Student Fares

Q: I am a student and am planning a trip this summer to Europe. I have searched several online-travel sites and the cheapest way to get there I have found is through Student Universe, which has a website at www.studentuniverse.com. The price they have listed for my destination is the cheapest, with plane tickets on Icelandair. My father thought it would be a good idea to ask you for your opinion of both the Web site and the airline.


A: Student Universe is a very legitimate travel vendor, and they do indeed offer students some of the lowest fares available. Their fares typically also come with fewer restrictions, such as advance purchase requirements and the usual 30-day maximum stay restriction associated with low cost fares. Icelandair is a solid airline, although you will have to change planes in Iceland (one reason why their fares are lower). However, you may want to explore the country for a few days, and you can probably stop over for little or no additional fare.