Traveling on a College Budget

How true is that statement to some people? Alec and I love exploring new places, going on adventures and learning about new cultures. The only down side when it comes to traveling is that most of the time it can be expensive. Being college students we have a limited income and even when we try to save some extra travel money, sometimes unexpected costs come up. So what can you do to still have some fun adventures? We came up with 4 easy tips that we always start off with.

1. Adventures Close-by

First and Foremost, see what’s close by. Sometimes all you have to do is a little research to find out that there’s some really cool and exciting places only an hour or so away. A lot of the waterfalls Alec and I found were only a two and half hour drive from where we live. An easy way to start looking for some nearby adventures is by researching the national parks that are close by or a few hours away. We found Kinlock Falls and Caney Creek falls in the William B. Bankhead National Forest in Alabama. Another important thing is researching further to find out specifically where a trail-head or waterfall is located. This can be the challenging part. I try to find local reviews and people who have written out directions to get there. Also checking to see if there’s a Facebook page for that National Park is a good idea because you can see where other people have been and ask that person how they got there.

     2. Camping

Not everyone likes camping but if you are open to it, camping is the perfect way to save money when going on a longer trip. Depending on the hotel, it can easily cost you over $100 per night. Whereas a night spent camping can be close to nothing. Plus a super fun experience. It is definitely important to do your research before you go camping. First figure out where you are going and the different camping options they have available. Personally, if I go camping I like feeling like I am out in the wilderness opposed to being on a campsite with other people. To find something like that you can search for primitive camp sites. A great place we would recommend is the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. They have a primitive camp ground that you can stay at for a week for only $15.00! Just remember if you go camping it is SUPER important to check the weather conditions and how the weather normally cooperates in that time of the year. When Alec and I went to Colorado in May we were not prepared for the fact that it can still snow and be really cold during that time of the year…oops.

       3. Travel Companions

Another idea that can really be a cost saver when traveling is either traveling with friends or going somewhere where you know you have friends and family. Road tripping can be in your budget when you get a few friends to go with you and have everyone split the cost of gas. Also, when we went to Colorado, we planned on visiting Alec’s cousin John who lives right outside of Denver. He was very generous letting us stay with him for a few nights as well as giving us great advice on the places we should go and explore, both of these things saved us lots of $$.

    4. Tourist Traps

Try to AVOID tourist traps. When traveling it’s always fun to do touristy things and take pictures at all the famous touristy places but don’t break your wallet for it! A lot of the touristy places will charge per person to be there. Instead there’s usually so many places that you can go that are free! In Colorado the Garden of Gods has a policy that it must be free for the public to visit and hike the trails. It was such a fun place to explore and see.

There are so many more little tips and tricks to save money but we felt like these are some of the big ones that we really try to use to be able to travel on a low budget.

Happy Traveling!