Studying abroad can be an important step in your university career, but also an amazing opportunity to travel to new places. While your university work and social life may be the centre of your experience abroad, it is worth taking the time to explore the country you moved to or maybe even some neighbouring countries. Being able to travel as a student is a matter of planning and budgeting, so here is a couple of tips you should have in mind when making the most of your studying abroad.
Plan ahead
Find out as much as you can about your class and assignment schedule ahead of time. As tempting as it might be to write your assignments at the last minute, if you want to have time to travel and not stress about university work, it’s good to get into the habit of planning things ahead. Once you know your deadlines, it is easier to work out when you have some free time to plan a trip!
Take advantage of cheap airlines
None of my own travels would have been possible without the cheap airlines and the flight search engines, such as Skyscanner, Momondo, or Kayak. If you’re prepared to be flexible and you are just keen to travel and see new places, this is the solution. The airlines often have great promotions and if you’re fast, you can find amazing prices all around Europe.
Pack light
If you’re travelling with cheap airlines, it is likely you will only want to take your hand luggage in order not to spend extra money on luggage fees. The airlines allow quite a large size of hand luggage, easily allowing you to pack for 3 days as well as 3 weeks. I’ve lived out of my hand luggage suitcase for over two months, so everything is just a matter of adjustment!
Go with friends
I love travelling solo, but it’s great to have some company from time to time and share the experiences. Not to mention it’s cheaper and often easier to organize, as you can share the organisational tasks between you. From sharing a rented car to getting group discounts and sharing the food bills, travelling with another person or a bigger group is all in all great idea.
Use your time wisely
It’s possible that between your degree, possibly a part-time job and trying to have a life you might find it hard to have time for travel. However, as I mentioned before, all is matter of flexibility and planning well. At university you will always have a winter, spring and long summer break that people who work full time don’t have. This is why it’s the best time to travel and you have to use those breaks well.
Extra tip: every country also has its own festive days, so it’s also good idea to have a look at the flights during those days. The locals will want to use those breaks to fly out so while the ticket out of the country might be expensive, those in the opposite direction might be surprisingly cheap.
