A Generation of Change, Growth

I recently did a group presentation in one of my international studies classes about Peak Oil. Proponents of the Peak Oil theory say we achieved the highest oil production in 1970. After 1970, oil became (and is still) harder to find, leading to offshore drilling in places like the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and Africa. Good relations with the countries in the Persian Gulf became increasingly important, as they have the largest oil reserves. This topic got me thinking about the future of our generation. Our world is running out of easily accessible oil and we have not developed adequate alternative energy to replace oil as the main fuel source. How will we handle this responsibility that will fall squarely on our shoulders? We need to be catalysts of change.

I want to think positive, I want to believe we will rise above the predictions that we will be the first generation to be less well off than our parents. I want to believe we will be the pioneers of energy alternatives that actually work. Growing up during the shift from the prosperous 90s to the beleaguered 2000s should inspire us to work harder and not expect someone else to fix things for us. Insert Jimmy Carter's malaise speech here. In my opinion, the surge in gas prices in 2008 should have been the perfect thing to shock us into changing. People were driving for necessity instead of convenience. According to a CNN survey, SUV and truck sales, many of which get as little as 12 miles to the gallon in the city, dropped 25 percent in 2008. The general public noticed an increase in advertising campaigns with the words green or recycled in them.

There is still a high concentration of the latter, but after gas prices went back down at the beginning of 2009, SUV and truck sales picked back up, and those beasts are back on the roads. In the long run, it might have been better if gas prices had stayed outrageously high because it would have had a more lasting effect on our generation, the way the Great Depression affected our grandparents' generation. They always push us to finish all of the food on our plates or to only get new clothes or shoes when we really need them.

If our grandparents belonged to the greatest generation because of their ability to come back from adversity and if our parents' generation is characterized by rebellion caused at least in part by the Vietnam War, what will define us when future generations look back? Our parents' generation remembers exactly where they were when JFK was assassinated. We remember where we were Sept. 11, 2001. Our parents remember the Vietnam War, we will remember the wars in the Middle East. We will be affected by the economic downturn, which has followed us into adulthood. We are constantly reminded of our economic malaise every time we hear Jay Sean's lyric "And honestly, I'm down like the economy."
Let's hope we rise to the challenge of our generation and learn from past mistakes. Without a secure fuel source, we cannot do anything. We need to expend more resources on research of alternative fuels rather than alternative ways to drill for oil and be more conscious about cutting back on our fuel consumption.
John Mayer observed "one day our generation is gonna rule the population and we keep on waiting for the world to change." We need to stop waiting.

Jetsetter, StudentUniverse

Attention, Travelophiles!

Hillaire Billock once said, “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment”. I agree whole-heartedly with this statement, and would venture to say that aside from requirement, this is the reason many students choose to study abroad during their time in college. At first, it’s all a whirlwind of excitement, choosing where to go, which courses to take, meeting other people who are going with you – but then the reality of shelling out the big bucks for airfare hits you. Then, all those places you want to visit over there via train? More money. The hostels you’ll stay in while visiting said places? Even more money. Paying for coffee, meals, and any other miscellaneous things? Forget it. Fortunately, there is a way to keep costs down.

Since beginning college four years ago, I have been turned on to several “student-friendly” travel outlets. Studentuniverse.com is perhaps the most well-known. They have been in operation for nearly 10 years, providing student discounts on airfares (with greater discounts for groups of 12 or more), hotels and hostels, rail passes, rental cars, and travel insurance. They recently expanded their target market to faculty, recent graduates and students aged 18-25. Their search engine provides travel date flexibility for up to three days. It is also worth checking out the GoingGlobal section of the StudentUniverse website, as they offer extremely interesting travel blogs by StudentUniverse staff members, hostel guides, and helpful travel tips related to every aspect of your trip, including space-saving while packing, cutting time at the airport, and ways to not look like a tourist when abroad.

To those who do not have study abroad plans on the horizon, but your travel dreams are bigger than your travel budget, Jetsetter.com may be the answer. Jetsetter is a branch of Gilt Groupe, Inc., the site offering discounts on high-end fashion. Jetsetter follows a similar blueprint, offering discounts on luxury hotels, cruises, and tours, some in popular tourist destinations, but many in places one would never think of. “It tempts you to visit places you never intended to, or were too financially strapped to consider,” The Washington Post states. A customer could select a destination anywhere from The Greenbrier, a luxury resort in the West Virginia mountains, to a sprawling waterfront property in Sri Lanka. “Jetsetter [is] more focused on discovery and experience,” CEO David Patterson commented, “we’re looking for something distinctive and memorable.”

The site also caters to those with a competitive side, due to the time constraints on offers for seeming once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities. The sales typically last for five to seven days, and customers can hold a trip for 10% of the cost for 72 hours. The deposit can be used for that trip, or saved for a different getaway later in the year. For any given on-sale destination, Jetsetter provides several photographs and descriptions of rooms available, plus a calendar of available dates, many times for several months out.

When Jetsetter first launched, many were skeptical that the attractiveness of 30-40% off a trip to a luxury destination would cloud customers’ judgment. They could be fooled into paying a seemingly less price, when another discount travel site offered the same trip for an actual lower fee. However, this does not seem to be the case with Jetsetter – NY Times writer Michelle Higgins found that in an albeit not-so-scientific check of several private sales, those sites beat prices offered by places Expedia.com or Orbitz.com. One of the caveats of Jetsetter, though, is that it is a community accessible through invitation from a current member, or by putting your e-mail on a membership waiting list. However, a Google search for “Jetsetter + private sale + invite” yielded a site that provided Jetsetter and Gilt Groupe invitations.

Think of the savings to be had when combining a flight purchased from StudentUniverse and a hotel from Jetsetter! I suggest, when checking these sites out, to sign up for e-mail alerts about the cheapest flight options or upcoming destination sales to get a leg up on the travel competition. Veni, vidi, servi.