How to Travel on a Student Budget (2024)

I know it’s cringey and everyone says it, but travellingdoes not have to be expensive and is certainly not impossible on a studentbudget. Here are my top 10 tips to carry on travelling, even when money's tight!

1.WORK, WORK, WORK

Okay this seems like an obvious one but when I read postsabout travelling on a student budget, no one talks about where the budget iscoming from. In order to build up my money, I work in a supermarket whenI’m at home and am also lucky enough to have a job at the union bar whichis term time only. I know it depends on your work load and stress level butthere are so many ways you can work without committing to too many hours. Someof my friends do online tutoring which they find really easy and flexible, sothat works for them. Whatever it is, try and find a source of income so you canstart building up savings for travelling and other big expenses.

2.BUDGET AT UNIVERSITY

The next important thing is to make that money (or yourstudent loan) work as hard as possible. I could do a whole other blog post aboutbudgeting at uni, I’m a bit of a tight wad. My mind set is thatI’d rather save money for bigger things than spend on extra clothes, eatingout and take away coffee. Although I do spend money, I limit myself to onlybuying things that I need (or have wanted for a long time.)

3.DESTINATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

When deciding where you want to go to, think about all ofthe costs involved. Although getting to France from the UK is significantlycheaper than outside Europe, it has very high living costs. And althoughflights are expensive, once you’re in South East Asia, living costs areextremely low. A weeks’ worth of accommodation in Paris might end up costingthe same as a flight to Asia!! There are places with a good balance (east Europeis a great place to go on a budget!) and obviously it depends where you’retravelling from. But don’t just focus on the price of getting there. Shoparound and you can get some cheap flights to most places if you’re flexiblewith the dates.

4.STAY WITH PEOPLE YOU KNOW

5.PACK LIGHT AND SMARTLY

These days, especially on cheap flights, the price ofluggage can sometimes be as much as your flight. If you’re on a weekend trip or2 weeks away with a friend, try to minimise your luggage as much as possible.Try to just use hand luggage or split the price of one suitcase and share it.Not only does this save money, it’s also a lot easier travelling with lessstuff (half of which you probably wouldn’t have worn anyway!) By smartly I meantaking things with you to avoid costs later on.

6.CONSIDER THE LENGTH OF YOUR STAY

For some holidays, it makes sense budget-wise to keep it asshort as possible. If you’re tight on money but would love to go to Turkey orSpain, it would make sense to go on a shorter holiday. However, if you fancy along trip away, consider somewhere with low living costs, such as South EastAsia or South America. Although the initial flight is expensive, once you’rethere you may as well see as much as you can, as it doesn’t cost much to bethere. I really regret not going to Indonesia at the same time I went toThailand and Vietnam. I’d already paid the money to get to the other side ofthe world so I wish I’d made the most of it a bit more. Also consider the priceof moving about. If local flights, trains and buses are cheap, it makes senseto move around and see everything that you want to!

7.SLEEP CHEAP

In a lot of places, accommodation and food are also bigcosts that you need to budget for. Do this by hunting around a bit. A lot ofthe time Airbnbs are significantly cheaper than hotels, and hostels arenormally even cheaper than that! Don’t stay anywhere that you don’t feel safein, but these days, competitive pricing means you can normally hunt around toget a good deal. If you’re feeling really brave, look into companies and appsthat are specifically designed to help people save money while travelling. Coachsurfing is popular and a good way to meet local people.

8.BUDGET YOUR ACTIVITIES AND FOOD

Travel blogging and journalism is amazing these days. Foreverywhere you can go, I can guarantee there’s guides on best eats and thingsto while you’re there! Before you set of, search for the best things to do forfree/cheap and best cheap places to eat, there’s bound to be loads of amazingrecommendations that will probably steer you away from the expensive touristtraps. If you budget well, this will probably allow you to splash out on a fewthings that might cost a bit more but are worth it. An amazing meal or visitinga unforgettable sight is priceless in the long run.

9.CONSIDER WORKING/VOLUNTEERING

If you’re planning a longer trip, consider working/volunteering to help fund your travels. A lot of people try this when going to Australia,but don’t leave it to last minute because it’s a hefty process! This is similarto doing a ski season, we worked 6 days a week and got paid next to nothing butthe company we worked for paid for our accommodation and ski hire/passes forthe season. It was hard work but an amazing experience. There’s no way I couldever afford to ski that much, possibly over my whole life. I also met my amazingfriends (and boyfriend) on my ski season, so I guess that was worth it as well.

Laura

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