In this post, I will give my five best tips on how to travel often in college. Including money and lifestyle changes, how to find cheap flights, and examples of how I have been able to travel in college!

Truth: you do have the time, money, and energy to travel. It is possible to travel often in college! If traveling is something you want to be part of your life, and you are living at this very moment, then you should be traveling!

False: Trips are a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and will be expensive. I think movies and TV have given us the idea that traveling should be luxurious, once a year, and expensive. This mindset will stop you from reaching your travel potential, and also cause you to spend way more money than necessary!

• Using the tips below, I was able to travel to Puerto Rico, Oregon, Winnipeg, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado all within my sophomore year, while being a full-time college student and working full-time in the summer.
• So far in my junior year, I have traveled to the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, The Badlands, Puerto Rico, Orange County CA, and Riding Mountain NP Canada, and who knows where I’ll go next!

1- Be Flexible & Spontaneous 

So you want to travel more? Be willing to go anywhere and everywhere! Get that idea of what a trip “should” look like out of your head. If there is a great opportunity, you should take it. To travel in college, you must be flexible. 

• Three-day weekends
• Last-minute road trips
• Imperfectly planned trips
• Stay with relatives or friends in another city during the summers. This could allow you cheap living, opportunities to work and earn money, and also experience living in a new location.
• While traveling, as long as you have shelter, food, and water, you will be okay. Also, do not worry if you can’t do everything during the time you are there. A day of travel is worth like three days of regular-at-home time. Looking back at trips, I think you notice the presence more than the absence of experience.
• Don’t take advice from people who aren’t travelers. People will always be trying to tell you what to do, and they probably are under the impression that traveling is expensive. Only listen to people who are actually doing the thing themselves!

No trip is a waste of time, or not worth it, if you want it, go get it!

2- Do you Want to Travel in College? Enough with the Excuses!

You either want it or you don’t. There is a cost to everything, and you will have to make changes to your life if you want to travel often. You control your life. You chose what you are busy with. If you wanted to travel, you would.

Are you “busy” or do you just choose to spend your weekends going out, and hungover the next day? What could be done with that time instead?

• You could be saving or making money.
• You could be reading a book about a place to go.
• Researching cheap flights.
• Nobody is stopping you from traveling and nobody is making you do it. With traveling, you need to make your own opportunities. How are you going to find a cheap rental if you have never looked? If you only search once?

Saying yes to travel in college may mean saying no to things. Are you willing to say no, change your habits, or change your lifestyle? If not, you will still be able to travel, but it may be limited to a yearly week vacation at a standard resort price. If you struggle with perfectionism and resist traveling because you want your trip to be ~perfect~, this video may help you a bit. Overall, a travel opportunity won’t just appear overnight. You have to prioritize it and work for it.

3- Search Travel Deals Early and Often

Keep a constant radar out for possible travel destinations. You can subscribe to travel company or airline emails that will not only offer deals but will be a constant reminder to keep your eyes on the prize. Some of my best advice on how to travel in college is to be looking for deals often. This will allow you to travel more often. 

I like to look for travel ideas on Pinterest and talk to people in my life that have traveled. They can offer great recommendations, which will help you save time and money on your trips. Being flexible and planning further in advance can help you save money for even more travel! You will probably not find cheap flights on your first search.

You need to search early, often, and keep an open mind. When looking for flights, reference many sources, (Google Flights, Skiplagged, Hopper, Skyscanner, Expedia, Kayak, sign up for emails from airlines to receive promo codes and notifications on deals, etc ). 

We college student travelers are on a budget. This will help you find the cheapest flights and accommodations, so you can travel more. And that’s what it’s all about.

4- Settle for Less than Luxury to Travel Often in College

In addition to searching for deals, realize that in order to travel often throughout each year while in college, the goal is not to stay in 5-star hotels. All-inclusive resorts are obviously great, but as a college student, there is no way I could travel as much as I do staying at resorts and nice hotels. The more you save on lodging, the more you can spend on experiences at the location. In addition, try to limit meals eaten out while on trips, or at least try to eat breakfast in. Dining out will drain your travel budget REAL quick.

