No matter your age, travelling is a fun and exciting experience which allows you to experience new cultures and see amazing things. For students, however, the appeal to go travelling at a young age is almost a rite of passage and as a result, there are many different things in place to encourage travel amongst the younger generation.
One hurdle though that numerous students face are budget restrictions and challenges. Travelling is, unfortunately, an expensive experience and if not planned correctly, can result in overspending where it usually can be avoided. Travelling is, of course, very possible to do as a student, but it all comes down to the planning and execution of the trip you had in mind. With that in mind let’s take a look at 3 tips for travelling as a student.
Start Small
If you’ve never been travelling before, or are new to holidaying abroad, then the best thing to do if you want to start travelling is to start small. You don’t want to plan this huge amazing trip and become very overwhelmed or not enjoy it due to being unprepared. To start your travelling adventures off to a positive start and to see which areas you could do with working on for future travels, try to start small.
Start with travelling around the UK first, just so you can get used to arranging timings and planning your travel to and from your chosen destination and then work from there. If you want to try and stay in hostels whilst travelling abroad, then trying UK-based ones first can get you used to the idea and notion of sharing a room with others, rather than going straight into it when you might not be completely comfortable with it.
Visit Student-Friendly Locations
One way to keep budgets down when travelling is to set out with visiting student-friendly locations. As these locations are tailored towards student tourists things will naturally cost less, such as excursions, drinks, food and hostel stays. There are many different locations across the world which are perfect for student travellers, depending on what it is you want to get from your travels or specific legs of the trip.
Thailand is a very popular destination for younger travellers and can all be done within a reasonable budget, whilst European destinations such as Berlin and Budapest are hotspots for those looking to combine culture and history, all on a student budget.
Look For Free Trips & Sightseeing
No matter the location you’re visiting, there will always be free trips and things for you to do to keep costs down and to experience the local area. Most European countries can be explored freely via walking and this is perhaps the best way to get a feel of the area you are staying in. Of course, there are other means of getting around, such as hiring bikes and scooters or taking trams and trains.
If you have a driving licence, you could also consider hiring a car, but be sure to factor in the costs of parking. In the UK, parking in Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh is relatively cheap and easy to find, whereas in other countries this might not be the case, or you may risk parking in an area where you shouldn’t.
Be sure to check out Tripadvisor for the location where you are visiting for recommendations on the best things to see and do, as well as other traveller recommendations. There will be standard free things to do no matter your location, such as visiting shopping centres in Leeds and huge parks in London, or joining fun local-led walking tours in Europe and visiting museums, so even if you are on a budget, you’ll still get to experience the local culture.
