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.