want to soak up the sun at a resort in Greece that caters to young travelers, you can find one on the island of Poros.

American-European Students’ Union Inc., known as AESU, is making Club Aegean available to independent travelers for visits of a week or more.

AESU specializes in escorted tours for travelers 18 to 35 years. Its tours operate in Europe, the Orient, Australia and New Zealand.

This company offers accommodations in double rooms, if you sign up with a friend. If you book solo, you don’t have to pay a single supplement. It also will make arrangements for you to share rooms with one or two other members of the group.

Snorkeling, Aerobics

Rates at the beach-front resort include daily breakfast and dinner buffets, plus free snorkeling, swimming, windsurfing, canoeing, aerobics, team competitions, theme parties and special trips such as sailing to isolated coves for swimming, or bicycling trips to Poseidon’s temple.

Stops at the club are included on five of AESU’s tour programs, but independent travelers can book one-week visits for about $236 U.S.

For more information on AESU programs and Club Aegean, contact AESU Inc., Suite 248 West Quad, Village of Cross Keys, Baltimore, Md. 21210; phone (301) 323-4414.