Companies Team Up to Make Travel Affordable & Accessible for All
When StudentUniverse Business Development Manager Carlo Fabros first encountered Via at the 2019 CCIS Study Abroad Conference, he saw the potential for a great partnership between the two organizations.
Carlo Fabros, Business Development Manager at StudentUniverse.
So did Via.
Both share a commitment to powering global travel. Via does it through its Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that focuses on Traveler Relationship and Risk Management. StudentUniverse, a leading travel booking site, does it by partnering with 200+ airlines worldwide to give exclusive discounts to travelers under age 30.
Now the two companies are coming together to power affordable global experiences—directly within the Via platform. Once launched in late 2022, Via’s clients will be able to unlock StudentUniverse’s exclusive flight discounts for their students who are traveling abroad.
“It’s all about the user experience,” Carlo says. “Students will get the discounts they need to make study abroad accessible and affordable for them. Universities also benefit because we are a travel resource and provide support for them too.”
Cost of Study Abroad #1 Concern for Students
Partnering with StudentUniverse wasn’t a difficult decision, says Via Project Manager Chelsea Balderson. She points to a recent Via survey of 250,000 student travelers that showed study abroad cost was their top concern. To fund global experiences, most students surveyed said they relied on scholarships and financial aid, followed by family, savings and then jobs.
“We believe global experiences can make the world a better place,” Chelsea says. “Through this collaboration with StudentUniverse, we are ensuring global travel is accessible and affordable for all travelers.”
Via and StudentUniverse’s joint happy hour event at the NAFSA 2022 Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado.
Via + StudentUniverse Collaboration “Here for the Long Haul”
The partnership between StudentUniverse and Via also has been fun, Carlo notes. Via and StudentUniverse shared an exhibit space during this year’s NAFSA Conference in Denver, Colorado. The synergy between the two teams was palpable, Carlo says.
“Companies that were exhibiting around us said they wanted to be part of it,” Carlos says with a laugh. “If you were witnessing it, you wanted to be part of it. That’s how successful it was.”
The collaboration, he says, is just getting started.
“There is so much excitement with this partnership with Via,” Carlo says. “It’s going to be for the long haul.”
Let’s Connect
Powering global experiences for #everystudent and #everytraveler is what we do every day at Via through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that’s focused on Traveler Relationship and Risk Management. Via is always looking to partner with like-minded organizations like StudentUniverse. If you see an opportunity to collaborate with Via, please get in touch.
