A couple of students have reported cheap rates from New Orleans to San José on Student Universe. Please check out their website: http://www.studentuniverse.com.

Please see the following website for info about the Eurail Pass sale:

http://www.raileurope.com/promotions/eurail-global-pass-promo-code.html

Many of you are now making travel plans for your visits abroad this summer. Some folks are interested in travelling before and after summer programs and have requested additional information on train travel. Scheduling an open-jawed flight (arriving in one city and departing from another) and travelling in between your arrival and departure destinations is a wonderful way to maximize your European travels rather inexpensively! Here are some tips:

• For those interested in booking individual train tickets, Rail Europe is your best option. Their website is in English and is quite easy to use. You can even use links on the website to book hotels and activities in your destination cities. If you’d rather speak to a sales representative about your booking, please feel free to call  1-800-622-8600 and speak to Rail Europe consultant based at the American offices in White Plains, NY. 
• For those of you interested in booking a Eurail travel pass (good for travel in several countries within a limited period of time), please visit the Eurail website. Their website is in English and offers price quotes in US$. Click on the “Eurail Passes” link on the front page to read detailed information on each pass offered. You may also want to visit the Support page  for the FAQ list and/or to open a direct chat box with a service representative. Eurail also has a great Facebook app that allows you to ask a question and receive a personal response within a few hours. I cannot stress how service-oriented Eurail is, so please take advantage of their helpful website and services!
• The Eurostar is an excellent option for folks wishing to travel from mainland Europe to London (or, by connection, the rest of the British Isles). Eurostar offers budget-friendly express service from London to Paris and Brussels (and vice versa). The Eurostar website is simple to navigate and offers a great selection of tour/activity options on the Latest Deals page.

As always, please take the time to research your travel options. Taking a few minutes to review fares and restrictions can save you a lot of time and money later.

For those of you interested in learning German and continuing your summer legal studies experience beyond Vienna, please visit the University of Vienna’s website for the International Summer Program in Strobl/St. Wolfgang. Please visit the Office of International and Comparative Programs if you’d like a brochure.

Dear students, 

The Center for International and Comparative Programs invites you to join us for the 

BUDAPEST INFORMATIONAL SESSION 

When: Thursday, JANUARY 27th 

Where: LS Room 111 

Time: 4:15 – 5:40 PM 

This meeting will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about our Budapest Summer Legal Studies program and meet program faculty and staff. 

Food and beverages will be served! 

For more information on the Budapest Program, please check out our website: 

http://loyno.edu/ip/budapest-hungary 

Those travelling to Budapest this summer should check out this excellent article featured in the January 2011 issue of Condé Nast Traveller magazine:

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/503349

Welcome back! Now that the Spring semester has arrived, it’s time to begin planning for your Summer Legal Studies experience!

For many of you, planning will begin with finding a good flight. Here are a few tips:

• Try Internet-based travel reservation sites like Expedia, Travelocity or Orbitz. These sites are great, as fares are usually cheaper than those offered directly through the major airline websites. Kayak is also helpful, as it researches and displays flight prices from all the major online travel reservation sites.
• *Special tip: Research has shown that Tuesday evenings are the best times to book a flight online, as rates are generally lower then. Avoid booking trips Friday – Sunday, if you can; the airlines raise flight prices on those days because that’s when folks have the most free time to net surf. 
• Read the small print. Taking a few minutes to review your charges, connection airports, baggage fees, etc. can save you time and money.
• If you’d rather not book online, hiring a travel agent is also a good option. Please note that you may be subject to paying commission fees in addition to the flight price, though.
• Sign up for fare alerts so you will be immediately notified when a cheap flight is released. A good fare alert website is Airfare Watchdog.
• Consider booking an open-jawed flight (to fly into one destination and depart from another). Open-jawed flights are often the same price as regular flights and will allow you to see more of the region you are travelling to.
• Consider flying into a large airport near your destination, then travelling by train the rest of the way. It’s more expensive to fly into smaller airports, so using the plane/train option can often lower your travel costs. Example: Rather than flying directly into Vienna, you may want to fly into Munich and then take the train.
• Remember to schedule your flights at least 2.5 hours after your exams are complete!
• Most importantly: Don’t be afraid to ask a question! The Center for International Programs staff is always available to answer your travel inquiries!

Acquiring knowledge about the foreign currency/currencies you will be using while traveling abroad is, of course, important to your overall experience. The very best source for checking exchange rates, predicting exchange trends and converting world currencies is OANDA.

We officially recommend that students travel with a debit card so they can easily access their funds instantly and at the day’s best exchange rate. It is also a good idea to travel with a credit card in case you need to make travel or other arrangements immediately.

Although it is not necessarily recommended, some students may choose to acquire foreign currency before leaving the U.S. You may do this at your local bank. Please be advised that your bank will likely assess your account with a nominal exchange fee for the currency conversion.

As always, please feel free to contact Tori Luwisch (valuwisc@loyno.edu) in the Office of International and Comparative Programs with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for visiting the Travel Talk blog!

As many of you begin making plans for summer travel you may have questions about acquiring the proper travel documentation (e.g. passports, visas, etc.) before leaving the U.S. The very best source of information on this topic is the U.S. State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs passport website. Here, you can apply for a passport, renew your passport via post, report a lost or stolen passport and correct or change information listed on your current passport.

Please be advised that you can apply for a passport at many local post offices or you can make an appointment with the staff at the New Orleans Passport Agency (365 Canal Street, Suite 1300) by calling 1-877-487-2778.

An excellent source of information on visas, country descriptions and travel tips is Travel.State.Gov. Visas are required for travel on our Brazil and Russia Summer Legal Studies Programs. If you plan to attend either of these programs in the future we will provide you with detailed information on applying for a visa and acquiring a visa agent to help process your application.

As always, please feel free to contact Tori Luwisch (valuwisc@loyno.edu) in the Office of International and Comparative Programs with any questions or concerns.