Estimate lodging expenses

Here costs can vary widely. Cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, and New York have very high lodging costs. Smaller cities and towns can be a bargain, are easier to navigate, and often have friendly people and historic charm. While smaller cities may lack the cultural amenities of the larger cities, and may not be as big a “draw” for your student audience, these oft-overlooked burgs may have resources that relate to the study of psychology, particularly if they are a university town.

Check out the youth hostels, especially in expensive cities. Hostelling International is a nonprofit federation of hostel organizations. Hostel accommodations today can range from private rooms with private bathrooms to shared dorm-style rooms with shared bathroom and shower. Compare hostel prices and amenities with what you find on search engines such as booking.com to see what will meet your needs and the cost. As a general estimate, if you are going “hostel” you can expect to pay between $28 – $45 per person per night. Hostels generally include breakfast, linens, and a youth-friendly atmosphere where students may meet fellow travelers from around the world.

One and two star value-priced hotels can be a good deal as well, but do check to make sure that each room has an ‘en suite’ private bathroom. If you are booking into a ‘value priced’ one or two star hotel in most of Europe you can expect to pay between $45 and $80 per person per night.

Some value-priced hotels have rooms that can accommodate 3, 4, or even 5 per room. It can cut lodging cost significantly to have more than 2 persons per room when possible. It is often worthwhile to email a hotel directly, tell them the dates, number of nights, number of persons, and desire for breakfast and a ‘group rate’. They may make you a better offer than you would get on the booking site and you can book the whole group at once. (Booking sites may only allow you to book up to 6 persons at one time). Always try to get refundable bookings whenever possible.

Universities may have residence hall rooms available for tourists or groups visiting the university. These may or may not be a bargain, but it may be worth checking to see if on-campus lodging options exist.

Try to get breakfast included in the cost of lodging, if not it is worth paying extra, typically about $10 per night per person. However unless your students have breakfast “included” they will skip it and very likely be irritable and distracted by midmorning.

Do note that the prices on hotel booking websites may be listed in local currency, in which case you will either want to click a link to get the currency display to your liking or check the rates using a currency calculator like Oanda.com. Don’t forget that unless your university is paying your lodging expense separately, the cost of faculty leaders’ room(s) must be included in the budget.

One way to save significant money on a study abroad trip is to arrange to have your students stay with local “host” families or students in their residences, instead of a hotel or hostel. If your trip involves visiting a foreign university this may be possible. There may be some need for oversight to help ensure student safety. Your university may require that names, addresses, and contact information be supplied for all hosts and/or have other requirements. This option requires additional planning but has many benefits. Not only does this reduce expenses significantly, it allows the students to have a richer experience, learn more about the culture and the people of the host nation, and vice versa.