Cheap travelling tips for students

Being a student is the best time to travel! You’re most likely free from the commitments of things like a full time job, kids and a mortgage and you get four beautiful summer months to do whatever you like in between academic years.

However, travel can quickly get expensive, but this doesn’t mean you can’t still treat yourself to a summer holiday on a budget. This article will share a few tips that’ll help to stretch your budget and keep travelling as cheaply as possible.

Stay in hostels

The first tip is to always stay in hostels. Althoguh some hostels have private rooms too, they’re usually dorm rooms with shared bathrooms, occupied mostly by people aged 18-30 who are also travelling. They’re a great alternative to a hotel since they’re a lot cheaper, meaning you can stay in the country for a longer period of time for the same price.

Due to the age demogrpahic they attract, they’re a fantastic way to meet people of a similar age to do activites with, especially if you’re a solo traveller. Many hostels also have a bar or communal space where they organise events which makes making friends even easier. They also offer both mixed and female only dorms and can help you to feel safe at night, since there will always be many people around; along with free walking tours of the city.

Hostelworld is a great website to look at and book reputable hostels as they show the distance from the city centre, reviews and photos of the place you’ll be staying. You can even start chatting to people who have also booked the same hostel at the same time as you when you’ve booked.

Use hostels’ kitchen space

Another great thing about hostels is that a lot of them have a kitchen space. This can be amazing for a student budget since going to a supermarket is cheaper than going out to eat everyday. Lidl is a supermarket found in a lot of European countries, it’s also known for being well priced so you’ll know that you’re paying a fair price for the food you get. It’s also important to get a budget together of how much you’ll have to spend on food, therefore you can use this as a guide while food shopping.

Get an appropriate card

Using your home bank card abroad can rack up unnecessary exchange fees, so getting a card that doesn’t do this can help save you money. For example Monzo and Starling do not charge an exchange rate so you can freely spend abroad without worrying about expensive fees. They’re free to get online and can also be perfect for if your card gets stolen or lost, since your home one would remain at home.

Search for cheap flights

A final tip is to use websites like Skyscanner to help find the cheapest flights and try to go out of the peak holiday season. Most people go on holiday around June to August meaning flights and accomodation can be much more expensive during this time. Going in May or September can not only help you save money but also beat the crowds and any extreme heat.