Traveling is getting expensive thanks to rising fuel and food costs, forcing many travelers to reconsider their plans and look for cheaper options as they hit the road. One option that is certainly growing in popularity are dorm room stays, a choice some colleges are making available when classes are not in session.

If you are planning a trip this summer and are looking for ways to save, the hallowed halls of a prestigious university are beckoning — the residence hall, that is! Yes, dorm living is cheap and offered at many prestigious universities around the world. Let’s take a look at some ways you can save and where you can stay:

Great Britain — If your travel has you going to the U.K., then visiting some of the prestigious universities located on the British Isles may have been part of your itinerary anyway. Some schools have put out the welcome mat to include overnight accommodations. VisitBritain has the information you need to find the dorm room you want.

Ireland — Historic Trinity College in Dublin offers serviced accommodations, just like what you find at a hotel. Without paying the steep price, you can see all of Ireland’s capital city and have enough money left over to splurge on a few niceties you can bring back with you to the states.

Australia – Summer stays down under are from December to March as the seasons below the equator are reversed. In Sydney, the calendar break is midNovember to midFebruary, at least at Sydney University. If you are part of a group, you may be able to arrange a stay at other times of the year too.

New Zealand — The University of Auckland opens up their dorms for the summer months too. Enjoy New Zealand’s most populous metropolitan area and see local North Island sites during your stay.

Canada — All across the country, colleges fling open their residence halls for visitors who want to explore sites from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. In Toronto, Massey College is offering nightly stays starting at C$55 or C$275 for a full week. Journeywoman has information about other Canadian colleges offering similar stay options.

USA — Not to be left out, many American colleges and universities are welcoming you too. The University of Chicago (Rockefeller Chapel, pictured) offers stays from $60 per night, while Mississippi State University in Starkville’s accommodations start at $25 per night. Other schools offering summer dorm stays include: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Cal - Berkeley; Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, NY; and Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA.

If you are not sure that a college has a program in place for individual accommodations, then call the school to find out.

You can still get away this summer without going broke. By staying “on campus” you can even out your expenses and enjoy local life.

Tags: Auckland, Australia, Berkeley, California, Canada, Dublin, England, Ireland, London, Massey College, Mississippi, New Zealand, Polytechnic University, Stanford, Sydney, Toronto, United Kingdom, University of Chicago

The owner of a zebra taken from its home as part of an Emory University prank is demanding justice.

Curtis Jackson, who lives one mile away from Emory’s Oxford campus in Newton County, GA, plans to press for theft and trespassing charges against the people who kidnapped his zebra, named Barcode. The 800-lb equine was found on the third floor of the university’s Seney Hall building last Wednesday morning by campus security. Barcode was unharmed and was returned later that morning to his owner by animal control personnel.

Jackson expressed surprise that Barcode wasn’t hurt when he was walked to the campus, but vows that the people behind the stunt be held responsible. An anonymous emailer claimed to be one of the persons involved in the zebra-napping, stating that it was a prank.

Emory University once had a “rich tradition” of quadruped pranks dating back to the 1930s. As recently as the 1960s, a cow was found in Seney Hall but until this most recent incident the pranks had not been repeated.

Further Reading

Pranksters Herd Zebra Into Oxford’s Seney Hall

Tags: Atlanta, Barcode, Emory University, Newton County, Oxford, zebra