Budget Travel Tips for College Students


Love traveling but being a student somehow limits you to spend your weekends on campus? The following money-saving tips should help you – a student with limited resources – achieve your travel goals even on a student’s budget. To help out, here are our top budget travel tips for college students.

1. Create a “student bucket list”

Always define your personal travel goals. Start where you are, advancing to the next city or state that would satisfy your travel purposes. Having limited resources and time, you should set achievable travel goals. This will help you maximize your travel experience as a student.

2. Learn the art of “backpacking”

Backpacking does not automatically mean hitching your way to a destination with your 50-liter backpack and a hundred dollars to be stretched for weeks.

The concept of backpacking is maximizing resources for your travel goals or perhaps getting a little more in exchange for something abstract – your company, knowledge you can share, or a helping hand. Here, “value for money” plays a major role. And yes, maybe for you it means being open to hitching a ride or spending the night in your tent (as long as it’s pitched in a safe area).

3. Forget hotels and choose guesthouses

Although living in a tent embodies the spirit of backpackers, it does not mean it’s your only choice. You can try hostels or guesthouses that offer dorms. You must be ready to sleep in a room full of bunk beds and other tourists because here you only pay for your basic needs – a bed, bathroom, and security.

If you want to try other types of free accommodation and be more adventurous, try sleeping on other people’s couch as in “couch surfing” or befriending locals for a sleeping space in their homes.

4. Look for travel opportunities in school

As you know, things labeled “for students” often pose low-cost features about them. But, you don’t need to be a Tourism student to travel on a subsidy, if not for free. Take classes or electives that have school trips or apply for both short term or long term scholarships in other schools. Love volunteering? Join student organizations that go places for noble purposes.

5. Look for travel buddies

Group travel, as you know, is one of the cheapest ways to travel. You split overhead costs such as transportation and accommodations. Look for companions by asking around friends who might have other friends who would be interested. Or, post an invite with quick details of the trip.

In case you’re worried about differences in interest, you can narrow down your search among those who are likely to share yours. As for other safety / comfort concerns like sleeping with the lights off, for example, you must express them ahead of time.

6. Get a part-time job and earn from your travels

A job is the answer to all expenses in college that parents or loans have no business paying for. If you want to save money so you can travel while in college, get a regular part-time job that pays a fair wage. Do the math for every opportunity that you see.

Also, try to make money from your travel experiences. The easiest way is to find websites that pay for a travel essay, photo submission, or travel guide. This allows you to earn while sharing your travel stories. Sounds like a fun way to earn from and spend for travels.

7. Watch your spending habits

Scrimping on everything may be exaggerated, but the idea of frugality here can be applied with resourcefulness and creativity. This simply means to make your saving scheme sustainable and according to your needs as a student who travels.

For example, you’re probably living in a cheaper but livable place with roommates, so buying old books or borrowing from friends and the library, and cycling to school instead of taking the bus/subway can save extra money. Although these basic practices help you save, you still need to think about other expenditures.

Perhaps you can cut your visits to restaurants, cafes, or bars by substituting these common activities with other activities that let you unwind without spending for them.

How do you travel when you have limited resources? Share them to us @travefy!

About the Author:

Sasha Murray is a literature student, writer, and travel enthusiast. She writes for best essays to finance her occasional travels on weekends and backpacking in summer.