Studying and traveling abroad is one of the most rewarding experiences a student can partake in while at school. For many, the opportunity is a once in a lifetime experience that isn't able to happen once entering the work force. With the growing number of scholarships, financial aid opportunities, and travel agencies dedicated to helping students participate in these amazing experiences, traveling abroad is becoming more and more commonplace.
Below is a list of five of the most popular student travel agencies:
- STA Travel
The largest travel agency for both students and teachers, STA Travel offers discounted flights, hotels, hostels, and other related travel arrangements. You can use the agency to book anything from just your flight, to group excursions, to a full summer abroad. Headquartered in Zurich and London, STA Travel currently serves over 4 million students.
- StudentUniverse.com
StudentUniverse.com helps provide students with the best travel deals for both airfare and lodging. It also helps with costs during abroad trips, such as Euro rail passes and country tours. They often run promotions and contests through their site to help cover some of the travel costs.
- EF College Break
EFCB caters to a slightly wider audience, as they offer services to travelers ages 18-26. Their travel packages include a roundtrip flight, hotels, tour guide, a welcome and farewell dinner, daily breakfast, emergency phone service, assisted travel between cities, and sightseeing opportunities. They have been around since 1965 and currently operate in more than 50 countries.
- STS Travel
Catering more towards the spring break crowd, STS Travel helps students plan fun and exotic getaways without breaking the bank. They make coordination among groups simple and often have promotions and group discounts. STS Travel also offers a campus rep program, which allows students to earn money towards their own trips by helping other students book their excursions through STS.
- Explorica
They pride themselves on providing tours that are equal parts exciting, educational, and interactive. Their use of both in person resources as well as online tools allow you to create a customized traveling experience that is exactly what you and your group are looking for. Explorica also offers a number of mission trips that allow students to give back while still enjoying that traveling experience.
The number of options for student travel are truly endless, and with the growing number of resources for financial aid and booking agencies, the opportunity for travel is becoming more feasible every day. No matter where you want to go or what you want to study, there is a program out there for you. Through careful research and planning and the help of agencies such as those listed here, you can find your perfect trip and be on your way to appeasing the wanderlust inside of you.
