A new van/bus budget transportation service has begun between San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. It’s geared to young and young-at-heart travelers who want to be able to keep their trip plans flexible.
Adventure Network for Travelers, referred to simply as ANT, was started by three recent UCLA graduates, Bill Trento, Bob House and Tim Shaheen. After researching similar services in foreign countries they launched the San Francisco to Los Angeles section of their route in late May. In August they added tours between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. So far they have transported 1,400 people.
ANT passengers can purchase tickets for the complete route (in either direction) or just segments of it. Their tickets are valid for six months, allowing them to “hop on and hop off” as they choose. Vehicles range from an 8-person van to 47-passenger tour buses. The average size is a 23-passenger mini-bus.
The driver/guide makes stops at scenic points and interesting sites along the route. Stops are also made at grocery stores or facilities that offer economical meals. The staff person will recommend budget accommodations and drop off and pick up passengers at those locations. Although the focus is on budget travel, assistance is also available for those who want to pamper themselves with more upscale lodgings.
The company arranges discounts, services and activities along the route. When the bus stops for a paid activity, a free alternative is also available.
The fare for travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco is $59–or $109 round trip. You would need a minimum of 2 1/2 days to cover the route. Opportunities include riding ATVs on sand dunes, observing beached elephant seals and walking among giant redwood trees. City stops include Monterey, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo. All trips stay overnight in Monterey (not included in ticket price). There are also stops at scenic points and sites of interest, such as Big Sur, Big Basin, Pismo Beach and Hearst Castle. There are three departures each week in both directions.
ANT trips between Los Angeles and Las Vegas are $29, with Los Angeles to Flagstaff $84 and Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon $59. There are two departures per week. This route includes stops at the popular factory outlet stores in Barstow, the world’s tallest roller coaster in Primm, the Hoover Dam and approximately five hours of time at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (including park entrance fee). For round trips, you would need a minimum of four days and three nights for Los Angeles-Grand Canyon and two days and one night for Las Vegas-Grand Canyon.
Tickets can be purchased at participating hostels and hotels, or directly from ANT at 870 Market St., Suite 416, San Francisco, Calif. 94102. (The office is next door to the Visitors Center.) You can get further information on the Adventure Network for Travelers at 415-399-0880, by e-mail at anttrip@aol.com or on their Web site at www.theant.com.
Aussie e-mail
Student UNI Travel, an Australia travel service geared to budget adventurers, is offering foreign visitors the use of free e-mail services in four major Australian cities.
You can have e-mail sent to your attention at one of these offices and it will be held for 14 days. In Sydney, Student UNI Travel is located at Level 8/92 Pitt St. (011-61-2-9232-8444); have your mail addressed to your attention at sydney@backpackers.net. E-mail to be picked up in Melbourne should be addressed to you at melbourne
@backpackers.net and picked up at 440 Elizabeth St. (011-61-3-9662-4666). The Perth office is at 513 Wellington St. (011-61-8-9321-8330), and the e-mail address is perth@backpackers.net. In Darwin, Student UNI Travel is at 50 Mitchell St. (011-61-8-8981-3388) with e-mail to be sent to darwin@
backpackers.net. A fifth office is scheduled to open in Cairns in January.
Student UNI Travel also offers economical opportunities for getting the feel and flavor of the outback. You don’t have to have any riding experience to sign on for one-week Jackaroo and Jillaroo courses (a Jackaroo is an Australian cowboy).
Jackaroo and Jillaroo Outback Experiences are five-day courses, which begin every Monday and cost about $208 U.S. Travelers spend a week on an Australian sheep and cattle station learning all there is to know about life in the country. The course includes horseback riding, mustering and shoeing, fencing, training working dogs, milking cows and swimming with the horses. Dormitory accommodation with bedding and meals is included, plus riding equipment. Groups range from 10 to 15 people. An 11-day version starts every third Monday and costs about $361.
Through Student UNI Travel it’s also possible to join up with an eight-day cattle drive and sleep out under the stars (tents provided if you want one). This six-night adventure, meals included, costs about $263.
For more details drop into a Student UNI Travel office, contact them at Level 8, 92 Pitt St., Sydney NSW 2000 Australia (011-61-2-9232-8444) or by e-mail at Sydney@backpackers.net. Student UNI Travel has a site on the Web site at www.backpackers.net
Budget New York
The Y’s Way International has introduced its 1998 packages for economical visits to New York City. The packages offer your choice of two YMCA locations.
The Vanderbilt YMCA at 224 E. 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017 (212-756-9600), is located on Manhattan’s fashionable East Side. You’ll find it in the same neighborhood as the United Nations and Grand Central Station. It has 370 rooms, each with air-conditioning and television. Bathrooms are shared. There’s a restaurant, gift shop, tour desk, two swimming pools and fitness facilities. The closest subway station is Grand Central Station.
The West Side YMCA is at 5 W. 63rd St., New York N.Y. 10023 (212-787-4400). It is located just off Central Park West and is close to the Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History and Broadway. It has 500 rooms with air-conditioning and television. There are shared bathrooms. There’s a restaurant, gift shop, tour desk, fitness facilities, a swimming pool, plus racquet ball and handball courts. The closest subway station is Columbus Circle.
The three-day Y’s Way to See New York packages include two nights’ accommodation, two continental breakfasts and a visit to the Empire State Building plus its virtual reality ride–the New York Skyride. This package also includes entrance to the American Museum of Natural History (home to more than 30 million cultural artifacts and scientific specimens) and local walking tours conducted by the Y. The cost is $139 single or $101 per person for twin room accommodation.
The four-day version of this package includes three nights’ accommodation, three breakfasts, a dinner, a Double Decker Tour, a 90-minute New York Harbor Cruise and entrance to the Museum of Natural History. The cost is $215 single, $159 per person, twin.
The five-day package includes four nights’ accommodation, four breakfasts, a dinner, a Community Outerborough Tour (the 3 1/2-hour tours range from visits to Harlem to the Bronx and Brooklyn), a 3 1/2-hour Circle Line Boat Cruise and a tour to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The cost is $278 single, $204 per person, twin.
An eight-day package includes seven nights’ accommodation, seven breakfasts, a dinner, a Double Decker Bus Tour, a walking tour, a Community Outerborough Tour and a visit to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The cost is $423 single, $304 per person, double.
Y’s Way packages include daily YMCA membership, so you can make use of the health and fitness facilities. For more details contact the Y’s Way at 224 E. 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017 (212-308-2899).
