By Erin Kelley

Staff Writer

Summertime as a kid means playing in the sun and traveling to fun destinations with the family. But as a college student, it means working hard and studying even harder, leaving little time or money to take a vacation. However, with a little planning and consideration of costs, people can still afford a short getaway before fall semester starts up.

One way to cut expenses is to take a weekend getaway outside of the traditional weekend, said April Thaxter, manager of Travel Cuts, 616 E. Green St. It is much cheaper to travel on a Monday or Tuesday than it is on a Friday or Saturday. Destinations are also less busy during the week.

Donna Anderson, owner of Adventure Travel Incorporated, 517 E. University Ave., agreed with Thaxter. If flying, it is harder to get the lower fares on a Sunday or Friday because those are the two busiest travel days, she said.

When considering traveling somewhere farther away, Anderson suggested people consider flying instead.

“Driving can be more economical,” she said. “Really you need to do a cost comparison these days.”

If you are traveling in a group with four or more people, it is likely that it will be cheaper to drive, but it is important to consider how much time you have for your trip and how much of that time you want to spend driving, Anderson said.

Adventure Travel Incorporated specializes in overseas travel including helping people set up trips to the Caribbean, China and South America. It is important when booking a flight to keep in mind that everything is more expensive than a year ago.

“Everything costs more because of gas prices,” Anderson said. “Another reason airfares are so high is because of the taxes on the tickets.”

When considering a trip that involves flying, Thaxter advises students be ready to spend at least $500, depending on when and where they go. Planning far in advance will help keep the costs down as well.

“The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to get,” she said.

Travel Cuts is a full service agency that helps students and those on a tight budget plan a vacation. They have packages to sell or can help people customize their own trip. Thaxter said that taking a couple days and driving into one of the major cities nearby like Chicago, St. Louis or Indianapolis is a good getaway.

Anderson agreed about a trip to Chicago, and suggested that students try Oak Street Beach, which allows them to experience the beach while still having the city setting around them.

“Since we are here in the middle of nowhere, you really have to go into the city (for a different experience),” she said. “It’s hard because we don’t have coastlines or mountains here; you can drive for a couple hours and you still are surrounded by cornfields.”