Great Hotels

Yes, great! Where great has to do mainly with location.

Location is everything — a far more important consideration than the few dollars your people might save by traveling with a "budget" student tour operator.

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with a budget student tour operator. Except maybe that they're too big, and that with even the best will in the world, they will have no choice but to put your group many, many miles away from Big Ben, or the Eiffel Tower, or the Vatican. From way out there, it's just as though you were in a different country, and not London, Paris, or Rome.

Is that how you want to save a hundred dollars, or two hundred dollars, or even (sometimes) a bit more?

The answer to that question is a resounding "No!" You don't want to travel all the way to Europe (or points beyond) to save money you could more easily save at home.

Instead, look for a serious educational travel sponsor (like passports, or ACIS for that matter) who will come right out and tell you that you're going to spend a bit more, but on a trip of a lifetime. A trip you've waited a long time to take.

(The food's also better too, but that's another story.)