As a college student, you may think, “I’ve eaten ramen noodles for the past 20 meals, what makes you think I can travel right now?” and I reply, “Of course you can!”. Travel is one of the numerous things I am very passionate about. My family instilled this wanderlust in me. They always put an emphasis on travel over worldly possessions and I wholeheartedly agree with them. The world is full of different cultures and things to be experienced and I believe seeing this is vital to your college experience.
What if I told you this is a view from my hammock in the Caribbean. Then what if I told you that this view for the night cost 20 dollars. Amazing right? Now you may ask, how did I get this? I have one word, research.
Travel is a intricate art, you have to have a schedule and an internairary but at the same time have to be flexible. So here are my tips and tricks to help you get yourself into your vacation.
Tip Number 1: Bring a friend.
So on all of my trips abroad, the one thing they all had in common was I traveled with someone. Housing is expensive, so with each friend you can split up that cost. Friends is the most effective way of reducing cost and not only that having people come along have a lot of benefits. You have entertainment, they can help with the language barrier, and its more secure.
Tip Number 2: AirBnB
Oh my goodness AirBnB is a wallet saver! I love this website, they have cheap hotel alternatives and have only good experiences with them. You can meet the locals who own the place and it gives you the option of having your own kitchen in the place. These places can either be out of town or right in the center of the action.
If you don’t have an AirBnB account yet, use my referral link here: www.airbnb.com/c/collint357
With this link you can recieve 40 dollars credit and I will receive 20 dollars so you can help me fund my travel addiction.
Tip Number 3: SkyScanner
To find cheap flights anywhere in the world this is the website to do it. Look at places all over the world and it will give you selections of how to get there. Always look for the budget airlines and even consider some long layovers in more expensive places. So for example, places such as Paris and Rome are expensive and having a long layover there could save you some money.
Tip Number 4: Low cost of living
Paris, Rome and London are expensive and that racks up your bill quickly, so my suggestion is put those places on hold until you are more financially stable. So for example, places such as Spain, Portugal, Eastern Europe and Italy are good alternatives to these expensive places. Trust me just because of the low cost of living doesnt mean its a dump. Croatia is one of my favorite places I have ever been and it was truly amazing to experience. From the people to the food, Croatia was a wonder to behold.
Tip Number 5: Only bring one carry on
Having a backpack allows you to be mobile and limit how much stuff you can purchase. On top of that a carry on is free on budget airlines.
This is the backpack that I personally use and I’ve never had to pay for any bags so far. It’s from Ikea and the link to it is right here:
The College Buy 