HOLIDAYS BACKLIST
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stars at the bottom ofthe Grand Canyon.‘ In three weeks. they had
i inspiration and I came home more sampled four states. a day trip to I
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determined to be an artist.‘
Sarah and Kim have had fun on holiday together many times. but have ' always felt ready to come home. They both found their US trip so invigorating. theyjust wanted to keep on going. ‘It was totally different to any holiday I've had before,‘ says Sarah. ‘We instigated everything. I felt like I had life by the throat and I was in control.‘
Mexico and a few hours of neon madness in Las Vegas.
Travelling in the US gave Dami. Kim and Sarah an experience they are still benefiting from long after their return i home. ‘I was a shy wimp when I left. ' but being alone in so much space made l me independent.‘ says Dami. I met people who were a big burst of I
Contact numbers
I The Edinburgh Travel Centre 196 Rose Street. Edinburgh. 0131 226 2019. A student and youth travel speciality covering everything from bus tickets to phone tickets. catering for travellers with a sense of adventure and a limited budget. I Campus Travel The Hub. Glasgow University. Hillhead Street. Glasgow. 0141 357 0608; 11 George Square. Glasgow. 041 221 8808; 53 Forrest Road. Edinburgh. 0131 668 3303. Aimed principally at students and young people. a nationwide travel specialist with its finger on the pulse.
Safety
Conspicuous wealth attracts the wrong attention. Don‘t flash jewellery. cameras and camcorders. Carry your money in different places. keeping some loose change for beggars and pay phones. Make your body language as positive as possible by looking confident and determined. even if you are lost. Try not to look like an obvious tourist by studying your map or guide book on desolate street comers.
Money
This depends on how far you want to go. how long you want to go for and how you want to live. lfyou want to spend money on fancy hotels. meals and shopping you will obviously need more cash. A budget of $2000 lasted me ten weeks and got me through six states. sometimes paying for
motel and hostel accommodation but I usually bummed off people I'd met. Dollar travellers' cheques can be used as cash everywhere. A credit card is essential for motels. car hire and booking tickets and accommodation by phone.
Prices
Now that most airlines have pulled out of Glasgow Airport. it means adding on the price of a flight to Heathrow or Amsterdam.
Ticket prices vary dramatically. depending on time of year. The Edinburgh 6 Travel Centre has special offers of flights to New York for people under 26 years old. but you have to book by the end of January and return by 31 March. It costs £165 to fly with British Airways direct to New York from Glasgow. For people under 26 flying to Los Angeles. the same offer applies. but the flight departs from Heathrow and costs £260.
Car hire
If you have not done this before you may find it convenient to organise car hire before leaving - it makes very little difference to the price. According to the Edinburgh Travel Centre. Holiday Autos is a large. reliable company. A week's car hire in New York from November to April is £129 per week for a two door car. The price covers everything including crashes. unlimited mileage and most local taxes. Nearly all cars are automatic with air conditioning. tinted glass and a radio cassette. There are pick-up points in airports and central down town locations.
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For those desperate to shun the pabkage holiday circuit, a budget travel book is a must. The List discovers some travel bibles on off‘er.
I Let’s 60 Updated every year. this series of twenty books offers information on budget travel to countries and cities around the world. Included are thousands of travel bargains. from an organ concert in Poland for £2. to a night oftransvestite diva cabaret in a German velvet-clad ex- brothel. Listings detailing accommodation. camping. food. sights and entertainment highlight deals for students. children. families and senior citizens. In February the latest addition to the series will be published — a budget travel guide to Eastern Europe. Guides to countries cost £13.99/£l4.99 and guides to cities. £8.99.
I GIobe-Irotter’s Bible 1995 Katie Wood (HarperCollins £9.99) With a name familiar to most budget travellers. Wood is author of 32 guidebooks. resident travel expert on BBC Radio Scotland‘s Travel Time programme and travel correspondent for Scottish Television. In this guide to budget travel around the world. she takes you through the highs and lows of long- distance travelling. offering an insider‘s knowledge of 50 destinations and advice on everything from planning your trip to knowing your rights.
I Cheap Eats Katie Wood (HarperCollins £9.99) Thousands of recommendations of places to eat. snack and shop for food in Europe's main towns and cities. The target is £3—£10 a head. Beat that.
I Europe By Train 1995 Katie Wood (HarperCollins £9.99) More from the goddess of budget travel. this time aimed at Eurorailers. This invaluable tome includes information on the best routes. what to see. where to sleep. where to eat and maximising the benefits of rail passes.
I The Rough Guides (Penguin) This periodically updated series exploring countries and cities worldwide includes guides to Guatemala and Belize. Peru. Kenya. and Zimbabwe and Botswana. among other destinations for adventure- seekers. Each book attempts to put its destination in a historical framework and gives information on architecture. wildlife. culture and language. plus details on how to get there. health and insurance. local transport. eating and drinking and much more. Published in February will be six phrasebooks to help you out of those sticky situations every traveller dreads. Costing £3.50 each. they will cover Czech. French. German. Greek. Italian and Spanish.
we specialise in low cost travel for students and young people 12 OM’ r RTN r O/W f RTN Australia It 335 445 NOW York 32 155' Athens 59 118 Mexico 177 289 Bangkok 241 458 n Parls 36 59 Budapest 79 145 Prague 75 139 Caracas 201 405 R10 208 418 001111 155 335 Rome 85 130 Hong Kong 315 534 1' TOKYO 301 499 Los Angeles 130 239 T°r°m° 122 219 Round the World fr 699 *From Scotland TRAVEL GLASGOW, 11 George Sq, Glasgow, G2 10Y EDINBURGH, 53 Forest Rd, Edinburgh, EH1 ZOP GLASGOW UNIVERSITY, The Hub, Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8BR DUNDEE UNIVERSITY, Students' Assocration, Alrlle Place, Dundee DDI AHN
IELEPHONE'BOOKINGS EDINBURGH GLASGOW DUNDEE
0131668 3303 0141 221 8808 01382 200 412
The List 13—26 January 1995 81