Mar 14, 2008
Tough travel times require new travel tactics, like staying in university dorms around Europe. How about the London School of Economics?
This past week, the British pound briefly touched a level of $2.05 to the U.S. dollar -- which means that you actually pay about $2.15 per pound by the time you factor in fees and commissions to various money-changers. The Euro has soared to $1.56 -- and is predicted to go higher. If you're to enjoy an affordable trans-Atlantic trip this summer, you have got to start thinking about alternative accommodations costing far less than hotels or even guesthouses.
I'll start with university accommodations. And then, in a subsequent post, I'll deal once again -- but more comprehensively than before -- with those greatly-misunderstood "youth hostels".
The campus digs, first. Nearly all universities in Europe throw open their (temporarily unoccupied) student housing to the general public (of all ages) when school is out, which can vary from late May or early June through late August or early September.
Though you can sometimes get deals as good as $150 for a full week, usually a university room in a major city like London costs between $24 and $60 a night. (The higher the price on that scale, the more likely the room with have a private bath rather than a shared one down the hall.) Your neighbors will likely be a mix of other savvy travelers, students sticking around for summer courses, and overseas visitors participating in summer study programs.
The best way to find campus housing open to tourists is to go directly to the tourist authority of a given country or city. For example, at the official tourism site Visit Britain (www.visitbritain.us) you can search the accommodations database under the category "budget and student" and find, alongside a dozen hostels, eight campus housing options in London alone. You can find links to official tourist office sites at www.worldtourismdirectory.com.
Write and read comments about this post.
I'll start with university accommodations. And then, in a subsequent post, I'll deal once again -- but more comprehensively than before -- with those greatly-misunderstood "youth hostels".
The campus digs, first. Nearly all universities in Europe throw open their (temporarily unoccupied) student housing to the general public (of all ages) when school is out, which can vary from late May or early June through late August or early September.
Though you can sometimes get deals as good as $150 for a full week, usually a university room in a major city like London costs between $24 and $60 a night. (The higher the price on that scale, the more likely the room with have a private bath rather than a shared one down the hall.) Your neighbors will likely be a mix of other savvy travelers, students sticking around for summer courses, and overseas visitors participating in summer study programs.
The best way to find campus housing open to tourists is to go directly to the tourist authority of a given country or city. For example, at the official tourism site Visit Britain (www.visitbritain.us) you can search the accommodations database under the category "budget and student" and find, alongside a dozen hostels, eight campus housing options in London alone. You can find links to official tourist office sites at www.worldtourismdirectory.com.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: accommodations, europe
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
