Traveling on a Budget

As college students, our lives are filled with stress and not with money. It is important to find cheap but revitalizing ways to make the most of our rare breaks away from school. Especially at Michigan, after slogging through the Winter months, Spring Break is an escape into a new world for a week. It is important to make the most of the time we have away from the classroom. 

Working with a budget can be difficult, but this post will outline some of the tips and tricks that we have compiled to figure out fun and cheap ways to get some sunshine. Below is a list of things to consider and strategies to take in finding the best budget-friendly trips:

1. Location!! Where you plan to travel not only decides how much fun your trip is, but also impacts how much you will have to spend. If you want to go to Asia, opt for Thailand over somewhere like Japan. If you want to stay in the states, choose Destin over Miami. Small choices like this can lower the cost of your trip by almost multiples. 

2. Stay local: this one is as simple as it sounds. Choose to stay in hostels, local inns, or Airbnbs rather than paying for expensive hotels…unless you can work out a group hotel discount that lowers the cost of your stay as a result of you bringing volume of customers. Even then, you are much more likely to get a deal by contacting a local establishment and explaining that your group of 20 friends needs rooms and would pick their place if offered a discount. 

3. Try to visit your friends: not only does this eliminate the cost of paying for accommodation, but it also makes these trips more fun and can be a great way to keep your personal relationships alive even when you and your hometown friends live in different areas.

4. Flights: the best think you an do for yourself to minimize the cost of your airfare is to plan and book in advance. Booking 3-4 months in advance will save you hundreds of dollars in many cases. With school breaks being predictable and planned before the school year even starts, you, as a college student, are fortunate to be able to know your plans and take advantage of these earlier booking deals. It is also smart to use airline reward programs (for of state students this could mean using the same airline every time you travel home and accumulating miles over your college career). Additionally, although it may not be ideal, using budget friendly airlines can make the cost of your flight as much as half of what it would be in traditional airlines. You might have to deal with a little more inconvenience, but on a budget, this is a fantastic option. 

5. Entertainment: if you’re traveling abroad, choose to visit countries where the US dollar will take you a longer way. This could mean getting dinner for a cheap as $5 bucks a night (if not more!). Or, if you elect the AirBnb route, you could buy groceries and cook in your house for the week which could reduce your spending into fractions of what it would otherwise be. 

Ultimately, traveling on a budget is not easy. It requires much more tedious planning and sacrifice, but as college students, this is the name of the game. Plan ahead, go in a larger group, and be thoughtful about where you go, how you get there, and what you prioritize out fo being there. It’s important to avoid burnout as a college student, so that that trip and ha ve a great break!