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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 1984)
Travel Fair '84 A student-eye view of the world Inexpensive travel, adventure By Randy Cook Of the Emerald What's there to do in Istanbul? And where does one go when visiting Cairo? If questions like these have been distracting you from your studies lately, be sure to drop by the Travel Fair in Room 167 EMU Wednesday. And if you've never given them a second thought. . .well, drop by anyhow. It should be a refreshing break from the domestic monotony of everyday campus life. The Office of International Studies has collected a potpourri of travel information from around the world for their first international Travel Fair. Their goal, accor ding to Foreign Study Adviser Paul Primak, is nothing more complex than getting students into a traveling state of mind. "We just kind of hope this will excite people about traveling," Primak says. "We're going to turn that room into a fantasy island for a day." And an impressive fantasy island it should be. The Travel Fair will feature booths and displays ranging from biking tours of Europe to applying for Youth Hostel and International I.D. cards. Four local travel agencies will be on hand to answer questions on international travel ing, and the University Bookstore will set up an exhibit and sell traveling books. Scattered in between the colorful poster-boards will be tables of travel brochures and information from around the world. More than 40 different countries will be represented in one way or another. From 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. there will be slide presen tations by foreign students, most of whom are here on the nonresident tuition waiver program. The slide shows will cover Egypt, India, France, Yemen, Mexico, Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Denmark. Ann Burger, International Studies Secretary, says the Travel Fair was designed to be representative of all the continents. "People tend to think only of Europe when they think of traveling," she says. "But we've tried to get a lit tle of something from everywhere." Burger says they encountered most of their pro blems in getting travel information from the South American and African countries because the visitor's bureaus there were not very responsive. With a little luck, the Travel Fair may prove to be more than a fantasy island for some students. The organizers say they will be emphasizing the affordabili ty of traveling abroad. "A lot of people think of traveling as something that's way off in the future — ^hey simply don't believe it's something they could afford right now," Primak says. "We'll be able to give them the solid information they need on costs and affordable ways to travel." Both Primak and Burger agree that students just aren't privy to the fine art of "creative traveling," — that is, traveling for cheap. "Many students think in terms of the expensive hotels and restaurants their parents might stay at. But that's certainly not the only way to travel; we'll be able to show them the alternatives," Burger says. On top of that, the exchange rate on the dollar is at such a high point now that there's really never been a better time to travel abroad, Primak says. Mary Backen, a student assistant in the Interna tional Studies Office, has been working with Leslie Fournier on the Travel Fair plans since February. As a former European traveler herself, she's become familiar with the tricks to affordable traveling. "We just want to let students know that it's really possible for them to travel inexpensively," she says. "And it's especially inexpensive if you're willing to put up with a few hardships along the way." The Travel Fair will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. No distinctly American items like baseballs, hot dogs or apple pies will be permitted in the room. The following is a schedule of the foreign students' presentations: 11 a.m. Ali Shams, presentation on Egypt. 11:20 a.m. Katherine Nebon, international bike tours. 11:40 a.m. Anand Nadgir, presentation on India. Noon Philippe Gasquet, presentation on France. 12:30 p.m. lamila Murshid, presentation on Yeman and the role of women in the Middle East. 1 p.m. Alejandra Hernandez, presentation on Mexico. 1:20 p.m. Harold Koh, presentation on Singapore. Posters courtesy of eat h inuntry 1:45 p.m. Sonja and Christine Murphy, presentation on New Zealand. 2:15 p.m. Ralf Oberti, videotape of travel in Chile. 2:45 p.m. Charlotte Dahl, presentation on Denmark.