Locating Facilities & Accommodations For Your Faculty-Led Program
Locating meeting and accommodation facilities for your faculty-led study abroad program can be time-consuming and difficult if you don’t have any personal/professional contacts. If you have a city in mind for your study abroad program, it’s best to start looking through the city’s colleges and universities. Higher education institutions almost always have facilities available for rent (at lower cost), especially during the break periods when there aren’t as many students attending.
If the colleges and universities don’t have anything that fits your study abroad program’s needs, or they are simply too expensive, then ask them if they know of any other facilities that might be available in the city, and explore those options as well as local hostels. Hostels have changed dramatically over the years. We’ve run across several that not only provide kitchen facilities and accommodations, but also meeting space that accommodates large groups (like faculty-led study abroad).
While not an exhaustive list, there are a few resources that might help you locate suitable meeting and accommodation facilities for your faculty-led study abroad program. You may wish to start by reading Rick Steves’ Europe: Apartment Rental by the Week – a nice article about how to find villas and other vacation rentals throughout Europe.
Helpful Resources
Rentalo.com – You can find great rates for your faculty-led study abroad program, like $135 for two-bedroom apartments in Paris.
Sublet.com – Apartment rentals, rooms, and houses around the world that make nice homes and classrooms for faculty-led study abroad programs.
Tripseurope.com – Just for Paris Apartment rentals, for those faculty-led study abroad programs interested in France.
Venuemasters – Great for booking rooms in universities across the UK (for conferences, study abroad, etc.).
Viviun.com – A nice directory of international rentals & properties, good for study abroad programs