Europe Beckons to Local Students, But Also to 500,000 Other Tourists

Despite the Harvard Summer School brochures, which picture summer in Cambridge as a paradise of enchanting weather and thrilling recreation, local students on vacation usually prefer to leave the exotic Yard for more everyday locations like Paris, Milan, or Madrid.

This year, as in the past, however, not everybody who would like to visit Europe between June and September will be able to make it. There is always the financial obstacle, of course, but almost equally prohibitive this summer is the record total of half a million American vacationer who are preparing to swarm across the Atlantic.

For the student who plans a vacation in Europe but doesn't yet know how he's getting there, the best course is to run right down to the nearest travel agency. After a few weeks' wait, and with the aid of considerable luck, he'll probably get the plane or steamship reservation he wants--for the summer of 1955, that is.

So far as this summer is concerned, most all-student ships and tourist-class accomodations on regular ships have been fully booked for months. There is always the chance of a cancellation, however, and applying now for reservations in June can do no harm. The special student sailings, when accomodations are available, cost approximately $160 one-way to Europe and, with the exception of swimming or getting a rare job on a tramp steamer, are probably the cheapest way of getting across. For details about these ships, and for information about any bookings, prices, or tours, the best plan is to consult a travel agent.

Regular tourist accomodations, which cost up to $40 more than student-ship fares are also nearly fully booked for this summer, but can still be obtained on certain ships leaving certain ports on certain dates. The student seeking one of these would do best to look for small ships which sail from Canadian ports, and which leave America either before or after the June 1--July 15 period. He'll probably still find, however, that it pays to make reservations up to a year in advance.

But above the tourist class, in the more expensive and less popular cabin first-class accomodations, leading steamship lines can still provide room on almost any sailing this summer. One-way prices range here from $220 to $285 for cabin berths, and from $325 up for first-class.

When making a one-way reservation, however, the student, if he's at all interested in showing up for classes in the fall, should make sure he can get back across the ocean. Westward sailings between August 20 and September 10 are even more crowded than those leaving the United States in June.

Undoubtedly the quickest way to get to Europe, albeit the most expensive, is by plane. And at this time of year air travel offers another advantage in that accomodations are still available for most summer flights. Prices, which are the objectionable factor here, are approximately $513 for roundtrip flights to London and $549 to Paris. As an added incentive, at least one air line offers arrangements whereby a passenger can stop off at ten or more European cities on one round-trip ticket.

Accomodations on regularly scheduled planes and ships may be scarce for this summer, but there's never much trouble in getting to Europe on a special tour. Certain travel agencies, in addition to organizations like Students' International Travel Association and the Youth Histels, sponsor guided, co-educational tours concentrating on anything from music to bicycling. Prices for the study tours vary from $540 to $1190, while the bicycle trips, including ocean passage and all expenses, can be had for as little as $300.

One item that cannot be overlooked or even postponed in planning summer travel abroad is a passport. Since ten days is the minimum period for having one unprocessed, immediate application is necessary. Passports can be obtained in Boston--with the aid of a certified birth certificate, two photographs, and a 21-year old witness who's known the applicant for three years--in the Main Post Office Building at Post Office Square.

Opportunities for summer travel are not limited to excursions across the Atlantic, however. For those who like steamboat accomodations that are nearly as expensive, but much easier to get, there are trips to various South American ports. An average fare here is $173, one-way, from Boston to Caracas, Venezuela, for students who prefer to do their traveling on land, and still cover considerable distances, bus companies offer continental tours ranging in price up to $899.92 for a 60-day trip to California and the Canadian Rockies.

Inexpensive travel within the country is possible as well, by such arrangements as driving new automobiles from Detroit to the western United States. Some Pacific Coast dealers pay drivers a small salary as well as expenses.

Even the student staying at Summer School need not give up all hopes of summer travel. Short local bicycle trips, ranging in price from $28 to $35, visit places like Cape Cod and Nova Scotia, and in addition the Summer School itself conducts weekend excursions to the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood.