10 Budget Travel Tips For Broke College Students

They say to travel while you’re young. That can be hard to do, however, when you’re young and broke. Travelling doesn’t have to be an expensive task, though. As someone who has been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit, I like to think I’ve learned a few things about how to travel without breaking the bank. So check out these budget travel tips and book your next trip!

1. Use Google Flights

Google Flights is a great way to compare prices. Simply input where and when you are looking to travel and it will give you prices throughout the whole month. You may have planned to travel one week, but then you go on Google Flights and see it’s cheaper to travel even just one or two days earlier. By simply adjusting your days you will be traveling can save you a ton of money.

2. Open A New Private Window When Booking Flights And Hotels

First, to do this, open Safari, go to file, and click the second tab that reads “New Private Window.” By doing this, companies won’t be able to see what you’re searching, which can ultimately lower the prices. If you search flights and hotels with just a regular browser tab open, companies can see that you’re searching and will likely try and charge you more. Avoid overpaying by simply opening a new private window.

3. Book Separate Flights

While we would all love to be able to take direct flights all the time because it’s less hassle than having to transfer somewhere, it’s not always the cheapest to travel direct, especially if you are travelling abroad. Instead of looking at direct flights, try booking a non-direct flight separately.

4. Travel To Cheap Destinations

Some countries are cheaper to travel to than others. For example, Europe is popular, but isn’t necessarily the cheapest. Whereas if you looked in other places like Southeast Asia, it’s quite a bit cheaper to travel to and just as beautiful.

5. Be Open To Getting Bumped

Sometimes the airline you are flying will call you before you depart and ask if you would be open to getting bumped to a different flight. While this isn’t necessarily ideal, it’s really not the biggest deal, either. It can also have pretty awesome benefits. Usually if you agree for the airline to bump you, they will give you a voucher or sometimes, if they have open seats, they may even put you in first class for free. So it is definitely worth being open to.

6. Travel In A Group

The more people you travel with, the cheaper the trip will be because there will be more people to split the cost with. Gather up some friends, pick a destination, find the cheapest flights you can using Google Flights, and you may even be able to splurge a bit on a hotel since you are splitting the nightly cost with a few other people.

7. Avoid Checking Bags

Checking bags is just another added cost, so it’s best to travel with just a carry-on if possible since they are free most of the time. This is definitely worth doing on a short trip, but you could also make it work on longer trips, as well. It’s easier to pack a carry-on with everything you need than you may think. Also, the risk of lost luggage goes away and it will be much easier for you to be open to changing up travel plans since you will have your bag with you.

8. Eat In

Eating out for every single meal every day that you are away can definitely be fun, but also super expensive. Instead try eating at the hotel if they have an included breakfast or go grocery shopping to fill the fridge so you have a few things you can eat instead of going out.

9. Use Airbnb

This is especially good if you are going away with a big group of people. You can fit a lot more people in an Airbnb than you can in a hotel room and it’s usually cheaper, so definitely give Airbnb a try on your next trip.

10. Start A Travel Social Media Account

There’s two pros (and zero cons) to starting a travel blog or Instagram account. One pro is that it’s nice to have something that you can document all of your trips in one spot. The second pro is that if you start gaining followers, you may gain the attention of hotels and travel companies, which can lead to them offering you a free or discounted stay. You could be a travel blogger before you know it and that’s a dream job if I ever heard one.

An even better way to travel on a budget is with our nationwide 10% off discount to Motel 6! With over 1,100 locations at the lowest price of any national chain, Motel 6 is ideal for the budget minded traveler, and you can always count on Motel 6 to provide clean, comfortable rooms at a great price. This discount will save you even more! When making reservations, you must reference CPN02GNG to obtain the 10% off discount. To book over the phone, call this toll free number 800-466-8356 and reference the promo code. To book online, copy the code and use it through the Motel 6 website.

 

Now that you know these budget travel tips, it’s time to start booking!