Thursday, February 24, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 7
Online travel agencies offer speed, 24-hour convenience to getaways
By Amy Brady
Kansan correspondent
Spring break is supposed to be a time for relaxation, not frustration. But for some students, coordinating all the vacation necessities such as airline tickets, hotel reservations and ground transportation is difficult without the help of a professional.
"People like the convenience of researching their trip on their own," said Trisha Robinow at BananaTravel.com. "They feel they're in control."
Because local travel agencies are swamped with clientele this time of year, many students are turning to the Internet for help.
Online agencies also offer students with hectic class and work schedules the convenience of 24-hour access to airline ticket information.
Online ticket shopping is becoming increasingly popular for student searching for the best deals on airfares. Photo by Tara Kraus/KANSAN
"Airline fares are changing constantly." Robinow said. "If you have to wait to get your travel agent on the phone, the ticket price you want may be gone. Also, many people don't have time for trip-planning until after work or class. Most of our business is conducted after 6 p.m."
Even with the growing popularity of online travel shopping, travelers still have privacy concerns.
Many local travel agencies close at 5 p.m.
they choose not to make reservations online," said Pam Griffith, an employee at Holiday Travel, 2112 W. 25th St. "People are afraid to give personal information, including credit card numbers, over the Internet."
Robinow said this was an unnecessary concern.
"Credit card number are encrypted before they're sent over the Net," she said. "As for personal information, at BananaTravel.com we keep all names, phone numbers, etc. in a database so we can inform our customers of our company's updates. We never sell this information."
Correcting booking mistakes is another concern for travelers. For many online travel services, a simple e-mail requesting a change will solve this problem.
"As long as an e-mail is sent to us before the Monday following the date the reservations were made, we will make the changes at no charge," Robinow said.
Though they offer convenience
ability, online travel companies may not be the best choice for students making complex spring break plans.
"Anyone can book you a trip to Dallas and back," Griffith said. "But for elaborate trip planning and cheap travel packages, online isn't the way to go."
Robinow agreed.
"We don't offer many travel packages," she said. "Right now, our site only offers a Hawaii package, and there are no spring break discounts."
Robinow, a travel agent for 10 years, said that there was room in the market for both kinds of travel agencies.
Planning makes travel possible on tight budgets
Students can travel world-wide using research, creativity
By Kate Williams
Kansan correspondent
"Poor" and "college student" go together like peanut butter and jelly or rum and coke.
Because of this, many students find that while they want to have fun during spring break, they also need to save money. Contrary to popular belief, cheap spring break travel is possible. It may require a little advance planning and some originality.
Carrie Gray, Portland, Ore., senior, and Keith Hagan, Oklahoma City senior, are both interns at Council Travel, 622 W. 12th St., and have experience traveling on a tight budget. They have traveled extensively. "I've traveled a lot and I've never gone with a lot of money," Grav said.
Both Gray and Hagan have spent a lot of time in Europe and say that there are advantages and disadvantages to traveling overseas compared to traveling in the United States. "Everyone speaks English here so that makes it easier."
Hagan said. "But I think that Europe is more conducive to travel, especially if you are a student."
He said that the easy access to trains, buses and subways made it easy to get to most sites and cities in Europe as opposed to the United States, where driving is often the only option.
"You have to be 25 to rent a car here," Gray said. "So if you're not 25 and can't get a car, your options are pretty limited."
Both said that the first step to traveling cheaply in Europe was to get an International Student Identity Card. The card allows students access to discounted rates on everything from airfare and rail passes to selected museums and restaurants.
After the ID card, Gray said the most helpful thing was a guidebook such as Lonely Planet or Let's Go, which target budget travelers. Guidebooks often give advice on everything from nightclubs to hotels and also provide necessary information on exchange rates and safety.
For her, that sacrifice is food. "Don't eat fancy; shop at grocery stores," she said.
"The key to traveling cheaply is to figure out what you want to sacrifice." Gray said.
Hagan said that in Europe,
"The key to traveling cheaply is figuring out what you want to sacrifice."
Carrie Gray Portland senior
what is cheapest will often vary from region to region.
"When you're traveling, you're there to see things, not eat," he said. "When I was in France, cheese was cheap, so I had bread and cheese for lunch and dinner. In Germany, sausage was cheap, so I ate sausage."
Another way to save money is on accommodations. Hostels are cheaper than hotels and are often geared toward younger people and students. Hagan said not to spend money on private rooms, as buns are often half the price.
"Chances are, you won't want to be in your room during the day, and at night you'll just come back and pass out," he said.
Group trips may be the best option for short trips such as spring break, but independent travel is also possible.
"It depends on your comfort
level." Hagan said. "If you're really worried about it, go with a group. But group trips do tend to drown out personal time."
Learning about the customs of a country or region will help save money as well as get the most out of an experience. Gray said that it was important to look around and not buy the first package or tour that was offered.
"When we were in Egypt, we wanted to go on a tour of the pyramids and just got the first one we came across," she said. "It was great, but if we would have waited a week, we could have gone for about half as much."
Being careful about purchases is the most practical and biggest way to save money. Know what is going to be useful and don't buy something if it is not. Rail passes are popular but aren't a good deal unless lots of travel is planned. Hagan also said learning how to bargain and barter is useful, as well as being practical about purchases.
"We were in Greece for one day and bought a hookah pipe and a metal helmet." Gray said. "Then we spent the next two weeks traveling and had to carry them around the entire time."
1420 Present Rd. 843-3826
brought to you by
Hair cut: $23
Hi-lites: $10 off
✓ NAILS: Full set, $20; Fill, $20
201 W. 8th Downtown, Lawrence 832-9890
councillawrence.com
The Specials are Back!
2 for 1 Burger Special Mondays 4-9pm
2 for 1 Calzone Special Tuesdays 4-9pm (*Specials Dine-in only)
All you can eat pizza buffet $4.99 w/Student ID (includes soft drink) Sunday 6 p.m.-10 p.m.