Travel as a Student – 8 Ultimate Travel Tips for Students

This guide is for all those who want to travel as a student but somehow don’t find the time, money or motivation for it. As a university student or college student, there might be many reasons to postpone travel to a later point in life. Financial limitations, fear, different priorities or time restrictions can keep you from listening to that adventurous voice inside your head that tells you to travel.

“When you’re young you have time and energy but no money. When you get older you have money and energy but no time.
And later when you finally have time and money, you no longer have energy.”

Your student life is the best time to travel as you (probably) have no commitments, no responsibility, no job and no kids. You’re basically FREE.

I have been a university student for almost five years now. During my time as a student I traveled to 29 countries on 5 continents. People often ask me how I do that.

I always say it’s about priorities, time management and money management. Constraints such as time or money are easy to overcome if you set your will to it and make travel a priority.

Here are my 8 tips to help you travel as a student:

Study abroad

The most enriching and amazing experience of traveling as a student is definitely to study abroad. Besides going to university and living in a different country, you also connect with locals and fellow exchange students. This way you fully immerse yourself in another culture.

You have the option to look for a university in a different country, or, if this is too much to begin with, choose a university in your home country that allows you to do a study unit abroad.

Make sure to check if there are any scholarships available such as Erasmus within the EU or scholarships offered by the university. Also inform yourself about potential financial support from your country that you could apply for.

Exchange semester

Be it a year, a semester or a trimester – studying in a different country is an enriching experience with education that goes far beyond what’s learned at university.

There are many universities that offer their students to go abroad and still finish their studies on time. Just inform yourself about all the options.

Internship abroad

Doing an internship abroad combines study, work and travel. Some study programs require their students to do a practical training semester. During this time, students don’t have any classes at university but they need to do an internship in the area of their study. So why not use the opportunity to look for internship offers abroad?

This is really easy for Europeans who want to do an internship within Europe as there’s no visa required. If you’re from outside Europe or you’re a European student who wants to leave the EU, you need to inform yourself about the visa requirements of the host country.

If your study program doesn’t require you to do an internship you could also use your summer holidays to look for a 1 month internship abroad.

Vacation time

The second best way to travel as a student is to use your vacation days. Let’s be honest, when will you ever have as many vacation days again? Probably not before your retirement.

Working holiday

Now you might want to get a summer job to earn money, but think out of the box – why not work abroad? Working abroad provides you with the experience of traveling and living abroad while also making some money.

Frankly, the options to find a job abroad for 1-2 months are quite limited, but if you speak the local language it’s already easier. You can often find a job in restaurants, hotels or on farms. Think of locations that have high season in summer and look for additional waiters, ice cream vendors, etc.

A further option would be to use your language skills to teach English abroad. This way you don’t necessarily need to know the local language.

If earning money is not your highest priority, then you could also volunteer in a hostel. This is especially popular among young people. You get to stay for free in a hostel and in exchange you help them with their daily tasks. In your free time you can explore the destination.

Time management

All students have to study – some more than others – but time management is the key to everything.

Studying doesn’t necessarily mean sitting at home in your room. If you have a deadline, write your paper during your travel time on the train, at the airport or on the plane. Use your time effectively. Don’t watch Netflix but do your university work instead. Those hours of studying will pay off and give you more free time in your destination.

Even when you’re already in your destination, why not take 1-3 hours per day to productively work on your assignments or study for your exam? If you sleep 8 hours at night, that still leaves you with 13-15 hours of free time to explore or to relax.

If travel truly is a priority to you, the fact that this allows you to travel more is motivating enough to spend 1-3 hours per day working on your assignments.

Travel on a student budget

Lack of money shouldn’t be the reason that keeps you from traveling. You just have to plan everything on a low budget and it won’t cost much more than a weekend of partying at home. Here are some tips on how to afford travel as a student.

Cheap flights

The flights to a destination can be the most costly part of your whole trip, but they don’t have to be. I’ve flown from Austria to destinations within Europe for as little as 10€ per flight.

