3. Some useful tips from an international student
by Aditya Shrivastava
1. Carpool with a group of friends. Some guys I know hired a u-haul truck, took
their couch, and stayed in it throughout the break!
2. Greyhound (www.greyhound.com) is always a cheap alternative to flying. If you
are in a group, whole trip would be a guaranteed blast.
3. If you must fly, there are ways to cut down the costs there too. Make sure you
book you tickets well in advance. If you have enough frequent flyer miles, then
there’s nothing better than a free ticket.
4. Go to any popular flight search websites (such as Hotwire, Orbitz, Travelocity,
etc.) and search for flights. Consider the off peak dates, flights are most expensive
on weekends. Compare prices across websites. Most cases you’ll be shown which
airline you’ll be flying before paying for it. Instead of paying, go directly
to the particular airline’s website and search for that exact date. If it
is cheaper then purchase the ticket from there.
5. Choose your flight origin and destination carefully. Very often you can fly to
a nearby less popular airport and save yourself a lot of money. For instance, instead
to flying to Miami , pick your destination as Ft. Lauderdale . You can always rent
a car or get a shared cab to reach your destination.
6. Where to stay…
Hotels are too expensive, forget about them. Stay in a youth hostel, which are cheaper
and have a more informal atmosphere. For more information and booking rooms in a
hostel, go to www.hostelworld.com or www.hostels.com. They usually include a public
kitchen, where you can prepare meals, etc. Eating out throughout the break might
get expensive.
7. Most major cities have a pretty good public transportation. Generally therefore,
you can easily reach prime holiday locations in the city, no matter where you stay.
Ensure and find out about buses, metro services, etc. well in advance.
Be careful, college students are prime targets for prostitutes, peddlers, etc. You
never know what risk you might be taking. Be responsible for yourself and your friends.
Being an international student, getting caught into anything illegal can become
a very serious issue. Have fun and stay clean.
Always keep your ID with you. If you are traveling near border areas, make sure
you have your passports.
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