Students
search for cheap travel
By Maritza Diaz
On-line Forty-Niner
Travel
option number one: fill up the gas tank
and prepare to share the road with millions
of other motorists, risking bumper-to-bumper
traffic. Travel option number two: spend
hours at an airport going through security
checkpoints carrying heavy luggage through
an airport.
With Spring Break just around the corner,
students who plan on taking a trip are plagued
with the ultimate travel question: “How
am I going to get there?”
“I’d rather drive if I’m with friends, and
fly if I’m with family,” Jessi Gonzalez,
a Cal State Long Beach junior said. “Driving
is more fun. With driving you can just do
what you want.”
Gas prices in the Los Angeles and Long Beach
areas have increased 25.8 percent, a record
high. Prices have also risen in San Diego,
Las Vegas, and Santa Barbara to over $2
a gallon, according to American Automobile
Association statistics.
As for air travel, the price for airplane
tickets constantly changes. However, many
specials can be found through the Internet.
StudentUniverse.com, an online travel service
that caters exclusively to students and
faculty, is offering Spring Break specials.
“Generally the student airfares we sell
are 15 to 70 percent cheaper than what a
student would find searching other sites
for published fares available to anyone,”
Bart Littlefield, senior vice president
of marketing and business development for
StudentUniverse.com said.
CSULB is one of the 100 largest customers
of StudentUniverse.com, according to Littlefield.
Prices are relatively low without booking
through an agency. A round trip ticket to
Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines can range
from $19 to $88 plus tax, depending on promotions,
according to a Southwest reservation representative.
However, once students arrive at the desired
destination, transportation becomes an issue
once again.
An extra expense for travelers is renting
a car. Hertz car rental offers discounts
depending on availability and demand. However,
in order to rent a car from Hertz you must
be 25 years old.
“We won’t rent to anyone under 25. I think
that eliminates most of the college students,”
Adnan Karakivoic, Hertz representative said.
Traveling either by car or plane may cause
added stress before arriving at a Spring
Break destination. Tim Molina’s, a senior,
main complain about car travel is the level
of comfort it offers.
“The fact that we were all packed in a small
space for five hours [was stressful], and
it wasn’t too good on my back,” Molina said.
Many students use the time off for Spring
Break to party and drink, which can cause
hazards on the road.
“People of college student age are more
likely to be involved in collisions. But
it is a fact that college students particularly
those old enough to drink tend to get into
more accidents,” Stephanie Faul, communications
director for AAA said.
The recent elevation of the national security
alert to orange, high risk, has caused tightened
security at airports, such as LAX. People
traveling by plane should expect to be subject
to security screenings and random car inspections,
according to the Los Angeles International
Airport Web site.
In the end, the decision to travel by land
or air comes down to the individual.
“I’d rather drive. But if it’s far I’d rather
take a plane because it’s more comfortable
than a car,” Molina said.
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