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But worst of all, this trip emphasized what I have always considered to be the biggest downer of all in student travel: the choice of accommodations. In order to find decent enough rooms for a large group at a price that leaves profit for the company, they often choose accommodations that are FAR from the center of town. On this trip, our Nice hotel was the only one in the city. In Geneva, we stayed out on one of the highways into France at a motel conveniently located near a gas station; in Florence, we were in a large hotel well out of town; in Rome, we were past the airport, miles from the city; in Venice, we stayed at one of the summer resorts (where everything was closed in spring except our hotel) 15 miles from Venice; and in Lucerne, we stayed at a tiny village 10 miles from the city. Finally, the photograph on this page itself illustrates both the best and the worst. The best--I would probably have never seen Eze, the ancient hilltop town in the background on a trip that I planned by myself. The worst--I only got to see it from a distance; our stop was at the perfume factory so the guide could get one more chance at a kickback from sales to a captive group. |