Amsterdam Is Good Gateway for Europe Visit

Amsterdam is one of the most popular cities for young visitors to begin a European visit.

This gateway city offers a young and lively atmosphere with more than 555,000 cyclists, 2,400 houseboats, 160 canals and 141 art galleries. You can get help on what to see, where to stay and how to get around from a free publication, “USE IT”--Amsterdam Youth Tourist Magazine.

The 34-page publication is written in six languages and includes addresses of budget accommodations and tourist sites, and how to reach them using public transportation. It also contains tips on entertainment and where to find a variety of services such as health, laundry, money exchange, international telephone and bike rentals.

The magazine is available by request at tourist information offices throughout the Netherlands. The offices can be identified by the letters VVV. If you arrive in Amsterdam by train, a VVV office can be found at 10 Stationsplien, opposite the Central Station.

This spring, new youth hostel-affiliated budget accommodations opened in Atlanta--a major crossroads city for air travelers and site of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Joan and Doug Jones have converted the 75-year-old former home of a prominent Atlanta doctor into a combination guest house and youth hostel.

For travelers on tight funds and who are members of international youth hostel organizations, the hostel section has 20 beds in rooms for four to six people. Cost is $14.50 per person, per night. Nonmembers are charged an extra $3 per night as a guest fee. Regular guest rooms are $65 per person, $75 double occupancy.

The house has been decorated with antiques and art, and has been divided to suit both types of guests. Hostelers can use a common room, dining room and kitchen facilities.

The hostel is in midtown Atlanta, less than four blocks from the Marta transit system, which services the city and the airport. To reach the hostel, take Marta to the North Avenue station. From the north end of the station, go east on Ponce de Leon to No. 223. Telephone is (404) 875-9449. Credit-card deposits are accepted on telephone reservations.

More than 50 universities in Britain welcome nonstudents to their residence facilities as economical accommodations during school break periods. The British Universities Accommodation Consortium (BUAC) produces a brochure with information on the facilities.

Accommodations are $19 to $48 per person for bed and breakfast. The average rate is under $34. Accommodations are on campuses that often offer recreational facilities and food services.

All reservations must be made with the individual colleges. Contact BUAC at University Park, Nottingham NG7 2Rd, England, telephone 011-44-602-504571.

Curious about the opportunities for working on a cruise ship? Pilot Books recently released its 1991 edition of a 40-page booklet: “Guide to Cruise Ship Jobs,” by George Reilly.

It tackles such topics as types of jobs available, how and where to apply and resumes and interviews. It also includes a glossary of simple nautical terms and a listing of major American cruise companies. The booklet, however, does not discuss documents needed in order to work legally on carriers registered to different countries.

“Guide to Cruise Ship Jobs” is available directly from Pilot Books, 103 Cooper St., Babylon, N.Y. 11702. Cost is $4.95, plus $1 for postage.

Students planning to travel to Eastern Europe or the Soviet Union can establish written relationships with students in those areas before leaving home through One-2-One, which sets up pen pals.

One-2-One matches American students, ages 18 through 24, with students in the Soviet Union, Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia who share similar interests.

Participants will be asked to provide their name, address, age, college major, a paragraph about personal interests and a $5 donation to One-2-One America, 4102 E. 7th St., Suite 661, Long Beach 90804. For more information, call (213) 434-9071.