Tap Into Student Travelers’ Resources

If it’s your summer to explore abroad, you can take steps to help make it a great adventure, even on a student-style budget.

First, invest in a guidebook suited to your travel style. Then seek a travel agent who focuses on students and young travelers.

For a budget guidebook, consider the “Let’s Go” series, which is researched by students and suited to anyone young or young at heart. Also, guidebooks by Lonely Planet provide detailed information for independent travelers. Lonely Planet’s “Traveling on a Shoestring” guides are available for a variety of regions. Moon Publications also produces detailed guides, but they do not cover Europe.

Scour the guidebook’s pre-trip information. This will help you determine the value of purchasing transportation, hostel memberships and so on before you leave home, and the opportunities available after you arrive.

Even if you’re not a student, campus travel agencies still can help you. The agents usually know more about budget backpacker services than other agents, and they can help you with services such as getting International Student and Youth Identity cards.

Contact these student travel services: STA Travel, telephone (800) 777-0112, Internet https://www.statravel.com; Council Travel, tel. (800) 226-8624, Internet https://www.counciltravel.com; or USTN, tel. (310) 206-4280, Internet https://www.ustn.org.

Decide on your style of travel. If, for example, you want to see some of the key sites in Europe and not worry about making your own transportation and lodging arrangements as you go, try Contiki Holidays, tel. (800) 266-8454, Internet https://www.contiki.com, which offers a variety of tours for travelers age 18 to 35.

In Europe, if you want to travel at your own pace by rail but link up with a guide at predetermined points, contact Stray Travel Network, Internet https://www.straytravel.com. Council Travel sells this service: tel. (800) 226-8624.

Also consider a hop-on, hop-off bus system, such as Busabout (https://www.busabout.com). Its coaches tour along routes that link 70 destinations in Europe.

The ultimate freedom is having a Eurail Pass or Youthpass (under 26), tel. (800) 4-EURAIL (Internet https://www.raileurope.com), which allows travel in any direction you want on a whim.

A guidebook may list the dates of special events. From huge festivals to cultural experiences, the right timing can make your visit special. Whatever the event, accommodations may be tight, so it’s worth reserving a bed.

Also check your guidebook for contact addresses and telephone numbers for the North American information offices of the countries you are going to visit. Some produce literature specifically for young visitors. For example, each year the British Tourist Authority publishes a free magazine called UK--The Guide, which is packed with information on what to see, how to get around, budget accommodations and upcoming events.

Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Internet https://www.izon.com.