You wonder how I do this? Check out my full guide on finding cheap flights.

Get an International Student Identity Card

Getting an International Student Identity Card allows you to get student discounts in museums, at attractions or on public transport. Even though it’s just a couple of Euros it adds up and helps you to stay within your budget.

Do Couchsurfing

When you do Couchsurfing, locals host you in their homes free of charge. In the best case, they have some free time to spend with you to show you around.

Couchsurfing is a great way to save money, to have amazing experiences and to make friends in the country you visit.

Read my blog post on why you must try Couchsurfing.

Cut other expenses

The most obvious tip to afford travel as a student is to save money in other areas of life. If travel is a priority to you, you might have to cut other expenses.

Once you’re bitten by the travel bug and you realize the value of travel, you’ll see that nothing material can come close to that. This realization helped me to spend less money on clothes, make up and and other material things.

Also, eating in restaurants, buying coffee and going out for drinks adds up. If you really want to save some money so that you can afford to travel more, consider reducing these expenses by cooking at home, making your own coffee and having one or two drinks less than usually. Even though it might seem like a small amount of money each time, it can quickly add up to the price of a flight ticket.

Get a student job

Even though you can easily travel on a low budget if you search for flight deals, do Couchsurfing and cook your own meals, you’ll be spending money anyways. A great way to earn money is getting a student job besides your studies.

Use the time off that you’re not traveling to earn some money. The best jobs for students are promotion jobs, nanny, tutor, waiter or waitress, or supporting your university or college in administrative tasks. These jobs are often adaptable to your university schedule and you can be flexible in terms of time.

Where to travel as a student

An often overlooked but extremely important factor to save money is where to travel as a student. Some countries are more expensive than others and picking a budget-friendly destination can help you save loads of money.

In Northern Europe you might pay 50€ per night for a hostel while in Southeast Asia you can get hostels for 3€ per night.

Here are 3 of the most budget friendly countries I’ve visited.

Thailand

Thailand has it all: Tropical beaches, mountain views over the jungle and cuisine that makes me want to go back immediately.

Besides the bustling city Bangkok and some extremely touristy islands such as Koh Samui and Koh Phi Phi, there are so many hidden gems to explore in Thailand. The nature is impressive and locals are welcoming and friendly.

You can get a meal at the night markets for 2€ and a night at a hostel for 3-10€ per night.

Indonesia

Indonesia has a special place in my heart. Whenever someone asks me what my favorite country is (even though this is really hard to answer) I usually say Indonesia.

The local people of Indonesia, especially on Bali and Lombok, are the kindest people I’ve ever met in my life. While some tourist hotspots on Bali already have elevated prices, the island Lombok next to Bali is still undiscovered and extremely cheap. Also places in the north of Bali and outside the main tourist hotspots are still inexpensive.

Like in Thailand, you could get a meal in a “Warung” (local restaurant) for 2€ and a stay in a hostel for 3-10€ per night.

Mexico

Following Indonesia, I would say that Mexico ranks second on the list of my favorite countries. While it’s not as cheap as Southeast Asia you can still find great deals on food and accommodation.

Mexico is home to amazing beaches, ancient culture and tradition paired with modern life in bustling cities such as Guadalajara and Mexico City.

The local people of Mexico are extremely warm, open and welcoming and the vibe in the whole country is just positive. Not to mention the amazing food you get there. Tacos, guacamole, the best papayas of my life and margaritas for 2€ – do I have to say more?

Prioritize travel as a student

In the end it’s all about your priorities and in what you want to invest your free time and money. I understand that not every student wants to spend their few days without classes hurrying to the airport and sitting in the plane for hours just to travel somewhere. Some might prefer staying at home watching Netflix and that’s okay too.

But if you are like me, if you want to use every opportunity to leave your house and go out to discover the world, then somehow you will always manage to do so.

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