One of what's looking like Europe's best July concerts, the awesome Oxegen music festival this weekend in Dublin, has got a new and improved mobile phone app for this year's festivities. Take note if you're going, as it looks indispensable: live sitemap, list of stage times (including a real-time now and next feature), latest Oxegen news as it happens, travel and safety info, artist profiles, stage by stage guide, video highlights, live games, torch, people (like your companions) finder, virtual lighter, links and upload facilities for Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube,and even more.

Starting today (Wednesday, July 8), text OXEGEN to 51000 or Bluetooth the app onsite beginning Thursday, which is also when camping sites open for pre-function fun and entertainment. Big music starts Friday; enjoy the weekend!

• Learn more: Ireland's Oxegen Festival

Related reading: Top Summer Concerts in Europe | Good Dublin Hostels | Ireland and Britrail Youth Train Passes | Backpacking Europe 101

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One of the best tips I've seen on keeping bugs at bay while traveling in skeet-central spots: roll some bug dope around the edge of your bed before turning in. Roll-on bug dope is rare, though, and all bug dope which really works stinks to high heaven -- except Crocodile natural insect repellent, a DEET-less all natural insect repellent which happens -- yes -- to come in a roll-on.

I have reservations about getting personal with goop that I must pat lightly on my clothes for fear that it may touch my skin (that would be DEET), but I'm all good with this stuff after field-testing it for a few years now on roughly umpteen bazillion mosquitos and sand fleas. Check it out:

• Crocodile Natural Insect Repellent

Related Reading: About Malaria and Travel | Insect Repellent (DEET, Picaridin) and Malaria | Do You Need Immunizations for Travel? | How to Avoid Infectious Disease Abroad | Camping

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Expect to spend $8-$35 on a single hostel bunk. For your money, you'll get a bunk and shared bathroom unless you're going flashpacker style in a more expensive single hostel room, which may have its own bath and can cost up to $75. More than that, and it ain't a hostel -- it's a B and B and you may see your grandparents there.

Learn more about hostels in the Student Travel hostel FAQ:

• Hostel Frequently Asked Questions

Related Reading: Top 10 Hostel Questions | All About Hostels | Finding Student Accommodations | Hostel Discount Cards | Private Hostel Rooms

Photo © Kathleen Crislip | Student Travel blog home | Share on Facebook |

Last minute US airfares literally too much, and can't afford to drive? Even using a student airfare finder like STA may not produce an airfare price adequate for practical penuriousness and spontaneity -- student standby from Airtran, though, may be just the ticket for last minute plans. Airtran offers one way domestic standby tickets at a discount to travelers under 23 years old; called Airtran U, the student airfares are either $69 or $89, no matter when you fly -- provided you go standby.

Flying standby is no picnic, but it's a whole lot cheaper than paying full freight for an impulse or emergency US airfare -- and Airtran U is often cheaper than any domestic student airfare, period. Think about Airtran U next time you need a last minute student airfare and the travel cost exasperation exacerbated by excessively expensive gas may be alleviated.

• Learn about Airtran U

Related: Current Deals on Student Airfares This Week | Student Airfare Finders | Student Travel Discounts | Calculate Gas Mileage | Road Trips 101 | US Summer Fun

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Who's got the biggest Fourth of July celebration happening? AAA reports that 37 million folks are traveling this holiday weekend, meaning you're bound to find crowds everywhere, but if you want the biggest Fourth of July fireworks blast, try Boston and Philadelphia. For booms with a view, head to Lake Tahoe in the mountains near Reno. Visiting the US and can't decide? Every little town in America has something delightful happening on the fourth of July -- and some small cities have some seriously big scenes; stop in anywhere and you're sure to get a show.

• Boston Fourth of July
• New York City Fourth of July
• Philadelphia Fourth of July
• Washington DC Fourth of July
• Tahoe Fourth of July

Related: Road Trips 101 | US Summer Fun

Photo: courtesy PDPhoto.org | Student Travel blog home | Share on Facebook |

Denmark's Roskilde Festival is everything you'd expect from a great music festival and then some: partiers exceed 90,000 and activities and acts exceed great for this gigundo extravaganza commencing July 2 (warm-ups and camping kick off June 28). The same weekend will also see Belgium's Rock Werchter, a four-day music festival literally beside the road 15 kilometers from Leuven -- tough decision re: where to party the first weekend in July, but make it snappy: Rock Werchter tickets are sold out, though you can get waitlisted.

• Roskilde Festival Details
• Rock Werchter Details
• Best Summer Concerts and Music Festivals in Europe (including links to buy tickets)

Related: Backpacking Europe 101 | Denmark and Belgium Rail Passes | What's *your* best summer concert of 2009?

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If your train familiarity is limited to Amtrak, you know that though the ride (really, really) rules, Amtrak's routes can be lacking; this blog carnival featuring train trips, tips, trivia, pix, and routes from About.com Guides 'round the world is a good way to get that trains in other countries, especially Europe, are frequently the finest way to fly, with fantastic routes that get you where you want to go and stations that are often (seriously) steps from a hostel door.

And if convenience and cost matter less in rail-riding motivation than getting off the beaten tracks or experiencing awesome scenery, you can also see lots o' tremendously terrific train trips, like the Mexico's Copper Canyon train (oh man -- love that) or the opulant and elegant Orient Express. Check it out and see for yourself how truly tops the train travel thing is globally:

• "Tracks:" A Train Travel Blog Carnival

Related reading: Blog Carnival: New Seven Wonders of Nature | Weird and Wacky Festivals Worldwide | Ancient Sites Around the World Blog Carnival | Adrenalin-Charged Blog Carnival

Screenshot courtesy About.com and Susan Breslow Sardone | Student Travel blog home | Share on Facebook |

Some good Eurail sales on this summer and this one's ending June 30: a Eurail pass special giving you up to 75 percent off future passes with a purchase. Learn more:

• Eurail Pass Special

And check out the Eurail anniversary special on now while you're considering saving some bucks on European train tickets -- book a Eurail 8-day Select Pass through Rail Europe from June 1 to July 31, 2009, and you’ll get two additional days free. Learn more:

• About Rail Europe's Eurail Pass Credit Special

Happy bargain hunting!

Related reading: What Are "Days" on a Eurail Pass? | How Eurail Passes Work | Buying Eurail Passes and Tickets | Point to Point European Train Tickets | Backpacking Europe Tips

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"7 Ways to Annoy a Flight Attendant," an anonymous piece providing accurate descriptions of aggravating plane passengers (to more folks than just those in the flight crew) is worth a read over at Read more...

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act, which has a goal of sending one million US students abroad annually in a decade's time, was recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, legislation aimed at enhancing US foreign policy efforts. With an emphasis on destinations in developing countries, the Simon Act will provide financial support to US students studying abroad and require schools to address on-campus factors that keep students from study abroad*; the bill's requiring a financial commitment from schools to make study abroad more accessible to all.

Though this is a great step forward, the bill still needs to pass the Senate -- you can help:

• Write Your US Senator

Learn what this may mean to your future study abroad plans:

• Simon Study Abroad Act FAQ
• About the Study Abroad Foundation Act

Related reading: Why We Need a Gap Year | Palin's Travel Attitude More Troubling Than Passport Lack | About Study Abroad | Great Study Abroad Blogs | Will my existing financial aid apply to study abroad? | Finding Federal and Private Study Abroad Financial Aid | Finding Federal Study Abroad Financial Aid | Finding Private Sources of Study Abroad Financial Aid | Financing Study Abroad

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