You’ve been working overtime in the classroom all year, and now that it’s summer (providing you don’t have any summer classes to teach), it’s time to stretch your wings and fly. Yes, travel is rejuvenating – and can also bring you so much more global knowledge to utilize in your teaching. But travel can also be expensive – so how do you afford all this travel, to satisfy your love of learning and still have a balanced budget?

A male Rose-ringed Parakeet at Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Malaysia. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons: BudgetTravelAccommodation

Never fear – it’s doable! Here is a list of Teacher Travel Discounts for you to peruse – let us know what worked for you – and where you’re headed!

"The Big Bus Sightseeing Company" open top tour bus in Trafalgar Square, London. Photo Wikimedia Commons: Mattbuck

Teacher Travel Discounts

Yellow Tram in Lisbon. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons: Budget Travel Accommodation, adapted by Wandering Educators

Lodging

Accommodations are always one of the largest expenses of travel. In a recent Yahoo! Travel article, entitled Teachers! Get Away This Summer for Less!, several excellent discounts are outlined - with details. Genius!

If you prefer a homestay or home exchange, you can save money on accommodations by joining Teachers Travel Web or Educators Travel Network. 

Before you make a hotel reservation, ask if they have any teacher discounts. You might be surprised!

Castle Wynd, Argyll – now a youth hostel. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons: Elissa Rolle

Transportation

Did you know STA Travel (one of our favorite student travel organizations) offers teacher airfares, the International Teacher ID Card (which saves you money on entrance fees around the world – GET ONE), and discounts for group educational travel? Learn more at http://www.statravel.com/teacher-discounts.htm.

If you are part of the NEA (National Education Association), you can receive many educator discounts as part of your membership. Check here for the latest: http://www.neamb.com/travel/

Scene in Kattiawar, Travellers and Escort. Artist: Stanfield, W Clarkson (1794-1867). Medium: Aquatint, coloured. Date: 1830. This is plate 10 from Robert Melville Grindlay's 'Scenery, Costumes and Architecture chiefly on the Western Side of India'. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Packages

Disney offers occasional Teacher Discounts. Check their website, and be sure to ask your teachers’ union for any potential ticket, hotel, or package discounts.

Attractions

Many museums, art institutes, zoos, attractions, and aquariums offer free or discounted admission with your teacher ID. Some attractions (including Colonial Williamsburg) offer reduced entrance fees with your ID. It’s a good idea to research details beforehand – for instance, the Art Institute of Chicago requires Illinois educators (including homeschoolers) to visit the Crown Resource Center to register to get an Educator Annual Pass.

CityPASS offers 10% off their passes with an International Teacher ID Card (get one at STA Travel, see link above).

Anders Zorn (1860-1920). Omnibus, 1891/92, Oil on canvas, 99,5 x 66 cm, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Technology

Of course, you’ll be bringing a laptop or device! Many technology brands have educator discounts. For instance, Apple has an educator discount program, check to see if your school participates: http://store.apple.com/us-hed/findyourschool. It’s always a good idea to ask before you buy, no matter the brand! Also check for your cell phone plans – several companies offer educator discounts.

Kermit Roosevelt Photographing a Damaliscus c. 1909. Just after President Theodore Roosevelt's second term ended in March 1909, he set sail for British East Africa, serving as the commander of an expedition to obtain specimens for the Smithsonian Institution. An eminent big-game hunter, Roosevelt led a team that included his son Kermit, who acted as the safari's official photographer, and naturalist Edmund Heller, who was responsible for taking photographs, writing specimen descriptions, and caring for the large mammals they collected. The expedition's specimens were displayed in the Smithsonian's new museum of natural history the following year. Wikimedia Commons: Smithsonian Institute Archives

Dining

Many restaurants in the USA offer teacher discounts, including Pizza Hut, UNO Chicago Grill, and Schlotzky’s. Or try street food – go where it is most crowded for best food turnover (and reputation).

Takoyaki. Magome Bunshimura Dai Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival at Magome Writer's Village), Tokyo. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons: Bernat from Minami-Magome, Ota, Tokyo.

Turkish Bagel Seller, Istanbul. Photo Wikimedia Commons: Zorro2212

What to wear?

Several national clothing chains offer educator discounts with ID. These include Coldwater Creek, J Jill, Ann Taylor LOFT, New York and Co, J. Crew, the Limited, Aerosoles, Eddie Bauer, Talbots, Banana Republic, Madewell, Macy’s,  and CJ Banks. Not sure a store offers a discount? Just ask!

Hotel Kosciuscko, brochure dated 1938-1941. Photo Wikimedia Commons: NSW Records.

Reading

Many bookstores offer teacher discounts or discount programs, including B&N, Half Price Books, Books-a-Million, Book Warehouse, and Schulers.

So you’re dressed, packed, and ready to head out. Where are you going? And how much money did you save?! Please share if you’ve discovered a new discount!