Traveling doesn’t come cheap. You need money to travel and although you can see the world on a budget, everything just seems so expensive. If you are a student traveling the world, you are in luck, here are 8 money saving tips to help you get around.
1. Volunteer Holidays
There are lots of places like farms, vineyards and animal sanctuaries, to name but a few, who offer full accommodation and meals in exchange for you volunteering your time in helping them out. Help rescue and care for injured animals, get involved with the local harvest and meet new people, learn new skills and make memories that will last a lifetime. All you will have to fork out is the cost of getting there.
2. Last Minute Deals
If you are a student you may in the position where you can plan your travels at the last minute – and in terms of flights and accommodation, tickets to shows and other exciting stuff, you may find that you can get prices so insanely good, they are practically for free. Lastminute.com and kayak.com are very well-known online portals to some of the best deals from all over the world, so if you are able to go with the flow, you might very well be able to do so with some extra cash in your pocket at the same time.
3. Eat In
Part of the experience of traveling to another country is being able to sample the local food. But this can start to eat into your budget very quickly. The best way to save money and experience the local cuisine is to head out to the local markets and purchase fresh ingredients there and prepare it yourself instead. Street vendors offer an abundance of delicious fare at very reasonable prices, but you may want to be cautious of just eating anything too adventurous.
4. Ask for a discount
Many places may have discount packages in place specifically designed for students who are traveling. And if you don’t ask the answer will always be no. There may be discounts on accommodation, meals and transport – it might not be 5 star, but if you don’t mind sharing things with other students like car rides and meals, you may be able to save some of your travel money. And who knows, you may just make some new friends.
5. Live like a local
Experiencing places just like the locals do will give you a whole other insight into what life is really like in the place you are visiting. Ask your friendly B&B owner or the people who run the hostel where you are staying, to get the low down on where to buy the best beer, which attractions are free or when they are half price and which high tourists spots they recommend you rather give a complete skip. You won’t miss out on anything, in fact you may come away with a much richer experience for it.
6. Do your Research
There is no substitute for doing your own research before you arrive at your destination. Make contact with other travelers, ask around, read the reviews, look up the destination on Lonely Planet, read what people are saying on Trip Advisor, use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to get an idea of where to go, which places are recommended and what, if any, travel warnings are current. If you know somebody that has been before, ask them for all of their information and advice, otherwise you could end up wasting a lot of money and time trying to figure everything out once you get there.
7. Carpool
There are loads of sites online where you can literally rent a seat in a car with other travelers for a huge discount. Look up carpooling, liftshare or blablacar for listings on who is going where and how much you can get a ride for to your destination. You can literally book a ride just about anywhere in the world and save yourself lots of money and meet loads of like-minded travelers along the way. It beats hitch hiking in a strange country; standing on the side of the road in the heat or the pouring rain or snow, not knowing who might slide up alongside you on the side of the road in the middle of the night. But it is always a good idea to travel in pairs and let your friends and family know where you are and the details of the person you are booking a ride with just in case they need to find you later on.
8. Couch surfing
Check out couchsurfign.com to see who is offering a free night or two on their couch at the destination you are traveling to. You might be staying with a family or other students and this will give you a good head start on getting the best tips about where to go, what to do and how to save money while doing it. Couch surfing is free – a price that is very difficult to beat. Just do your homework, travel in pairs and as always, let your family and friends know where you are staying. Find out the rules of the house you are staying in – you might have a curfew or be required to pitch in and help with the chores around the house in exchange for hanging out on their couch. Just pick the best option that suits you.
Author’s bio:
The article was provided by Sonia Jackson who writes for http://www.cool-essays.com. She answers all your questions about writing and editing.
