Young people focused on traveling, despite economy

For once, youth isn’t wasted on the young. Young adults who aren’t burdened by jobs, bills or the other trappings of adult life are realizing that they have a chance that will never arise again. They have the elbow room to go out and see the world … and they’re taking advantage of it.

Because younger travelers visit countries for an average 53 days – compared to 3 ½ for business travelers – the segment once believed to be lazy, broke and drunk is being seen differently. For Australia alone, this group is worth AU$11 billion (US$8.5 billion) this year.

Thanks to global economic developments, the definition of youth traveler has been stretched out a bit from late teens to 29 years old. Hey, people in their 30s are moving back in with their parents, so this is fair.

STA’s Black & Blue Friday Sale


For those of you planning to stay inside tomorrow to avoid the shopping mall craziness, be advised that there are still some very good deals to be found without ever having to abandon your comfy jammies or leave your home. In my mind it makes good sense that there would be some amazing sales on airfare when everyone is out and away from their computers. Those sneaky airlines!!! Anyway, as I was getting to, STA Travel is having a Black & Blue Friday Sale and they’ll be discounting tickets to Latin America, the South Pacific and more. At least that’s what they claim in their ad seen above, but I’d seriously take the time tomorrow to take a look and see what’s really going on. Perhaps you’ll nab a great without all the headache of being on the streets.

Study Before Studying Abroad

During my college days I never took the opportunity to do a semester abroad and I always wished I had. Not so much to learn about how the world operates outside of my own backyard, I was a military brat so I’d been a good handful of places, but I know studying abroad probably could have helped me pick up a foreign language ten times faster than being here in the States. Boo-hoo for me though. Those days have come and past and opportunities to do it the way it should have, could have and would have been done are gone.

Anyhow, enough with my boring sob stories. CNN has a piece from Budget Travel Online about some things to consider before taking off for your first semester abroad. It’s very basic, but I imagine it could come in super handy for the college student who has never been outside of say, Walla Walla, Washington. Questions on whether credits will be transferred, what the living conditions will be like and if you’ll need a visa or not are included along with others. Like always you’ll probably have to seek counsel from someone at your university for the specifics, but this is should get you off and running at least half-way. Just be sure you do your research!

As always, good luck!

Around the World Plane Tickets Starting at $999

Ahh, summer is slowly, but surely working its way to an end and as students prepare to bury their heads into texts for the fall, wouldn’t you know those around the world plane tickets and trips dreamt about all summer long would finally go on sale. Shame ain’t it? Who creates these sale dates?

STA travel currently has around the world fares starting at $999 with an itinerary that gets you into several kick-arse places if you’re a student taking a breather this fall. The cheapest package moves you from New York City-London-Nairobi-Bangkok-New York City and doesn’t look to include any kind of accommodation. In other words – this works out best if you know a couple of people in at least two destinations. Perhaps it’s time to make friends before you go. (See hospitalityclub.com) If you’ve got some extra dinero to spare ($1,399) then consider the Los Angeles-Tahiti-Sydney-Bangkok-Nairobi-London-Los Angeles ticket.

The sale will only last until August 31and travel must be completed by December 12, 2006.

Do Espana MTV Real World Style with STA Travel

Fans of the hit MTV reality series The Real World who enjoyed watching the cast of Key West on their Spanish getaway to Spain can live it up just the same. STA Travel is sharing the cast mates fan-tab and totally top-secret 10-day itinerary for the world to see and experience for their own. I’m sure this doesn’t really sound all that appealing to the older, more sophisticated non-MTV watchers out there, but it’s still a trip to Spain and the itinerary doesn’t look all that bad. Stops include Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona with packages starting at $605. Check out STA Travel for more details.