Every student at one time or another has had the urge to travel and experience different cultures throughout the world. However, they are all faced with the same dilemma. Money. That one word has been the excuse used by youth for many years, and it is time for that to change. The idea that you have to be rich to travel could not be further from the truth.
Jim Lawrence, a man who traveled around the world for eight years on almost no money stated, "To travel cheap, you need to be looking for opportunities and be willing to take them. You have to be somewhat proactive and not be afraid to ask for advice, help, guidance. Ask for what you want—it's amazing what people are willing to give. I discovered that most people are very willing and are looking to give to the right person. You miss 100 percent of the opportunities you don't take..."
Fly for free- There are countless ways to earn free flights. The excuse of "I can't afford to fly" is a thing of the past. You sign up for travel credit cards and collect miles over time in order to get your flights for free. Often times travel credit cards offer large sign-up bonuses that get you on your way to free miles very quickly. You can collect miles and also hotel points through simple things such as online bonuses, surveys, category bonuses, and special offers. If for whatever reason you do not have credit cards and would not like to go that route there are still other options. You can sign up for airline mailing lists, by doing so you have access to many deals where you can receive tons of free miles towards an airline. Another thing you can do is to shop at the airlines member stores. Every airline has partnerships with the major stores: Nike, Amazon, Samsung, Best Buy, etc. By utilizing those stores you can get deals such as three miles per dollar spent, free miles if you spend so much a month, and free miles for purchasing certain products. The best part is that these stores cost the same as everywhere else, you just get free miles with your purchases.
House Sit- If you can get yourself in the right situation this method is fantastic. Basically you register yourself as a house sitter for hire and when someone who lives in a destination that you would like to visit needs there house watched you will be contacted. You will then have all your accommodations paid for and be able to stay in a destination area for just taking care of some cats or watering flowers. Another bonus of this is that you will have your own kitchen so you will not have to overpay for food every night.
Student and discount cards- There are so many benefits out there for people who are either students, teachers, or under the age of 26. Just for fitting into any of those categories you apply for discount cards that get you very large benefits that many people have no clue about. It is so simple to get these discounts that you would be literally throwing money away if you did not look into it.
Stay with locals for free- There are sites that you can go to that will connect you with locals who are willing to let you stay with the for a period of time for FREE. Yes, that means you don't have to pay for any accommodations while you visit your destination. The people who take you in are just as interested to find out about your culture and how you live as you are interested in their culture. Granted sometimes you may be on an air mattress or maybe even a couch, but you can't expect everything to be five stars when travelling for free. Another huge bonus of living with locals is their knowledge. They are the ones who know things such as: what stores offer the best deals, what restaurants have the best food for the lowest price, what destinations to explore and visit, etc. This is a great option and is overlooked way to often.
These are just a few of the many ways to travel cheap, there are so many different ways to go about your travels if you are willing to think outside the box. Using all the free miles towards airfare you've earned and staying with a local, who can show you the parts of their culture that a tour guide can't, beats spending a fortune for a flight and going straight to a hotel any day.
No more excuses. Go experience the world on your college budget.
