Traveling on a budget requires a lot of creative maneuvering, compromise, and living out of your comfort zone. There will be times where flights, hostels, and transportation will offer lower prices than their regular listings, so bargain hunters will bend over backwards trying to maximize their travel funds by securing less than ideal prices. This will happen to every college student who has ever dreamed of dropping their books in the dust and heading off to the horizon; you know, unless you're the new Mark Zuckerberg before you graduate college. Not that you can be blamed, of course. Adventure and travel are incredibly vital tools to develop crucial lifetime skills, but I'm here to tell you that scoring the cheapest deal on that flight to paradise or skimping on that Uber at midnight will come with more consequences than perks during your travels.
1. Budget Airlines
Being from the sunny Southern California coast, I've just come to accept flights to anywhere are expensive. For instance, a flight from Los Angeles to Davis is $150 on a good day, but that price could easily fluctuate to a whopping $250 or more on holidays if not booked months in advance. Keep in mind, this flight is within the same state.
Now in Europe, flying from one country to another can be less than $100. For frugal college travelers, this can be nothing short of a dream come true. What this cheap price doesn't imply, however, is that you'll have to arrive at your destination at midnight. Also, you'll have to depart two days later as early as 6:30 a.m. which means you'll have to be up at 5 a.m. to make your flight. Which honestly really means you'll have to be up at 4:30 a.m. to make sure you have everything and have enough time to get dressed, double-check your belongings, and tie all loose ends.
Oh and getting to the airport? Don't even think about public transportation. If you don't want to be up at those ungodly hours, chances are bus and trains conductors don't want to be either. That means that whatever money you managed to save on the flight will go directly into accommodating your to-and-back trips to the airport.
2. Hostels and Hotels
We've all read that one travel article about singles and couples selling all of their worldly possessions to go and explore the world and realize life's meaning, but what they don't tell you about is the headache you'll get from trying to get the cheapest price in a city you'll only be in for 48 hours. Take Rome, for instance. Rome is the cultural capital of the world if you ask me, and college students booking trips that range within those precious 2,880 minutes understand they'll have to miss a thing or two in their sightseeing if they want to get the most done. However, what a lot of college students don't take into consideration is the time spent commuting from place to place.
If you want to score the cheapest housing option, chances are your hostel or hotel will be located miles and miles from the cultural site. And don't be shocked! Hostels and hotels know they can get you to splurge if they're closer to the Trevi Fountain, because when travelers are coming and going on a time limit, they know they want to do the most they can on their limited time table.
Not to mention, flights that arrive in the wee hours of the morning don't get a special accommodation after regular check-in hours. As a result, you're probably going to be homeless during your first few hours in a new country, because you decided saving $20 was worth it.
Between you and me, getting the more expensive flight arriving and departing at reasonable hours will save you from spending on private transportation. It's like financial karma, and you're a college student who can't ever catch a break.
3. Taxis and Ubers
So your midnight flight is scheduled, centrally located hostel is booked, but you realize you don't know how you're going to get to A and B in a brand new city. You've been living it up at home with your car or the bus and train routes you know, but I assure you new countries come with new public transportation that don't necessarily run on your schedule. Also, now would be a good time to mention that Europe, unlike the U.S., doesn't run buses and trains at ungodly hours to make the most profit. They actually treat their employees like human beings, and they don't schedule working hours for them past midnight and before 4 a.m.
Weird, right?
Well, if you can't get the bus, take the shuttle, or ride the train, what are you going to do? You've probably never considered taking a taxi or Uber because you've heard from one friend of a friend three years ago in that obscure dark alley that they're expensive. You know what they didn't tell you, though? Taxis and Ubers usually do run at ridiculous hours because they know travelers like you will pay them to take you wherever you need to go.
Ah, money; I love to hate you as much as you hate to love me.
Money is a very real and concrete factor during travels, but being frugal during the most essential parts of your travels is not worthwhile. In the end, you'll realize that whatever money you saved on that flight will be accounted for in midnight taxi missions to your hostel or hotel in an unfamiliar country. In hindsight that sounds like a delightful adventure you can share in the future, but when you're facing the reality, it's almost as dire as the plot summary for Taken. And unless your dad is Liam Neeson, any price for the sake of safety is never too expensive.
