Being a student can feel strenuous and tiring at the best of times, but winter in London can really make you feel the weight of studying even more. Diminished sunlight and grey, overcast skies do not tend to inspire happiness in the beholder. That’s why it’s important to have something to look forward to and keep you ticking along. This can be a variety of things, like a planned coffee date with a friend, an album drop by your favourite artist, or even a trip abroad. Holidays can, of course, be very pricey, and you may not be sure of where to go. That is what I am here to help with. Student budgets can vary greatly, but I want to prove to you that it is possible to travel abroad as a student, and that there are more places to visit in Europe than Paris and Rome.
To start with, I want to talk about my top travelling tips. I absolutely love travelling and immersing myself in new cultures and, from my experiences of going abroad, I have learnt a few things that I think will be helpful for planning your own trips.
- Use Skyscanner to find the best deals on flights
Skyscanner is an incredibly helpful website that compares the cost of flights across all the airlines available for the dates and location you have selected. Not only does it help you see the cheapest flights available but also to figure out the best timings and dates to travel. You can even select a whole month to see what dates are cheapest to travel on if you’re not sure when you want to go. And if you’re not even set on where to go, on the Skyscanner homepage you can select ‘explore everywhere’ in the destination search bar to see what cheap flights are available across multiple countries. By using a search engine to find cheap flights for your holiday, you can dramatically lower the cost of your trip.
2. Use public transport!
Public transport is available from almost every airport you can fly into, and it will save you money as an alternative to taxis or hotel transfers. You may feel uncertain to try out public transport in a foreign country, but trust me, it is almost always easy to navigate. If you want to tackle large cities like Barcelona or Vienna, public transport may be a necessity. Google Maps will be your best friend there, because it can tell you what route to take, what stop to get off at, and will allow you to track your journey so you don’t get lost. Using public transport will usually only cost a few euros, and can expose you to the great scenery that you might not see if you took a more direct route with a taxi.
3. Don’t just book the cheapest flight available
Going for the cheapest flights available can be appealing, yet it can often hide hidden expenses and make for a more tiring journey. Waking up at 3am for a 6am flight might seem manageable when all you’re thinking about is how great a £20 flight sounds, but you need to consider how you are going to get to the airport so early, and the possibility of you crashing and wasting a day of your trip because of fatigue. London airports have great connections from major train stations, but these are often not available in the early hours, and public transport can also be stagnant and difficult so early in the morning. Taxis fares can cost a small fortune in these hours because of high demands, so you may as well spend a bit more on more convenient flights.The same goes for arriving at your holiday destination. Safety and convenience should be considered in your planning, and arriving at 11pm, or later, in a country you haven’t been to before can open the potential for all sorts of negative experiences. This is why I urge you to consider how important the cost of flights are in comparison to the convenience of the transport you will have to take. Sometimes it is worth paying the extra £10 to get a 10am flight instead of 6am.
4. Do walking tours!
Walking tours are an excellent way to get to know the culture and history of a city for a cheap price. They are usually between 1.5 to 2 hours long, and led by a friendly tour guide that will take you through the city, stopping at different landmarks and areas of interest to tell you about them. They are technically free; however, the premise of these tours is that you will tip what you think the tour is worth as this is how the tour guides earn their living. I have never had a bad tour guide, and often find these walking tours the best part of trips, so it is definitely worth checking out! You do not have to tip a lot, if you can only afford 10 euros then that is perfectly fine, and the tour guide will be happy to accept it.
5. Use Trusted House Sitters for free accommodation
Now, I must admit, this is a hack I have not tried yet, but I intend to try it out for the first time this year and I have researched it extensively to check for any hidden evils. Trusted House Sitters is an app where you can apply to look after a stranger’s house and pets in exchange for free accommodation in your chosen city. If you are an animal lover, like me, then this is a perfect opportunity, because you can erase the costs of accommodation from your trip and you get to interact with and look after adorable dogs and cats. I will add however, that membership to this app comes with a cost of £99 per year which, naturally, is a deterrent for a student budget. However, if you look at the cost of the membership as less than the price of accommodation for one trip, then it appears a lot more appealing.
Moving on from travel tips, below are some destinations that I think are great for a weekend trip. These are split into popular and underrated destinations with example flights to show you that both categories are affordable on a student budget and worth visiting.
Popular tourist destinations:
Berlin, Germany
I visited Berlin when I was 14 and am still clamouring to go back. This is a city bursting with history and culture, literally divided by a wall from its Soviet era as testament. Berlin was the epicentre of European politics in the 20th century, from Weimar Germany pre World War One, to Nazi Germany, to the Cold War era where Berlin was split into East and West, marking the divide between Western and Eastern Europe. If you are interested in history, then you will love exploring Berlin.
