I always wanted to go away for Spring Break, but my friends were either all talk, had no passport or it was a combination of both factors. Graduation season and summer break are right around the corner and that means tons of students will be traveling more.
Whether you’re heading to college after high school, currently a student, or going back to school, here are some ways to take advantage of travel as a broke college student.
Do an International Exchange or Study Abroad
I WISH my school had an international exchange or study abroad program. The difference between the two is exchange students don’t pay tuition fees, while study abroad students do. If you’re studying to be a doctor, there are medical schools overseas with US accreditation you can apply to. Do your research to see where these options are available and decide what works best for you financially.
Volunteer
Volunteer with non-profit organizations to build schools in underdeveloped countries, rebuild communities after catastrophic events, or join church missionary groups. These are all ways to travel and interact with locals while still supporting a good cause.
Take a Gap Year
A gap or sabbatical year is the process of taking a break between academic years. It is pretty popular these days for High School and undergrad students to travel during a gap year while still keeping a scholarship or admission status. Some intern or volunteer, while others choose to backpack.
Join a Club
Join a club to travel domestically and internationally while doing something you actually like doing. Types of sports and groups include
- Dance Club
- Sports Team
- Academic Team
- Cultural Club
- Religious Club
- …and much more
Save Money – Use Your Student Discounts
Save extra money by asking for and using a student discount. Some places don’t even care that you graduated already. A number of post-grads use student discounts for clothes, train and bus fare, as well as admission to sites and attractions.
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I so wish that I had the support to do something like this when I was a graduating senior from high school. My parents were crazy paranoid, and just didn’t want their oldest child wandering the planet with no way to get in touch with them quickly (no cell phones for me back then!) I do want to encourage my son to travel more, and that’s why we sent him to Germany this year as a junior in high school. I hope this sparks a love of travel for him.
OMG that’s so cool! I’m sure he had a great time. My parents always encouraged me to travel, I just didn’t have the time when I was in school.
Great Post! My son just finished his freshman year at Tuskegee University. He loves to travel with friends and I will certainly share this post with him. We were not aware of the many student discounts to travelers.
Yes. Just go to a museum or tour company and ask. Worst they can say is no.
My son is 17 and he will be graduating from high school soon. One of the things he wants to do is travel. I was talking to him about this very thing you write about in your post – that students often travel after graduating as an exchange student or they take a year off. I’ll need to research some programs so we can make this happen for him! It would be an amazing experience!
I wish I had travelled during my college years. I road tripped a lot but never anything mind blowing or any international trips.
Road tripping is still traveling! All I did is work and go to school. It’s still an experience. 🙂
That’s true. I did have some good times and funny stories.
I am grateful for the leadership opportunities I had in college but my biggest regret is not studying abroad. Thankfully, the travel bug never left me and I’m going for it now but I can only imagine how much it would have enriched my experience when I was in school.
Traveling as a student can definitely save you money. These are great tips! I love the idea of taking a gap year. Thanks for sharing!
Erica | Black Bloggers Network
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If I could go back a couple of years…lol Thanks for reading Erica.