About.com Student Travel

Thanksgiving Travel Planning - AAA Forecasts Air Downturn

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:09:42 +0000

Thanksgiving week travel may continue to be a bit easier (but probably not cheaper, though student airfares are fairly reasonable) than usual this year: AAA recently reported that results of its now-annual Global Insight survey forecast that 38.4 million folks will be on the roads, airways and rails this Thanksgiving weekend, a very small increase of 1.4 percent (just above 548,000 travelers) over 2008. And 2008 was down 25.2 percent over 2007. Easy enough to conclude that airports, anyway, won't be horribly crowded this year. Thursday (Thanksgiving day) will be the cheapest day to fly, but air travel's not the only way to go. Learn more:

AAA Thanksgiving Travel Survey

Top 5 Money Saving Road Trip Tips

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:54:40 +0000

Hitting the road home for Thanksgiving? Know that food and lodging are the biggest road trip travel budget busters, followed by unintentionally guzzling (spendy) gas... and they can all totally be avoided. Learn how to save money on road trips with budget food and snacks (and we're not just talking packing some turkey sammies) and get the top gas-saving tips, too:

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Top 5 Money Saving Road Trip Tips originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 12:54:40.

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Thanksgiving in the UK

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:31:28 +0000

An interesting thing you may discover when traveling in English-speaking countries: you may, unconsciously or not, expect things to be sort of... American-ish. Ridding ourselves of that expectation will enhance travel experiences roughly 100%, but if you're finding out you're truly homesick, and you're in the UK now, you're in luck: tuck into turkey and the trimmings (and then some, in some cases) at a goodish number of American-ish eateries (and expat meet-ups) in the British Isles. Learn more from About.com's UK travel expert, Ferne Arfin:

Thanksgiving in the UK

Related UK Travel Reading: UK Student Travel | UK Transportation | Student Work in the UK

Start your UK travel in London: London Student Travel Guide 101 | Top Free Things to Do in London | How to Use the London Tube | Top London Hostels

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Thanksgiving in the UK originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 02:31:28.

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Buy Airfare Today for Thanksgiving Day Travel

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:09:04 +0000

Today's the day to buy airfare for travel on Thanksgiving day itself, which is a week from today (today being November 19, and Thanksgiving being November 26) -- which ain't a bad day to travel at all -- and buying one week in advance may find you the fairest fare. Cons to Thanksgiving travel: you may miss pre-feast prep and its concurrent companionable fam time (and get stuck with the dishes in a fam-approved amend for your early-day absence). Pros to Thanksgiving travel: you'll encounter a semi-deserted airport (meaning easy travel) and find cheaper tickets than any other day of the holiday week. But... buy today, or possibly miss your piece of the pie.

Easy as pie to compare and grab a Thanksgiving day airfare:

Compare Thanksgiving Day Airfares

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Buy Airfare Today for Thanksgiving Day Travel originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 18:09:04.

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Amtrak

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:26:22 +0000

'Tis the season to think about US travel and student discounts, and Amtrak offers 'em -- students can ride US rails at 15% off with an ISIC card. With airport security rules ruling US air hassle, frazzled travelers may welcome a chance to pack without worry and enjoy the view on a train trip. Learn more:

Amtrak Student Discounts

Amtrak's routes can be lacking, but the ride rocks. I rode coast to coast on the train last year -- check out the resulting Amtrak photos for train travel information:

Amtrak Photos (scroll under pictures to read train travel tips)

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Amtrak originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 13:26:22.

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Eurail ISIC Sale: Two Free Train Travel Days

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:48:59 +0000

Got a valid ISIC (International Student Identity Card)? Or willing to get one? Do it, and get a plethora of penny pinching deals, including the latest Eurail special: buy a Eurail Global 21 day pass by December 31, 2009, and get two additional days free. Yep: that 21 day pass becomes a 23 day pass. Find out more:

About the ISIC / Eurail Pass Special Details
Go Directly to Rail Europe (click "Book Your Eurail Pass Now" under "A textbook example of appreciation")
What's a Global Pass?
How Travel Days on a Eurail Pass Work

Don't have an ISIC card? They're a snap to get:

Get an ISIC Card

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Eurail ISIC Sale: Two Free Train Travel Days originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 16:48:59.

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Transitions Abroad Student Travel Writing Contest

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:58:56 +0000

Want to write some words of encouragement to potential student travelers and wrangle $500 while you're at it? Win the annual Transitions Abroad writing contest, open to students at several enrollment levels, by entering an essay of 1000-3000 words about your experience with study abroad, internships, volunteering, or short-term work abroad, and the money plus some well-deserved acclaim will be yours. Second place winners net $150, third place $100, runners-up $50 and all winners will be published in the April TAzine, Transitions Abroad's study abroad and educational travel webzine, or featured on the very excellent Transitions Abroad website.

See last year's winning writings for inspiration, enter by March 1, 2010 with a work centering around "Transitions," and good luck!

Transitions Abroad Student Writing Contest

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Transitions Abroad Student Travel Writing Contest originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 15:58:56.

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Blog Carnival: Christmas Markets

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:44:46 +0000

Christmas markets are a wonderful holiday tradition dating from the 14th century and originating in Germany, which is still home to the world's best (and, of course, oldest) European Christmas markets; the festive fun, shopping, caroling and consumption can be found in communities across Europe and even the USA today, and kicks off around the end of November. About.com's European, UK and US Guides have assembled an awesome list of where to sample seasonal sweets and cider, buy nutcrackers and crafts, and generally enjoy good cheer on a December winter's eve:

Blog Carnival: Christmas Markets Light Winter Nights

Blog Carnival: Christmas Markets Light Winter Nights

See All 17 Recent About.com Travel Blog Carnivals

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Blog Carnival: Christmas Markets originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 01:44:46.

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Flying With the Flu

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:49 +0000

I've got a ticket to fly on Friday, and I'm getting sick -- in fact, I'm fearing the flu. What to do? Don't want to lose my tickets; don't want to invite uncool health karma by carelessly handing fellow flyers a contagious bug. I've found facts on flying with the flu (Fear One: can I change my ticket if I'm sick?); if this sucky scenario becomes yours, too, see some of the flying with flu answers:

Can I Fly With the Flu?

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Flying With the Flu originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 16:00:49.

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World Toilet Day November 19

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:25:21 +0000

November 19 is World Toilet Day. You think the next part involves a sailor walking into a bar. It's a deadly serious affair, though -- among other statistics it has to share, the World Toilet Organization says, "Over a billion of the 6 billion people in the world are served by sewerage systems but much of this sewerage is discharged into rivers, lakes and the sea with little or no treatment." And the World Health Organization (WHO) tells us that 1.6 million children die each year from diarrhea.

World Toilet Day is an opportunity to shed some light on the world's sewage situations that should be of concern to global-thinking citizens; you can get involved with a myriad of field projects through the World Toilet Organization. Learn more:

World Toilet Organization and WTO volunteer projects

Speaking of toilets:

Toilets Around the World for Travelers - Going Worldwide
The Bathroom Diaries - "True Tales of Tawdry Toilets" (Nominations for the Golden Plunger Award!)
MizPee.com - Find Toilets in the US on Cell Phone
Crappers Quarterly - Submit Reviews of Best and Crappiest Toilets

Related Reading: Travel Health | Avoiding Waterborne Illnesses Abroad | Volunteer Travel

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World Toilet Day November 19 originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 11:25:21.

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