Ducks on the go
Every year, thousands of American students take off across the ocean, overstuffed backpacks in tow, to spend a semester in Prague, a year in London, or a summer trekking through Central America.
Traveling abroad is a rite of passage for many students, but the aftereffects of this past year’s terrorist attacks may be changing that.
Fewer students are coming into the offices of Premiere Travel and Cruise in Springfield, travel agent Loren Dethlefs said.
“Student travel has been down this year for the most part,” he said. Dethlefs said that student travel accounts for nearly 20 percent of Premiere’s business.
The decline, he said, can be attributed to a combination of security concerns and higher airfares. Prices for a round-trip ticket on an international flight have increased by as much as $300.
Dethlefs said that while airlines are offering lower fares to business travelers, fares for the general public have tended to go up. Airlines are also offering fewer flights overseas, which means that there are fewer seats available, helping to drive up prices.
International events can have a big effect on travel, he said. Travel to Africa, for example, declined considerably following the bombings of United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.
Dethlefs said that Europe is the most popular destination for students, but that many also choose to go to Central America, Asia or Australia.
Some opt for riskier locales, such as North Africa or Indonesia, he said. He even said he knows of a couple of students who are presently visiting Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan that has been the site of recent military confrontations.
Dethlefs said that parental concern may be the biggest factor of all.
“I don’t think it’s really the students who are worried about it so much as the parents,” he said.
University senior Ted Adams is planning to go to Latin America for a year. He said that international affairs are definitely affecting his travel plans.
“Don’t go to Argentina or Colombia,” he said, referring to the civil unrest occurring in those countries.
Adams said he planned to go to either Chile or Costa Rica, which he said are probably the most stable countries in the region.
“I’m just going to cruise down there and find a spot to live,” he said.
University senior Heather Larson said that she probably won’t be going anywhere in the near future.
“I’m not traveling because I don’t have the money,” she said.
But Larson also said she felt it was important for people to get out into the world, in spite of their concerns.
“It’s better to travel now because of the fear everybody has — we need to overcome it,” she said.
Adams agreed and said travel is a vital part of the educational experience.
“I think it’s important to go somewhere and live for an extended period of time — to experience a different culture,” he said.
Allison Fitzgerald of the University’s Office of International Programs said that despite the global political climate, there’s still plenty of opportunities for students who want to study abroad.
“We haven’t done anything to change our programs,” she said. “I think we’ve added more.”
There are alternatives for wanderlusting backpackers who want to stay closer to home — and closer to the ground.
Amtrak offers a 30-day North American rail pass that allows travel on any route at a moment’s notice, much like the Europass, which is popular among students traveling in Europe.
Greyhound offers similar passes for bus travel, available in lengths from seven to 60 days. Both Amtrak and Greyhound offer service from downtown Eugene and have routes throughout the United States and Canada.