Solo travelers benefit from hostels says road trip expert

Huckleberry Finn Youth Hostel, Image credit to wheany (Flickr)

Hostels is just one method of lodging for travelers, but one road trip expert believes it benefits an individual who’s going solo.

Professional road tripper and founder and managing editor of RoadTripAmerica.com Mark Sedenquist has been a road tripper for 30 years -- 17 of which was devoted to RoadTrip America -- and he mentioned how hostels are on the rise.

“Hostels ... they’re big in Europe,” Sedenquist said. “They’re starting to be much bigger here in the United States. There’s probably, at this point, one or two really nice hostels in every state.”

But when asked whether hostels benefit college student groups, couples or families, Sedenquist gave a different response.

“Hostels were kind of created for solo travelers,” Sedenquist said. “Certainly couples like hostels. Several of our enthusiasts groups that are the most active people on RoadTrip America use hostels when they travel."

He went on to say on the site's Great American RoadTrip forum, there were discussions about which hostels they liked, and why they liked them, and all the good times they’ve had in one.

Sedenquist said that benefits were meeting people and having an opportunity to get your own room -- that being “relatively inexpensive” to top-of-the-line in the same hostel.

To check out hostels, visit hostels.com.               

College students don't just think partying when traveling

College students travel whether it be during spring and summer break or studying abroad. What a student might travel for? Partying might be an option. But that's not all a college student should consider when traveling.

Joshua Pramis, a former social media editor for Travel + Leisure and current DigitalTrends.com freelance contributor, says any person -- not just a college student -- should travel without the sole intent of partying.

Pramis uses an example of when he went on a school trip to Spain when he was 18.

"I went to Spain on a school trip when I was 18, and there was a group of younger students that traveled, Pramis said. "And their sole intention of going to Spain was because they were of age to drink legally. Whereas I went with a small group of my friends, and our intent was mostly to experience the country, experience the food."

Pramis goes onto say that he thinks experiencing a new culture and new destination are reasons that come to mind, and that there are tons more. He is just unsure how often students do so.

When asking Laura O'Brien, college student at Roosevelt University, she said work, family and appointments are reasons she believes a student would travel.

Traveler's cheques not gone or forgotten

Image Credit to Thoth, God of Knowledge (Flickr)

If you were born in the 1990s or 2000s, chances are traveler’s cheques will sound like ancient history. One tipoff is just in the way “cheque” is spelled. But to those who were born prior to, a traveler’s cheque is not rocket science.

According to Merriam-Webster’s website, a traveler’s cheque is a draft purchased from a bank or express company, signed by the purchaser at the time or purchase, and again at time of cashing as a precaution against forgery.

Still not clear?

Here’s clarification: It's used instead of money. The thing is, unlike money, if cheques get lost or stolen, they can be replaced.

DigitalTrends.com freelance contributor Joshua Pramis talked about whether he recalled traveler’s cheques.

“I think the last time I heard about traveler’s cheques was when I was in high school, which was 10 years ago,” Pramis said. “I have not heard about them for awhile.”

Pramis, a former social media editor for Travel + Leisure, says that, in his six-and-a-half years there, the magazine never printed anything about these cheques.

He says that, during his time with the magazine, debit cards were more popular than traveler’s cheques.

“I think they were at their height of their popularity before the debit card became popular,” Pramis said. “People had ATM cards, but not necessarily debit cards. …They have the same kind of bank protection that -- against fraud -- a credit card has, so I think that is really the way most people go nowadays.”

That’s just it. Credit and debit cards have come into such widespread use, why bother with a traveler’s cheque?

Roosevelt University senior and reporter for Roosevelt’s Torch student newspaper Mary Ruscitti didn’t hear about these cheques till her parents mentioned them. She said they told her they were going on vacation, and that they had them. 

But while not knowing much about traveler's cheques, she still would use them. 

“I would use a traveler’s cheque because you can use it now; you can use it when you go to Canada two years from now,” Ruscitti said. 

What she means is that they do not expire. Beneficial, isn’t it? 

While traveler’s cheques may seem prehistoric, you can still get your hands on some.

According to Nicole Vulcan, in an article for USAToday.com, options are American Express, AAA, MasterCard, and of course, your bank. These can be bought at other financial institutions, like a credit union, but they might charge a higher fee to non-customers -- not to mention, cash may need to be provided instead of a check to acquire them.

Traveler’s cheques are just another option -- and a forgotten one. You may wonder can they still be used in places. According to the website of American Express, their traveler's cheque FAQ page provided insight.

They can be used at retail locations, hotels and restaurants. If you’re new to cashing them in, simply present the cheque at the merchant’s location. Be mindful in making sure the acceptor watches while you countersign. They are to be signed in the upper left-hand corner, especially if you need them to be reimbursable if lost or stolen.