Must see sights:
- Brandenburg Gate
- The Berlin Wall
- The Holocaust Memorial
Example flights:
Friday 8th March- Monday 11th March, return flights for £59:
Leaving Stansted at 15:00, arriving at 17:45 in Berlin
Leaving Berlin at 21:45, arriving at 22:35 in Stansted
Prague, Czechia
Prague is a beautiful city in the centre of Europe that has been the sight of constant cultural and religious change. When I visited two years ago, I was astounded by the mix of baroque and gothic architecture, and was in complete awe of the ceiling in St Nicholas Church. Something to bear in mind, however, is the diet here, as the Czech really enjoy their meat. So, if you are vegetarian or vegan, I would recommend extra research to ensure you are able to eat well here. However, the Czech are also famous for their beer, with a foamy head being the pinnacle of beer quality. So, if you are a beer lover, this is the place for you. I don’t even like beer, but I fell in love with the beer I tried in Prague!
Must see sights:
- Charles Bridge
- St Nicholas Church
- Prague Castle
Example flights:
Friday 8th March- Monday 11th March, return flights for £69:
Leaving Gatwick at 15:45, arriving at 18:45 in Prague
Leaving Prague at 16:35, arriving at 17:40 in Luton
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, often mistaken for Spain’s capital, is a city of immensely beautiful art and architecture, as well as fantastic food and a lively atmosphere. If you would like to escape to a sunnier and somewhat warmer climate this winter, then Spain is the place for you.
Must see sights:
- Basilica de la Sagrada Familia
- Palace of Catalan Music
- Parc Guell
Example flights:
Friday 23rd February- Monday 26th February, return flights for £40:
13:30 flight from Stansted, arriving at 16:30 in Barcelona
17:10 flight from Barcelona, arriving at 18:35 in Stansted
Underrated destinations:
Riga, Latvia
Riga, Latvia’s capital, is known for its vibrant architecture, featuring wooden buildings, and its old town. It is an overlooked city set on the Baltic Sea, and still a cheap and less crowded place to visit compared to the popular destinations listed above.
Must see sights:
- The Old town
- The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
- The Central Market
Example flights:
Friday 1st March- Monday 4th March, return flights for £58:
10:40 flight from Stansted, arriving at 15:15 in Riga
17:15 flight from Riga, arriving at 18:10 in Stansted
Tallinn, Estonia
Another Baltic destination, Estonia’s capital is known for its cobblestoned streets and centuries old architecture, like St Nicholas Church, a landmark from the 13th century. Similarly to Riga, it is currently not a very popular tourist destination, but it is perfect for a student budget, and offers a great chance to explore an area of Europe that we are not often exposed to in London.
Must see sights:
- The Old Town
- Aleksander Nevski Katedraali
- Tallinn Town Hall
Example flights:
Friday 15th March- Monday 18th March, return flights for £53:
Leaving Luton at 06:10, arriving at 11:05 in Tallinn
Leaving Tallinn at 21:40, arriving at 22:35 in Stansted
(Note: these flight times are not for me, but if you feel confident navigating transport then they are a great deal!)
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest, nicknamed ‘Little Paris’ because of the French influence on the city’s architecture in the 19th and 20th centuries, is a bustling and interesting city in the heart of Eastern Europe. It is packed with history, influenced by its Communist era and famed for its 15th century ruler, ‘Vlad the Impaler’, who was the source of inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It is one of the cheapest cities in Europe to visit, which is partly why I am visiting it, and Brasov in the Transylvanian region, in a few weeks!
Must see sights:
- Palace of Parliament
- Stavropoleos Monastery
- Ateneul Romȃn
Example flights:
Friday 1st March- Monday 4th March, return flights for £48:
Leaving Luton at 09:25, arriving at 14:45 in Bucharest
Leaving Bucharest at 22:15, arriving in Stansted at 23:40
I hope that I have been able to demonstrate that travelling is not impossible on a student budget, and that if you follow some of the tips I have outlined then you can really save on spending to lower the overall cost of your trip. Of course, you can end up spending a small fortune on food and activities if you’re not careful, but by securing cheap flights, and even free accommodation if you’re up for it, you can get your trip off to a brilliant, low-cost start. And while you’re a student, and not necessarily tied down by a proper, full-time, adult job, why not travel to destinations you wouldn’t normally be drawn to? The Baltic and Eastern European countries are rich with history and their own unique culture that you won’t feel as much when visiting Western European cities. Why not try a country off the beaten tourist track, you might just fall in love with a city you hadn’t even heard of before!