Categories: Travel

Ways To Travel For Broke College Students

Have you always wanted to travel but just don’t know how? Are you an adventures type who dreams of exploring the world? You might want to leave your small town and explore places you’ve never been, but the only thing that seems to hold you back is your lack of financial freedom.

What if I told you that you don’t have to make six figures in order to see six cities? What if I told you that there are plenty of ways to travel without hurting your wallet?

Check out these ways to travel for broke college students!

Fly During Weekdays

Try to travel during the weekdays and not the weekends because the flights will be cheaper. When I say weekday, I specifically mean Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as it is universally agreed upon that airfares tend to be the lowest on those days. In its fifth annual airfare study, CheapAir found that flights on Tuesdays are nearly $85 cheaper, on average than the most expensive day of the week to fly, Sunday.

Also, consider traveling a few days AFTER a popular holiday because prices will be much cheaper than average.

Free Events

Wherever you are traveling to, make sure to do your research ahead of time and look up free events. There are many places to visit for free such as historic museums, city parks, churches, religious or government buildings. Cool museums worth visiting might be The Metropolitan Museum of Art In NY, The Smithsonian in Washington D.C, and even the Museo del Prado in Spain.

Also, depending on what time of year you visit, some places have food markets, free park concerts, and even city parades. Additionally, make sure to look up student discounts at non-free events or places that have Groupons around the area such as certain stores, public transportation, movie theaters, hotels, as especially for food and dining.

Avoid Take-Out

One of the best ways to travel on a budget is to apply the same financial rule as if you when you’re at home. It’s simply much cheaper to make your own food rather than eat out every day. Find a local market and make your meals indoors.

However, in case you really want to try out local meals, I suggest going to restaurants that are relatively unknown or not as popular as places that have a lot of tourists and traction tend to be the most expensive. Also, always eat your biggest meal at lunch, because oftentimes lunch prices are much cheaper.

Use Public Transportation

Most of the time, using public transports is much cheaper than going by taxi or Uber…. Make sure to find how out much to pay for the bus or train before heading out, and make sure to aware of the pickup and dropoff times. It also may not be a bad idea to simply walk. Perhaps try to stay in an area where there are already a lot of free events and places to visit.

Volunteer or Study Abroad

There are literally plenty of organizations that provide plenty of opportunities to get free boarding in exchange for your volunteer services. One good example is WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Board and lodging are offered in exchange for a day’s work on the farm. There are thousands of hosts available in 53 countries and opportunities suitable for everyone. HFholidays is another organization that asks for to guide their treks, leaders are provided with accommodation, meals, and a chance to explore Europe in return

In addition, it also doesn’t hurt to consider studying abroad in one of your favorite tourist destinations, as there are some places such as Norway and Germany that have tuition that is just as cheap as it is in the U.S and sometimes even free.