Traveling is one of the biggest pleasures in life. Most of us enjoy experiencing new cultures, different foods and just taking some time off from the real world. As college students we often find ourselves saying we can’t travel because of money. After all we’re more worried about paying rent and eating something besides ramen noodles.
Hopefully, with these few tips there won’t be any more excuses for your next adventure.
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Airfare:
The most expensive part of traveling is usually the flight. However, if you start looking with enough time there will surely be deals that you can’t resist.
Thankfully, now a days there are apps for everything. I would suggest that you download Hopper and Skyscanner.
Hopper predicts the prices of airfare depending on the month you want to travel and the city. It allows you to look at a list of prices on exact dates and will also monitor the prices to let you know when it is the best time to buy, if a deal will either rise or go lower in price.
Skyscanner does pretty much the same thing. But it also includes hotel and car rental deals as well as travel tips.
Both of the apps are useful and easy to use, it all depends on your choice.
2. When to travel?
There are always low and high seasons when it comes to traveling. Usually most people travel during their vacation time so either during the holidays or in the summer. Although these are usually the desired times to go due to the weather there are always nice things to experience year round, so sometimes it is worth sacrificing something for a good deal and the chance to travel.
The apps mentioned in part one will definitely come in handy when figuring out the “off-peak” season in a country.
3. Where to stay?
Hotels are usually the second most expensive part of traveling. But there are always different options you can explore. Airbnbs can often times come out cheaper and if you’re traveling with a lot of people it is definitely a great option since you can split the cost and have a whole house/ apartment for yourselves.
The third option is hostels. It might sound a bit scary to share a room with a bunch of strangers, but it can be a great experience and they can also be as cheap as a few dollars a night. Some hostels also offer free food, which is always a plus.
There is also an app for hostels that is used by backpackers worldwide: Hostelworld.
4. Food
Personally, this is my favorite part of traveling. I love to eat out and try the local food from wherever I go. However, when it comes to eating out the bill can easily rack up. I highly suggest going to local supermarkets and stocking up on food as it can come out cheaper.
It is also just a great experience to walk into supermarkets and check out their different products, it is a great way to learn more about the culture and see first hand what the locals like to eat.
5. What to do?
Sightseeing can get a little pricey, after all mostly tourists go to these sites. But there are always free alternatives. I would recommend doing some research and finding out what museums, parks, and other sites are free. There are also free tours it is just a matter of looking.
Walking around is also a great way to get to know the city, find places to eat and shop around that you would have never really known about through google.
My biggest tip is to just do a lot of research beforehand. Traveling is always an experience of a lifetime and it doesn’t always have to be expensive. After all you can always get money back but never your time.