Back-to-School Savings on Campus

For $15 to $30 per day, travelers (including non-students) can enjoy comfortable overnight accommodations at more than 600 university and college residences around the world. One of the most comprehensive sources of information on available facilities is the new edition of “Budget Lodging Guide.”

School residences are a little more expensive than youth hostels but offer rooms with more privacy. Chances are you’ll be able to get a single or twin room, but you may have to share the washroom with other guests. In some cases, apartments suitable for families are available.

Check the location as well as the price. Many residences are on the edge of town. That’s great if you have a car. It’s possible you may even get free parking. But if you are relying on public transportation, though, the savings may not be worth it.

You should always find out about bedsheets and towels too. If they are not provided, they may be available at an extra cost, or you may need to bring your own.

College residences can offer advantages that budget hotels or hostels can’t provide, including sporting facilities such as swimming pools and tennis courts.

“Budget Lodging Guide” has been around for 15 years, but until this year it was known as “U.S. and Worldwide Travel Accommodation Guide.”

Its strong point is its vast number of listings: 199 college or university residences in the United States and 93 in Canada. For those heading abroad, it also covers facilities at 185 locations in 23 countries, including Great Britain, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In London, England, there are 26 residences offering lodgings.

The guide’s weakness: You don’t actually get an opinion on the quality of the facilities. You just get the facts: prices, dates available, recreational and food facilities, and telephone numbers to call for reservations.

This new, revised edition also includes a summary of the four educational facilities in Canada and 42 in the United States that will rent empty rooms year-round, plus a listing of 7,000 economy and mid-priced hotels, motels and inns in North America, and more than 180 YMCAs that offer lodging worldwide. You will also find information on youth hostels, B&Bs; and other helpful travel information services such as home exchange programs.

Copies of “Budget Lodging Guide” are available for $16.95 (this includes shipping and handling) from B & J Publications, P.O. Box 5486, Fullerton, CA 92635. For credit card purchases, call (800) 525-6633.

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Moon Publications, publisher of the Travel Handbook series, has just produced the 11th issue of its free quarterly newsletter, Travel Matters. The 16-page newsletter is primarily a tool for promoting books. However, the publication’s books are packed with insightful information for independent travelers, and the articles that are dropped into the newsletter give helpful insights.

This issue focuses entirely on Mexico. The health advice column is by author Joe Cummings about his 2,200-mile drive around the Baja Peninsula (he suffered only a sunburned left arm and a cracked oil pan), and a story by Carey Wilson about his 14-day, $420 Green Tortoise Baja bus tour. A free subscription of Travel Matters is available from Moon Publications at (800) 345-5473. For information on Green Tortoise budget bus tours, contact them at 494 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133; tel. (800) 867-8647.

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Free copies of the spring edition of Student Travels are available on college campuses at Council Travel offices across the United States. Student Travels, which is published each spring and fall by the Council on International Educational Exchange, includes a travel planner section and features stories on students traveling, working, volunteering and studying abroad. This issue includes stories in backpacking the European train circuit and exploring Cape Town, South Africa. It also includes an application for the International Student Identity Card. Copies are available at Council Travel, 10904 Lindbrook Drive. Los Angeles, CA 90024, or by calling (212) 661-1414, Ext. 1108.