Cheap Lodging Options for College Students

• Airbnb– studio apartments are usually cheaper than hotels, and often come with more accommodations such as kitchen equipment
• Camping- Depending on the weather, this can be a cheap option for road trips, National Park visits, etc. Most cities have at least one camp-equipment rental store.
• Hostels (Not as common in the U.S., but I had great success staying at one in Telluride, CO. Which is a typically expensive place to stay )
• Camper Van – A hotel and rental car, all in one. To learn more about this, check out Renting a Campervan 101 . BLM land and Walmart parking lots will be your friend. I had a great experience with Road Trip Oregon. (There is a popular van company that has designs on their vans. It is cheap, but it is bare minimum accommodations, extra charges for everything, and vehicle breakdowns are commonplace.)
• Couch Surfing– I have never done this, but if you are safe, you can find a free place to stay, and also connect with some locals!

5- Schedule with a Purpose and Make a Move

As a student, I do not have much choice in my schedule, but I do know my days off far in advance. As a college traveler, also try to make your class schedule to have Fridays off, or have class later on Mondays.

• If you have more power over your schedule, take time off, way ahead of time. You could go anywhere, and you will have lots of time to find cheap places to visit during that time.
• If you know where you want to go, look up the off-season or cheapest time to visit these places. Even if you don’t have it booked, take that time off. This will give you the flexibility to visit and save some money.
• Keep your days off/long weekends in the back of your mind, and be open to going anywhere during this time!

The beginning stages of trip planning are overwhelming. So many options for flights, rentals, stays, activities, etc. 

My advice is to just book the fucking thing.

Each time something concrete is paid for/booked, the options become a little less daunting, allowing you to settle from the idea phase to the “We are doing this, and it’s going to happen phase.” I will spend hours looking at flight options, wondering if this flight landing with line up with the time we could check into a certain Airbnb, and if those times would match up with a potential activity, wait, should I even go to this place? And blah blah blah. This part is fun because the options are endless, but the planning becomes way more manageable once you have a concrete plan/schedule/reservation.

6 (bonus)- To Travel Often in College, Save Your Money

For most people living above the poverty line, there are things we spend money on that are unnecessary. I am a practicer and a huge fan of minimalism. THINGS do not make you happy, so why are you spending so much money on them? 

If you are wanting to travel in college, you will need some funds (even with cheap travel hacks). You can cut out expenses like multiple streaming services, eating out, daily lattes, drinking out, buying pre-made meals instead of making food, buying new clothing, electronics, and new cars.

College Specific Money Saving Tips:

• Chose Cheaper Parking Plans
• Live at home or with roommates
• Become a Resident/Housing Assistant 
• Lower Clothing Budget
• Go out one less night per week
• Use your College’s Gym

Open a travel savings account, and put the money you save on unnecessary items in it. I am in college, and I have picked up flexible jobs as a substitute teacher and Doordash Driver (Uber, Lyft, babysit, dog-walk etc). These allow me to choose my hours but also gain some extra cash for my adventures. Find something similar in your area! In addition, while working in the summers, I find ways to save my money. Working as a server, I would organize my tips into “Travel,” “Tuition,” “IRA” and “Spending Money” jars. You can do something similar, such as automatically putting a percent of your paycheck into a travel account.

It can also be helpful to find people with a similar travel budget and travel goals as you. If you are cheap as fuck, travel with a friend who is cheap as fuck.

Here are some books that have helped me improve my habits in order to prioritize travel, and save more money (or at least put it towards experiences or items that truly bring me joy).

Better Than Before -Gretchen Rubin

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck -Mark Manson

Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life -Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus

Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money: The Handbook of Financial Peace University -Dave Ramsey

Are you someone who travels in college?

Do you have any advice or cheap destination recs?

I hope this helps you to make changes to your life that allow you to travel often in college and grow as a person. College is so busy, but by following this advice you can sprinkle in some trips throughout the year! Keep living your hippie fantasies!

-Shley

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