A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~ Lao Tzu
When arranging transportation for your study abroad program and weekend trips while you’re studying abroad, there’s a lot to think about. This section links to resources that we think can help you make better, more informed choices about traveling abroad.
- Check a variety of sources (agencies, websites, newspapers, search engines, etc.).
- Fly on a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday for 25% to 50% less than other days of the week.
- Consider using a gateway city as a hub (i.e. London) to save on your total trip costs.
- Always purchase airfare using a credit card (in case your travel agent or airline goes bankrupt). Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), Visa, Mastercard, and American Express purchases receive substantially more protections than cash, debits, and money orders.
- Purchase well in advance for substantial savings, especially on budget airlines while studying abroad.
Airtravel
There are lots of good places to purchase airfare. If price is important, here are a few to consider:
Orbitz is one of our personal favorites. The difference is price assurance. This means that if another Orbitz customer books the same flight for less, they’ll refund you the difference automatically. Not a shabby deal if you’re waiting for the price to go down before you purchase your airfare to study abroad. Check out Orbitz Flight Deals!- Fare Compare is a nice program planning tool for study abroad, if you want to search the lowest fares by month, and then by day/airline. It can help you choose when to study abroad for the lowest airfare.
Airports Abroad:Learn about world airports.
Budget Flights: While abroad, find budget airlines and routes at fly budget, which budget, or fly cheapo. The information may be helpful to students traveling on weekends during, or before/after, a study abroad program.
Frequent Flyer Miles: A frequent flyer community with plenty of great information is flyertalk.
Luggage: Airlines now have are strict rules for luggage dimensions and weight, as well as number of bags. The rules are different for domestic/international and for other countries of the world. Check with your airline for information and see TSA.
Meals: For information about airline catering and meals, visit Airline Meals.
Seats: Before you choose your airline seat, check out seat guru for detailed seating charts.
Hotels (International)
- There are lots of places to shop hotels. If price is a concern, try these websites for some sweet deals.
- Search and Compare Top Travel Sites!
- Big Savings on Hotel deals; book your room now at OneTravel.com and get $12 off using coupon OTHS12!
- Orbitz LOW PRICE Guarantee on Hotels: Bigger Payout, Extended Deadline!
Rail
In most of the world, travel by rail is an excellent option. We recommend going directly to the country’s railway website for the best deal.
