Newspaper Page Text
TRENDS/Monday, june 4/Page 7
fun Options for Summer Travel
Patar Fny/The Red and Black
By LAURA ROE
H ave you dreamt of traveling to many new,
exciting places, but put it off, because it was
too expensive? Are many of your friends
going to Europe or taking cruises to exotic isles
after graduation without you? If you are seriously
debating trying to get a trip together, there are
some things you should be aware of.
If you haven’t bought your tickets for Europe yet,
it's probably too late. You should have bought
tickets back in March, according to Joan Clark,
manager of Discount Travel.
"Most seats are sold out — few airfares that are
good are left,"she said.
This is also the "peak season" for cruises, and
better rates are available during the winter Clarke
said.
The good news is that cheaper rates for airfares
in the continental United States are still available
until June 27th. So cheer up. There are many
opportunities still available for you.
Also available are alternative ways to travel.
Imagine spending the night in a Light house off
the Cape Vincent Sound in New York or Montara,
Calif. How does spending the night in a mansion
sitting in the middle of a Pennsylvania State Park
sound? Or relive childhood fantasies by sleeping in
Sioux Indian teepees or log cabins on an island on
the outskirts of Seattle, Wash. If you can't go too
far from home, you could stay in geodesic domes
and treehouses in Brunswick, Ga. near the coast.
All of these places only charge $6 or $7 per night if
you are a member of the American Youth Hostel
organization.
According to the American Youth Hostels
handbook, the first American youth hostel was
organized in 1934 by American school teachers
and scout leaders Isabel and Monroe Smith in
Northfield, Mass. A chain of hostels was set up in
Vermont and New Hampshire in 1935, and the
movement spread across the country. Today AYH
membership has risen to over 100,000, and the
number of hostels in all regions of the country is
more than 200.
The de Revere Travel Service Inc., on College
Avenue, sells yearly memberships for $25.
Accompanying the membership is a booklet with
descriptions of all hostels and a membership card
which offers discounts on travel equipment,
admission fees, food and transportation by
participating merchants shown in a directory in the
book.
Ray and Phyllis Durham run a hostel six miles
away from Athens, in Winterville. Phyllis Durham,
who had been a member in AYH during the 1940s
at Ohio State University, said she and her husband
turned their home, which is in a country setting
surrounded by woods, into a youth hostel and a
separate bed-and-breakfast inn three years ago.
The Durhams charge $10 per person, and
reservations are necessary, because they only
have one room and two beds.
Durham said she enjoys meeting all the different
people who stay in the hostel.
"We had a couple from England last week," she
said. "Many have heard about the music scene in
Athens."
She said mostly young people stay in their
hostel, but all ages like to come for the bed and
breakfast which is $35 per couple.
She said the guests are provided with a nice
quiet room, private bath and full breakfast.
"It's a friendly atmosphere, and people are free
to come into our livingroom and be part of the
family," Durham said. 'It's less expensive than a
motel."
There are a few rules, including no smoking and
no drugs of any kind.
Durham said people who are interested should
call for instructions and printed maps. People who
would like to camp out are also welcome she said.
Spending more money, doesn't necessarily
guarantee a better trip. If you can't afford a plane
ride, there are many discounts for AYH members
for car rentals, bus and train tickets. Many hostels
will provide transportation upon request.
Just let your imagination go wild and create your
own vacation. The adventures and opportunities
are limitless, and if you budget your trip wisely, it
can be fun and inexpensive.
