Gil White knows the value of 84 cents.

In fact, according to White, it is possible to travel in Europe for only 84 cents per day.

White, a lecturer and world traveler, spoke Tuesday at the Marquette Student Goverment-sponsored "Europe on 84 Cents a Day" lecture at the Weasler Auditorium.

White traveled on "84 cents a day" as a student and said he never fails "to get looks of disbelief and amazement" from people when they learn this.

However, it "couldn't be closer to the truth," he said.

"The idea is to make great memories and learn about the culture," White said.

There are two ingredients in keeping costs down, he said.

The first is to have a "sincere interest in meeting the people and learning about the culture," and the second is to be "willing to repay" others for their help, White said.

"You have to be spontaneous and ready to do anything," he said.

Putting yourself on a small budget forces you to "get creative" and experience countries in different ways, he said.

"Traveling is a great education. You will learn so much about yourself, more than you learn in 18 years of your life," White said. "It's the best thing you'll ever do."

To keep traveling costs down, White suggests hitchhiking.

"People often wonder if it's risky," he said. "I never ran into any problems. Their culture is very friendly." "I never had one problem as a passenger," White said.

However, he urges students to ride trains for the first several weeks to "get used to the country."

For safety, women should take buses and trains from big cities into small towns and "then get rides in the smaller towns," he said.

In addition, there are other means of transportation, including cycling and riding the bus.

"Bicycling is a must through foreign cities," White said. "A lot of students will take a train the whole time. I want to change that."

White said students should not be afraid of traveling alone, because it is easy to meet new people.

Travelers should always watch belongings closely, especially on trains, and they should keep money inside of clothing, he said.

To further save money, White suggests staying with people from within the country.

"Don't be afraid to stay with strangers," he said. "These will be your best memories."

White said travelers are unofficial ambassadors for their home country, and it is "very important to make a good impression and repay people."

To repay people, White suggests offering to do "odd jobs" such as baby-sitting, cooking or offering gifts such as stamp or coin collections and American T-shirts and sweatshirts.

Evelyn Bohan, freshman in the College of Communication, said the lecture was "inspiring."

"It made me change my mind about what's possible for a college student's budget," she said.

Heather Cross, a senior in the College of Engineering, thought the lecture was "informative" but "not practical" for her, because she had already booked her trip.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 17 2005.