Educational Travel Deals Tips
Read these 8 Educational Travel Deals Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Educational Travel tips and hundreds of other topics.
The World In Your Backpack
Backpacking is a good option for cheap student travel. Backpacking is common in Europe and Europeans often backpack in other parts of the world. Backpacking means that students carry what they need in a large backpack and often travel cheaply. Backpackers make good use of cheap accommodation and student travel discounts to travel the world without spending a lot of money.
Essential items for backpackers are:
- a sturdy backpack
- good walking shoes and travel clothes
- travel toiletries
- a first aid kit
- an excellent guidebook
- somewhere secure to store money and traveler's checks
- a global phone card or mobile phone
Volunteer For Cheap Student Travel
Volunteering combines cheap student travel with doing something worthwhile. Although students have to pay for volunteer packages, this is usually much less than they would pay for an educational travel tour. The advantage of volunteering is that students work side by side with people from the region or country. They get to experience the culture from the inside and do something constructive at the same time. Volunteer vacations offer a good combination of education, social responsibility and cheap student travel. There are several organizations that offer volunteer programs suitable for students.
Discounted Educational Travel
If you are not a student or are studying in a school that does not qualify for the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), there are still options for discount educational travel. Travelers between the ages of 12 and 25 can apply for an International Youth Travel Card (IYTC). Like the ISIC, the IYTC offers discounts on educational travel. These include discounts on eating out, shopping, staying in hotels or hostels, discounts on communications and reduced admission to attractions. This is a useful card for young people to get before starting an educational travel tour.
Show Some ID For Discount Student Travel
The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) helps with student discount air travel and other discounts. It is available to full-time students over 12 years of age. In addition to student discount air travel, ISIC holders get discounts on other forms of transport, accommodation, places of interest and attractions. There are more than 32,000 discounts available to students in 106 countries. As it provides discount international student travel, the ISIC is a useful card to take on any educational trip. It is available from several student travel organizations and also has its own site.
Student Travel Deals - Some Tips
There are several issues students should consider before booking a student travel deal. First of all, students need to decide on a destination for their educational travel tour. Then they need to make sure they have an up to date passport and any visas that are required.
The next issue is the kind of educational trip that students are planning. This might be a holiday, a cultural tour or a volunteering vacation. Students might also opt to travel around with just a backpack. Once students have decided on the type of trip they want, it will be easy to search the Internet to find organizations that offer that type of student travel deal. Students can find out about cost and fundraising if necessary.
Once this is done, it's time to consider what to pack (there are many checklists on the Internet to help with this). Students also need to think about staying in touch while abroad. This could be anything from a satellite phone to a global phone card, depending on the budget.
Educational Travel The Hostel Way
Hostels are a popular option for cheap accommodation on an educational travel tour. Hostels usually offer dorm style accommodation, with several beds or bunks in one room. Bathroom facilities are normally shared and there is often a communal area with television and telephone facilities. Hostel accommodation is basic and cheap, though some hostels offer slightly nicer facilities, with private rooms. Additional discounts may be available for students with discount cards. There are several Internet sites that offer lists of hostels by country. These will help you to find a suitable hostel for your educational travel tour.
Student Travel Discounts
Yes, it is easy to get a student travel discount when using the bus or train. Some train operators offer their own discount cards for students. Examples are Amtrak and the UK train operators. Others allow students to purchase discounted travel using other student discount cards or their student identity cards. There are similar deals for national and transnational bus and coach companies. Most train, bus and coach companies expect students to show discount cards at the time of booking. Occasionally there may be restrictions on times and dates of travel. Student travel discount cards can sometimes be used to obtain discounts on other services, such as movie tickets, CDs and DVDs.
Focus on Value, Not Price
While individual travelers may zero in on price as a key factor, planning a trip for a group of participants (who likely have a wide range of travel priorities) requires a broader perspective. When comparing educational travel companies, look closely at factors such as the quality of location of hotels, the level of support you'll receive at home and abroad, and whether the company offers any type of service guarantee. Getting these pieces right are the real keys to running a successful group tour.
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| Byron White |
