As a student who loves traveling as much as she can, but can’t always afford it, these are some tips I’ve found from previous experiences that have helped me save money. I’ve always believed that everyone should travel as much as they can, especially as students. Unbelievable opportunities like traveling should not be out of reach just because of a lack of money. As someone once said, “Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show”.
So if youre a college student on a budget listen up.
Plan Ahead
Plane tickets are cheaper the earlier you buy them and on certain days so if you know you want to go somewhere awesome, plan ahead and start searching on different websites for the cheaper option! By planning ahead, you can also start putting more money away than if it was a last minute decision to use on food, lodging and different fun experiences.
Hostels over Hotels
If you’re planning on moving around a lot or just wanting somewhere cheap to stay, hostels are great. By getting to stay in such close quarters with new people, you get to feel as if you’re in your own little community of people who love to travel as much as you do. Some hostels even offer free breakfast (yay!) and either free or discounted tours and admittance to different attractions in your city. By choosing one that offers these many amenities, you get so much more out of your trip! It also helps that you can book beds in a hostel the night or even hours before.
Public Transportation is Your Friend
In many popular cities, a lot of the famous attractions are within walking distance of each other so if you can, walk! It gives you a chance to experience the daily life going on around you and the small things that make each city unique. If you want to travel to places across large distances at a time, look into possible train routes and cheap plane tickets that connect the two or more locations. Only spend money on a taxi or Uber if you are lost, scared of a sketchy part of the neighborhood or really cannot walk anymore.
Food Costs Too Much
Eating and paying for three meals a day can take a toll on your budget. In order to prevent spending too much money, maybe stop by a local grocery store to pick up a bag of apples to snack on or buy some meat or peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches as your lunch to later splurge on local delicacies when you come along them. Also, buying water bottles can eventually add up, so if the water is safe to consume from a tap, bring a reusable water bottle to carry along with you and refill whenever you need to.
No Need for Souvenirs
Not everyone you know needs or deserves a gift from each place you go, so don’t bother. Either make your own souvenirs by picking up something unique from each place’s natural surroundings, take pictures or simply tell everyone once you get back what a great trip it was. Post cards are also a great way I have found to remember daily adventures by writing everything I saw and accomplished during the day.
If there are certain things you want to be sure to remember, then you can spend that money on yourself. Focus on those important to you. No matter if you're planning on backpacking across Europe or taking in the sights of South America, traveling will leave you with memories that will last a lifetime. These memories will be created with the adventures you stumble across and not be remembered by how much money you spent. If you have the time, plan a trip and go somewhere new and learn something you never knew before. You need to explore, and traveling on a college student budget can still make it happen.
