How To Travel As a Broke College Student
Step 1: Take Advantage of all Opportunities and Resources
As simple as it sounds, you may not realize all the opportunity there is surrounding you whether it is at school or with friends and family. At first it might start off with family vacations when you're younger and then sooner or later, mom and dad might start asking you where YOU would like to go. Take advantage! Family trips are always going to be the cheapest when mom and dad got you covered! Have friends or family living in a different state or country? Take a visit! Not only will you have a place to stay, but you basically have your own personal tour guides that can help you get acquainted with the area. But beyond using family and friends, there are resources you have at school too! Going through the school, having a solid group and getting all of that scheduled in advance, I was able to save a ton of money. And now that I'm in college, there are TONS of destinations you can go to study abroad and actually live there!
Step 2: Consider All Options
As much as I want to travel, I know being in college I can't exactly go everywhere any time I please. Create an order or list of all the top destinations you absolutely need to travel to. For me personally, I'd rather not go to the same place twice when I can go to a new place and have a fresh, new experience. Years ago I put Spain at the top of my bucket list. Now, after patiently waiting and not participating in the average spring breaks, not only am I able to live there for a few weeks, I will be able to visit at least three more different destinations while being abroad, knocking one by one off the bucket list.
Step 3: PLAN→ SAVE
Set aside a jar or box and make that your travel money bank. Whether you set aside $5 every few days or week or even opt out on going out to eat or drinking with friends and instead, put that money in the box, you'll see how much can quickly add up. For birthdays or holidays, instead of asking for materialistic things you might not need, ask for donations towards your travels. It helps when you tell your family exactly where you want to go, what you want to do there and how happy it will make you. The faster you start saving, the easier it will be when the time comes to purchase your ticket. Aside from saving, start getting your plans together. The more you do your research, the more money you can save yourself and the more you can prepare your budget. I found that if you try and plan each of your days out, it saves you money from too much day shopping, food spending or even wasting money on rip off activities that were a waste of time.
