Are you a college student looking to travel? Here are a few tips to help you save money and get the best deals on your college travels.
As a recent college grad, I feel like I finally have the authority to write this post. I constantly travelled during my time in college, which seems like such a mind-boggling thought with how much tuition in the U.S. costs nowadays. Everyone always wants to know how to travel in college, and there are so many ways to do it! You just have to know what they are!
Get Those Scholarships!
Without my scholarships, there is no way I could’ve travelled in college without digging myself into a pool of debt that’d I’d be paying off until the day I retired. Surprisingly, most of my scholarships came directly from my university. As a matter of fact, out of all of the scholarships I got in college, only one was not provided by my university. So by covering the cost of tuition with scholarships, you’ll be able to spend more of your money on travel!
Use Skyscanner
Skyscanner is literally a godsend when it comes to finding the cheapest flights around. Instead checking rates at each individual airline, Skyscanner compiles all of that information in one spot. That way, you can find the best deal in a fraction of the time!
*Note: Skyscanner sometimes doesn’t include Southwest Airlines flights, due to regulations directly from Southwest Airlines.
Study Abroad
This might be the most straightforward way to travel while in college. You’ll literally get to spend an entire summer program, semester, or year in a different country!
I got to spend an entire year in Switzerland (check out how my perspective changes from the beginning to the end)! If you plan it right, it won’t be too much more expensive than studying at your university’s campus. Definitely check out the programs that your particular university offers first, because that’ll make the whole process a lot easier.
Split with Friends
Split everything that you don’t think you need all of. Housing. Food at restaurants. Gas money.
I don’t know about you, but I hardly ever finish my food at restaurants, and if I’m planning to spend the day exploring, I won’t just want to leave the leftovers lying around a hot car. Instead, I might split a meal with a friend, and we’ll both end up paying half of the price! If you do that with everything that you don’t need all of, you’ll be saving a ton of money.
Head Home with New Friends
When you’re in college, you’ll meet people from all over the country and all over the world. Why not go visit them at home?
Make Use of Long Weekends
Long weekends can sometimes sneak up on college students before they even realize it. (MLK Day and Labor Day, I’m looking at you!) But those are the best times to travel! So stay on top of it and keep track of your long weekends!
Pack Your Schedule Together So That Way Your Weekends Are Always Long Weekends
One question I get a lot focuses on how to travel in college when classes are five days a week, especially when long weekends might seem few and far between (if I’m lucky, I’ll get two per semester). So if your college isn’t going to give you long weekends, make your own.
Pack your schedule together so you don’t have classes on Fridays or Mondays (or both!). While this is more easily done at larger colleges where classes are offered more frequently, it is doable at smaller ones as well.
Or if that’s not quite possible, try to have Monday or Friday with just one class. Then, if your professor cancels class, you can make a weekend trip out of it!
Make Use of Those “Share with Friends” Discount Codes
Before you open ANY new account, check with your friends if they have a “share with friends” discount code. You know, those codes where it’s like “invite your friend to use [company], and you’ll both save $20 when they make their first purchase!” There were a couple of times I was disappointed because I opened a new account and found out I could’ve gotten a discount if only I’d bothered to ask my friends for a code!
(Shameless plug alert!)
If you don’t want to spend that much time asking around, here are some of my discount links to help you out:
Uber (make sure this is in the promo code box: sarahe13884ui)
Lyft (make sure you use this promo code: SARAH863233)
Use the Honey Plugin to Save Money on Flights and Lodging
On top of those “share with friends” discount codes and any other discounts you may have been able to find, the Honey plug-in is also an amazing way to get your travels even cheaper!
Did this post answer your question of how to travel in college? Do you have any more tips? Write them below in the comments! (I promise I’ll respond!)
Don’t forget to pin these ideas for later!
