Sunday, November 27, 2005
Student Travel – The Complete Guide to a cheap fare
Going to Guatemala for G-lab? Taking part in a Trek to Thailand? As MBA students, we often forget the every expense matters and after we get our diploma, we will have to pay up to Mr. Citigroup or Ms. Sallie Mae. So in order to keep our costs down when booking, consider the following student travel agencies to complement the standard offerings from Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia.
StudentUniverse.com
Studentuniverse.com offers cut-rate airfares for students and faculty of college and university programs. To qualify for the fares, you need to first register with StudentUniverse and prove your status. According to their website, your SO or spouse may also qualify for fares as a part-time student if they are taking just one class.
Once qualified, you will be able to access some of the cheapest fares out there. On a recent comparison to Tokyo over IAP, StudntUniverse was over $500 cheaper than the same Northwest flights on Orbitz.
Bart Littlefield, SVP at Studentuniverse sweetened the deal even more by offering Sloanies up to $25 off their next flight by using the code below. He explaind that their fares are low because they have a online business model with no traditional brick and mortar shops. Their online booking tool contains all of their promotional fares so agents will be unable to find better deals than what is available online. Using studentuniverse.com may be a little more cumbersome as you may find really cheap flights to London, when you really want to go to Paris. The fares are sometimes so low that it justifies buying a studentuniverse fare to a stop-over point and buying another ticket from a competitor for the additional leg. Studentuniverse agents can not add segments together like a full-service agency.
TravelCuts
Although most students are familiar with STA Travel and their offices around Boston, few think of TravelCuts when booking their tickets. TravelCuts is a full service student travel agency with a handful of brick and mortar shops across the country. Building on their near monopoly student travel shops in Canada, they entered the US five years ago with a commitment to be price competitive. Most student fares through TravelCuts require the ISIC card to prove full-time student status which will set you back another $22.
Rob Becker of TravelCuts recommends that students get the most value out of their website when they book last minute flights, one-ways or trips without a Saturday night stay. He recommends that students look at all traditional and student-based travel sites; special offers (especially for domestic flights) may be promoted on non-student sites. However, Rob insists that students call their agents when booking overseas travel. He strongly believes that their creativity and intimate knowledge with student fares will allow their agents to help you find the optimal routing and fare for your trip. They can help find the cheapest gateway city with student fares and then add-on local flights to get you to your destination. Prices on their website may sometimes be lower than prices over the phone, so be sure to check online before booking.
Spouses of students may also be eligible for student fares when traveling with you. You should check the agent when booking to see if spouses can qualify.
Time is Money
To get the best deal, students should check each traditional online providers like Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity, but complement their search with studentuniverse, TravelCuts and STA Travel. For overseas travel, you should also call STA and TravelCuts agents who can help find the best stopovers and deals around.
Links:
STA Travel: www.statravel.com
Travelcuts: http://www.travelcuts.com/; Reservation Number 1-800-592-2887
Student Universe: http://www.studentuniverse.com/
Getting to NYC: Chinatown or Greyhound?
Earlier this year, the “Chinatown” buses that offer transportation to New York City for $10 came under scrutiny. Their vehicles have caught fire and were alleged to not comply with federal safety legislation, and their drivers have been accused of reckless driving. If you want to cheapest, but safest ticket to NYC, consider Peter Pan. Through Peter Pan’s website (not Greyhound’s), Mike Iger ’07 found that you can get safe bus service (on either carrier) for $18 one way. Check out http://peterpanbus.com/tkg/nyspecial.html for the details.
StudentUniverse.com
Studentuniverse.com offers cut-rate airfares for students and faculty of college and university programs. To qualify for the fares, you need to first register with StudentUniverse and prove your status. According to their website, your SO or spouse may also qualify for fares as a part-time student if they are taking just one class.
Once qualified, you will be able to access some of the cheapest fares out there. On a recent comparison to Tokyo over IAP, StudntUniverse was over $500 cheaper than the same Northwest flights on Orbitz.
Bart Littlefield, SVP at Studentuniverse sweetened the deal even more by offering Sloanies up to $25 off their next flight by using the code below. He explaind that their fares are low because they have a online business model with no traditional brick and mortar shops. Their online booking tool contains all of their promotional fares so agents will be unable to find better deals than what is available online. Using studentuniverse.com may be a little more cumbersome as you may find really cheap flights to London, when you really want to go to Paris. The fares are sometimes so low that it justifies buying a studentuniverse fare to a stop-over point and buying another ticket from a competitor for the additional leg. Studentuniverse agents can not add segments together like a full-service agency.
TravelCuts
Although most students are familiar with STA Travel and their offices around Boston, few think of TravelCuts when booking their tickets. TravelCuts is a full service student travel agency with a handful of brick and mortar shops across the country. Building on their near monopoly student travel shops in Canada, they entered the US five years ago with a commitment to be price competitive. Most student fares through TravelCuts require the ISIC card to prove full-time student status which will set you back another $22.
Rob Becker of TravelCuts recommends that students get the most value out of their website when they book last minute flights, one-ways or trips without a Saturday night stay. He recommends that students look at all traditional and student-based travel sites; special offers (especially for domestic flights) may be promoted on non-student sites. However, Rob insists that students call their agents when booking overseas travel. He strongly believes that their creativity and intimate knowledge with student fares will allow their agents to help you find the optimal routing and fare for your trip. They can help find the cheapest gateway city with student fares and then add-on local flights to get you to your destination. Prices on their website may sometimes be lower than prices over the phone, so be sure to check online before booking.
Spouses of students may also be eligible for student fares when traveling with you. You should check the agent when booking to see if spouses can qualify.
Time is Money
To get the best deal, students should check each traditional online providers like Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity, but complement their search with studentuniverse, TravelCuts and STA Travel. For overseas travel, you should also call STA and TravelCuts agents who can help find the best stopovers and deals around.
Links:
STA Travel: www.statravel.com
Travelcuts: http://www.travelcuts.com/; Reservation Number 1-800-592-2887
Student Universe: http://www.studentuniverse.com/
Getting to NYC: Chinatown or Greyhound?
Earlier this year, the “Chinatown” buses that offer transportation to New York City for $10 came under scrutiny. Their vehicles have caught fire and were alleged to not comply with federal safety legislation, and their drivers have been accused of reckless driving. If you want to cheapest, but safest ticket to NYC, consider Peter Pan. Through Peter Pan’s website (not Greyhound’s), Mike Iger ’07 found that you can get safe bus service (on either carrier) for $18 one way. Check out http://peterpanbus.com/tkg/nyspecial.html for the details.
Labels: Travel
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