A question I get a lot is how I am able to travel as a student. I love to travel and truly believe that it holds a true meaning in life. However, having a chronic travel bug can be expensive and time consuming. Especially as a student, where funds and time are both on the low.
In my second year post secondary I travelled to Mexico for a triathlon championship race.
In my third year of university I went to Calgary (AB, Canada), Comox (BC, Canada), Punta Cana (Dominican), Hollywood (LA, USA), Edinborough (Scotland), and Lisbon (Portugal).
In my fourth year I did not travel as much during the school year however moved across the country, therefore spending money on travel back to Ontario for Christmas and summer. However I am going to Europe again in July for just over two weeks… fresh out of fourth year uni!
So, I have written out some tips and tricks to answer many peoples question on how I manage to make these adventures happen:
1. Online studies
First of all I had the wonderful unique opportunity to receive my degree with two years of online schooling (through Ontario Tech University). This permitted me to schedule everything in my own time rather than spending full days on a campus; which allowed me to work many more hours during the school year. This also allowed me to be more flexible in general, for example I still did some classes while I was in LA and the Dominican, as I could just calculate the time difference and sign in at the appropriate meeting time.
Obviously online studies is a unique opportunity however it definitely played a great role with how I was able to travel, therefore could be taken as a suggestion or a disclaimer.
2. Work priority
Especially in third and fourth year, I did work a lot for someone who is in full time schooling (minimum 20, maximum 37 hours weekly). Having a constant income plays an obvious role in funds and savings therefore having a school/work balance is a necessity. This takes a lot of time management and I usually have every day of the week written out in advance to make sure that everything was getting done well and on time.
3. Spend lightly
For someone who spends money on travel quite often you would be surprised at how much I have to think about small purchases before checking out. I never go casual/fashion shopping and when I do I try and go second hand.
Also eating out easily adds up to a lot of spending over time, so I always pack lunches, dinners and even coffee for work days.
Lastly, daily commutes are an easy daily money loss. Ever since I moved into the city, I only bike to work. This makes my commute literally cost 0 dollars weekly. Back when I lived outside the city and the commute was much longer, I would just dedicate at least one day to bike to work as well as try and carpool or bike to other locations.
4. Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a flight searching application that scans all the options from airplane brands for the month and/or day of your flights. Using this application I save literally hundreds of dollars on flights.
Another key aspect to flying is to BOOK IN ADVANCE! Prices go up so fast so the sooner you know the date the better, this can also save you hundreds of dollars! So plan ahead.
5. Hostel world and airbnb
When I travel, I only stay in hostels or airbnbs. Hotel’s are usually at least double the price per night. The website hostelworld and airbnb are my go to as they are trustworthy, well known and lay out all the options in the area I am looking into. On top of the savings, I also find hostels and bnb’s always have their own individual charm and really allow your stay to feel more local.
Travelling takes a lot of planning no matter where you are in your life. Travelling as a student takes possibly even year round planning to balance where you are getting an income as well as keeping up your GPA. Writing checkpoint goals to get finished each day will keep you at a less stressful pace. These checkpoints should be what you are getting through for school that day, and maybe a piece of your travel planning as well on less crammed days.
Hope these tips can help free you from your desk! Happy travels.
Comments