During the summer, many students take the opportunity to travel for reasons from vacationing with friends to working as interns. This year, however, students are considering factors other than just fun or learning when scheduling their summer travel plans. The ongoing recession that has caused thousands to lose their jobs is forcing students to get creative when planning their summers.
Maggy Donaldson, a junior at UW-Madison, will be spending her summer studying in Germany.
""[My internship abroad] is scholarship-based, so I will have to pay for a few little things, but for the most part it's covered,"" Donaldson said. ""Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to do it.""
Besides scholarships, students also find other solutions so that paying for their travels will not be as big of a burden on their pockets.
UW-Madison junior Will Marx will be participating in a project in Turkey this summer, something that would be difficult for him without making extra money.
""I'm going to be working when I'm there, so it's not going to cost me much,"" Marx said.
In some cases, however, the recession will assist in paying for travel expenses.
""The dollar is going up compared to the euro, so it's going to help us out,"" said Rich Pang, a sophomore at UW-Madison. This summer, Pang is traveling through Europe with UW-Madison sophomore Michael Armstrong. The two of them still had to make a few sacrifices to make the trip possible.
""I worked all year before the recession, so I wasn't really in a position where it would affect me,"" Armstrong said. Even with these savings, Armstrong said they still have no excuse for frivolous spending.
""We are looking for cheaper options,"" Armstrong said. ""We are not staying in any hostels or hotels, and we chose to bike because it was the cheapest for transportation."" Instead, they will be camping.
Even though students are going through a recession, finding new ways to fund their trips will keep summer vacation a culturing experience for students like Pang and Armstrong.
