Stop letting people convince you that traveling is unattainable until you have made a lot of money, graduated from college, or you have settled down in life! Yes, those things may help make traveling easier. However, as a broke college student, I have been fortunate enough to travel to a bunch of places around the world with my friends and boyfriend without having to break the bank. Ready for an adventure? Here are some tips + tricks to help you travel while in college:
Plan Ahead
If you know you want to go on a trip in the next 6 months, start planning NOW! Do not wait for airfare and hotels to raise their prices. There are sometimes promotions and discounts that are given to travelers who chose to book in advance. Be sure to take advantage of those deals!
Travel in an off-season
Booking vacations in the summer will only be extremely costly! Why? Because everyone and their mothers are on summer break! Similarly, airplane tickets and hotels are extremely expensive during the winter breaks. To avoid the high price tags, book your trips during the off-season! Rather than travel to Mexico in the middle of spring break, consider going in the fall when it is still hot and sunny!
Take Online/Remote Classes
Don’t want to miss class while traveling? Consider taking your semester courses online, especially if you’re planning on traveling for longer than a week! You could risk being behind in your classes if you’re not enrolled in a remote learning class. While traveling is a great experience, it is not worth failing a class for!
Study Abroad
As a college student, you do have the option of going to a university in a different country! Typically, the tuition should cost the same as your school, and then you’d have to pay for housing, visa, flights, and any other expenses.
Save Your Money!
What really holds people back when deciding whether or not to travel is money! If the trip of your dreams is a bit pricey, start cutting costs on things you spend money on. Don’t spend money on things that aren’t necessary! Girl, there is food at home! Don’t even think about spending money on Chipotle or getting a coffee at Starbucks!
People would often tell me that I have all the time in the world to travel and have fun after I’ve graduated from college; which is and isn’t true. The covid-19 quarantine made me realize that you’re not always guaranteed time to fit in all the things you wanted to do later. After graduating, many of you may have a boss that you’ll have to consult with before booking a trip. You won’t be able to make a sporadic decision to just pack a bag and adventure. If you can travel now, then go for it!