By: Emily Castillo-Langley
In a post-2020 historic rate of inflation, we have all experienced moments of “I think this used to cost less!”. This has become especially true for travelers: where tourist prices used to be steep, now, the cost to travel has become a tad outrageous. How can a college student drop $1000 or more on a spring break or summer trip, for that amount to only cover the price of a flight and hotel room?
Let’s organize some tips to make traveling more realistic and affordable to prepare for the upcoming spring and summer vacation season.
- Do research to see when the most convenient off-season time to travel to your location would be. There are really helpful seasonal price trackers on GoogleFlights and Hopper!
- If you’re looking on AirBnb, sometimes you can negotiate prices based on length of stay
- Try to look for booking deals; If you purchase a flight from Expedia or on an airline credit card, sometimes you can get bonus points for future travel or a discount for also booking a hotel through that same source.
- Make sure that you know the age that you can check into your hotel/AirBnb! Sometimes 18, sometimes 21 or older
- Check out StudentUniverse! It is a platform that provides student discounts on all different travel and lifestyle needs.
Flights
- Hopper
- Google Flights
- Cheapoair.com
- Southwest (for domestic travel)
- If you are booking on a discount airline, make sure you know what you need for your trip! Might charge you extra for carry-on luggage, etc.
Hotels
- Hostels (Depending on where you’re going, this could be a safe and affordable option! Also good to consider if you are traveling with other people)
- Expedia, Kayak, Trivago
- Booking.com
- Student prices on hotels (Student Universe)
- Save70.com
Other strategies that are helpful is creating a spreadsheet, PowerPoint, or organized document to budget and plan your financial itinerary!
You can do this by using Excel, Google Sheets, or one of your preferred platforms. This will be helpful because you can easily track your fixed expenses versus your budget that you have available to spend on variable expenses (e.i. amenities, activities, entertainment).
Making an appointment with a peer counselor can also be a great resource to help make the expenses that come with travel more approachable, predictable, and less scary. As an out-of-state student with three jobs and a full course-load, I understand how difficult it can be to afford flights and hotels, let alone all the travel costs that incur after just getting there! I have found the key is being honest about your budget, as well as prioritizing balance between working hard and also having fun in college. Also, if you are traveling with friends, communicate this with them as well! A fun trip is a trip that everyone can enjoy without fear of overspending and dealing with its consequences.
Happy traveling and please contact the Office of Financial Literacy with any questions or needs!