How to Travel Cheap as a Broke College Student
Types of Cheap Traveling:
1. Volunteer Abroad
There are many opportunities around the globe to travel cheaply as a volunteer. One of the most popular forms of volunteer work abroad is teaching English. Since English is growing as one of the top world languages, many countries are seeking out native English speakers to teach in underprivileged schools. In exchange, many volunteers will get free housing and up to three meals a day, depending on the country and program.
2. WWOOF
Do you love farming and organic foods? Yes? Do you also love to travel? Then look no further because WWOOF is the perfect organization for you. Through the global organization WWOOF you can travel anywhere in the world and live with a host family for free and in exchange you would work on a farm for free. The movement encourages healthy living while simultaneously gives those who can’t afford to travel an option for traveling cheaply.
3. Study Abroad
Every university has study abroad opportunities for most of their disciplines in a variety of countries around the world. If your university does not have a program in the country of your choice, look up universities within that country and find one that offers exchange programs to foreigners! Studying abroad actually ends up being around the same cost as tuition, and here’s a little life hack: your financial aid still applies to education costs abroad! If you still think you wouldn’t be able to swing it, apply to scholarships! There are thousands of scholarships out there within every discipline to study abroad.
Traveling Cheaply On Your Own:
If you aren’t interested in any of those options and really want to travel alone or with a group of friends, here are some tips on how to cut down on costs while traveling.
1. Travel During Off Seasons
Traveling during a holiday season or during certain months in the summer can be expensive. Travel agencies like to hike up the prices because they know many people will be traveling during these popular seasons. So cut down on costs and travel during an off season instead! Try leaving in the later winter months (after Christmas) or finding a week during the summer when flights are cheaper, you can save hundreds of dollars just by traveling at a different time of the year.
2. Stay in an Airbnb or Hostel
Hotels can be very, very expensive and be one of the major reasons college students aren’t able to travel. Luckily, hotels are no longer your only option. Instead of throwing out hundreds of dollars on a hotel room every night, stay in an Airbnb or hostel instead! With an Airbnb or hostel you are able to compare prices online until you find the cheapest and best option for you. These two options end up being much cheaper than a hotel, so save some cash and start searching these sites for the best accommodations.
3. Cook Your Own Meals
Everyone wants to go abroad and try all of the amazing food of the country they are visiting, but eating out every night can add up very quickly. Save some money and stay in a couple of nights and cook. Just because you are cooking for yourself doesn’t mean you still can’t try new food! Look up a recipe for a dish special to the country that you’re in and try cooking it.
4. Take a Bus or the Metro
Use public transportation instead of taking a taxi or Uber everywhere. These can end up costing you hundreds of dollars by the end of your trip. Instead, buy a bus ticket or metro card that you can use throughout your stay- it’ll save you lots of money and you might even feel like a local!
5. Set a Budget
Before you start the day’s adventure, make a budget. It is very easy to spend mindlessly when you are abroad, so before you leave for the day create a budget on how much you want to spend that day. Try and hold yourself accountable but also don’t let a budget keep you from experiencing everything you want to do.
6. Ask for Student Discounts
Even when you are abroad many museums and tours offer student discounts. It is worth asking everywhere you go, you could end up saving a large chunk of cash just by being a broke college student!
Hannah dreams of being an investigative journalist, or maybe a world traveling videographer, or perhaps the next voice of NPR; basically Hannah wants to be a multimedia journalist. Her voice is too big for her small body so she likes to stand on tall surfaces and shout very, very loudly. Hannah has many passions (some including poetry and the occasional chicken nugget or two) but is always searching for her next hobby.