Most college students don’t have a lot of money to burn, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still find a way to travel the world. Indeed, there are a lot of ways that you can scrape together more than enough change to go on loads of adventures without needing a hefty trust fund to rely on. It’s all about knowing how to get around and support yourself based on the resources available to you. Here is how to travel the world on a college student budget.
Apply for Grants
If you really want to maximize on the amount of money you have to spend while you’re in college, then you’re definitely going to have to apply for as many grants as possible. These applications are often very time-consuming and extensive, but they are well worth the time and effort if you know what you’re doing. You want to remember that the money you get from grants is money that you don’t have to pay back, so the more grants that you qualify for, the farther you will be able to travel as a college student.
Study Abroad
The key to being able to travel abroad while you’re in college is to study abroad. If you’re earning your degree from San Diego State University, then you definitely want to visit the study abroad office and find out which universities your college partners with around the world. While it may sound exciting to study in Australia or Canada, these are not countries that will make it easy to see many other countries while you are studying abroad. That’s why you want to look for universities in Europe, Asia, South America or Africa, so that you will be able to take the bus or a train out to different countries.
Start an Online Business
If you want to travel while you’re in college, having a small online business is definitely a great way to bring in some income while you are studying and traveling. If you are earning your MBA in sustainable business, then you could find a way to start an online business of your own, and this could be a great way to not only fund your travels yourself, but it could also be an important element to include in your grant applications. This will show donors that you are serious about the work you plan to accomplish throughout your travels.
Take Advantage of Student Discounts
In America, there aren’t that many places that offer student discounts, and usually when they do, they will need to see a student ID card. However, in a lot of other countries there are a lot of different places that offer student discounts, and these can be applied to anybody who is under 25 years old. You can think of it as more of a youth discount, rather than a student discount. Either way, it is very good incentive to get all of your traveling done before it’s too late.
Stay in Hostels
When you have holiday breaks and you do decide to travel, you can save a lot of money by staying in youth hostels. Not only is this the cheapest type of lodging you can find, but they also tend to have kitchens where you can cook your own food. This way you can save money on food and make all kinds of new friends in the communal kitchen.