Keep Tabs on Cheap Flights
This is my biggest tip because it’s not only super easy, but also SO helpful. Flights can eat up the bulk of your budget, but there are some really great resources to help you find glitches or airfare sales. Scott’s Cheap Flights is an email subscription that allows you to specify which area you want to receive deals for and sends them out whenever prices drop. Secret Flying works the same way, and both are free! Scott’s Cheap Flights has a paid subscription option for more deals, but the free subscription is still great. On the Facebook side of things, YYZ Deals is a great page for Pearson Airport deals specifically, and also has a group for discussions. These pages specifically, as well as subscribing to email notifications for airlines, have nabbed me great deals like $394 roundtrip to London, UK!
Do Your Research
I know, it can be tedious to search through forums (for some people, I personally love it!) but you can find some great tricks and suggestions from others who have travelled to your destination. Searching “cheap eats in Paris” on TripAdvisor can show you places you’ve never even heard of, and save you from spending 20 Euros on a disappointing baguette. You might even find that students get discounted or even free entry to lots of attractions. As well, buying tickets online (something you can only do if you research!) can often save you a couple dollars here and there, which might not be much but hey, a dollar’s a dollar!
Book in Advance
We all want to be that Instagram famous girl who hops on a plane last minute and is ~so impulsive~ but let’s be real: not only can you not just drop out of reality on a moment’s notice, but that sh*t is also really expensive! Booking in advance can save you hundreds on planes, trains, and automobiles (and more). Hotels or hostels are typically much cheaper if booked months in advance, as well as tickets for activities or events. Sacrifice your Instagram aesthetic to save some major cash.
Eat In
For a lot of people, food can be super important to really feeling the culture of a destination. I support that, but eating at restaurants all day every day can add up really quickly. Finding a grocery store for a lunch meal deal or even grabbing some snacks to stop you from buying a really expensive take out can save you from crying over your bank account when you get home. Another bonus is being able to live a bit more “like the locals” and seeing what grocery stores are like in other countries. As dorky as it sounds, you can find some really cool things in foreign stores.
Travel with a Buddy
A lot of people find that solo travel is their thing, and that’s great! But travelling with a buddy, be it your best friend, your mom, your significant other, or whoever else, can allow you to split big costs such as hotels. I’m a hotel person because the movie Hostel is pretty freaky, so splitting a hotel cost with my boyfriend can really help. Sometimes there are also discounts for multiple people, or family packages that can take a chunk of the price off.
Pack Light
I love budget airlines. Budget airlines let you fly across the world at a good price, but they typically have some drawbacks, such as no food during the trip, and strict baggage allowances. I’ve travelled with a duffle bag for 12 days because who wants to pay $50 each way for a suit case?!?! Packing light can definitely be a challenge, but the more you do it, the better you get. I started by taking the biggest suitcase allowed for an eight-day trip, and now I can fit all my clothes plus some gifts when going for almost two weeks. Check out Pinterest or travel bloggers like Travel Fashion Girl (her website as well as the Facebook group are both goldmines for tips), so you can streamline your packing list and save that $100 for something way better.
Travel in the Off-Season
I’m going to make a controversial statement-Summer is the worst season to travel in. It’s hot (in many places), it’s crowded, and everything is triple the price! By travelling in the off-season, you can pretty much guarantee that no one will be there and you won’t have to pay the equivalent of a day’s work for a meal. Off-season in Europe specifically has less extreme weather and you won’t feel the need to fight the group of 30 tourists who are blocking the museum hallway AGAIN.
I’m by no means a master traveller or nomad, but I do love to travel more than just about anything. I’ve definitely come a long way, and have picked up some tips and tricks for travelling on a budget, without putting in too much effort or feeling stressed out about spending too much. I hope I’ve shown you some easy tips on how to travel on a university student budget!