Ten Inexpensive Travel Tips for Students Studying Abroad

Many people love to study abroad while getting the chance to travel to different parts of the world. Studying abroad can be an enlightening experience and can provide you with hours of fun but it can also be expensive. If you want to study abroad this year, here are ten tips that might help you keep your trip as inexpensive as possible.

In order to study abroad you must know the type of currency used in that country and plan your trip according to the conversion of currency. Before you can even plan your budget you need to know what type of currency is acceptable and what the conversion rate is to the currency you use. If you use American currency and plan on traveling abroad, you must get the conversion rate so you know whether or not your money is worth more or less than the amount it is in America. There are many different ways you can get a conversion rate for a specific currency and they can be found in the newspaper or on different websites such as Oanda.

You also are going to need to come up with a budget plan so that your studying abroad trip can be as inexpensive as possible. You need to sit down somewhere and think of all the different things you will be paying for such as food, shelter and anything else you might need money for. You should go over a checklist of all necessary things you will need and have to pay for as well as those items you will want to do or see while studying abroad. Make sure you write down everything you will need and allocate money for those items before you write down how much money to spend on fun things or entertainment. It is always a good idea before you go anywhere to make a budget checklist so that you can make sure you have enough money to cover your trip. You also might want to add 100 dollars in your budget for emergency situations that might occur.

In order to keep your studying abroad trip as inexpensive as possible you also are going to need to look into different lodging options available to you. When you are studying abroad you have a lot of different options including staying with a family or staying in a dorm setting. You might also want to check out cottages and hotels to see what types of rates they offer for extended trips. Some places even have special small apartments that are designed for someone who is studying abroad. Options like splitting rent with someone else who is going to the same place are also available and can help cut down on the overall expenses such as food and living costs that you will be paying for.

It is also a good idea to check out the different modes of transportation if you are looking to study abroad with limited funds. If you choose to travel by airplane you might want to think about getting a non-direct flight to where you are going. Direct fights that do not have a layover will end up costing you more and can make your trip more expensive than you would like. If you have some extra time to get where you are going, you can choose to make a flight that has some layovers that way you can save extra money and get to see things while you are waiting for the next plane. You can also check out bus service or cruise ships that might get you to your destination abroad for less than what a plane ride would cost you. There are several different means of transportation so you should check them all out to figure out which would be the most cost effective for you.

When you plan your trip to study abroad you should also keep all your important paperwork and make copies of them for you to keep. When you travel abroad for school you can often get a tax credit or something later on that will help you with your costs and can help keep your trip in a budget. If you keep all your paperwork and make copies of them for yourself, you will save yourself money later on and it will also help you keep tabs of where your money is going.

Limiting how often you go to a restaurant while studying abroad will also help keep your trip inexpensive. Sure you can go check out a few local restaurants in the area you are studying in, but do not make a habit out of eating out at different places. Limit your restaurant experiences to only those few places you are really wanting to try or maybe limit yourself to a couple dining experiences a month. By limiting how many times you go out to eat at a diner or restaurant you are going to be saving a lot of money. Eating out can be nice and fun and a great way to enjoy the environment of where you are staying but it should not be a core part of your trip. Make sure you go to the local grocery stores so that you can prepare your own meals most of the time and buy things that are known in that area if you want the experience of that part of the world.

You also need to be frugal when it comes to buying things while studying abroad. You can get some collectibles or some art that is known in that part of the world, but do not just buy things to buy them. If you know there is something you want that you can not live without then you can buy that, but you need to watch how much you spend. If there is something you were wanting to buy but then realize you would not use it much or you do not really need it then you need to learn to tell yourself no and you can do without. By limiting the amount of items you buy while you are studying abroad you will keep your trip less expensive.

When you are studying abroad, you should also limit how much money you put into getting that morning cup of coffee at that famous coffee shop. Like many things in life, coffee can be a wonderful thing to wake up to but it can also cost you a lot of money if you go out and buy it from a coffee shop every morning. Instead of going out for your morning coffee think about getting a cheap coffee maker with some coffee you can buy in the store. Limit your trips for morning coffee to once or twice a month that way you can spend your money on other things besides that five dollar drink. This also goes for alcohol and any other beverages, make sure you limit how many times you go out and get that drink because everyday it adds up. Instead of going out nightly to get a drink think about getting your own mixes to make your own drinks which will save you money in the long run.

You should also be frugal when it comes to buying items for your family while you are out studying abroad. You should limit yourself to ten dollars per store or maybe 20 dollars in one store and nothing in another store. Do not go into each store and think you have to buy something for someone. Get gifts for only immediate family like your mom or dad or maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend. Make a budget of about 100 dollars for gifts for people you know and keep that budget in mind when you get someone a gift. Also, if you are flying back home then you need to think about what you are buying and how it relates to your luggage. It is best to buy small gifts like shirts and coffee mugs which will cost you no more than 20 dollars compared to buying a rare painting for your mom which might cost 50 dollars. Limiting the amount of money you spend on gifts and limiting the types of gifts you buy will help you save money and will help you save money if you are flying back home.

Finally, the most important way to keep your studying abroad trip inexpensive is to plan your budget sparingly. Make sure when you plan your budget for your trip, you are giving yourself some extra room within the budget to work. It is always better to think you will spend less on your trip than to plan on spending a fortune. When you leave for your trip thinking you are going to spend as little as possible, the chances of you spending less are greater. Make sure you plan most parts of your budget such as food and entertainment at about 200 dollars or so that way you can plan ahead for being frugal. You might want to spend some more money on entertainment so you can just deduct that out of your estimated food budget for example. By planning your budget with the thought you will only need certain amounts of money for each thing, you are more likely to stick with your plan and keep the trip as inexpensive as possible. Always make sure you take a couple hundred extra dollars for emergency situations or a fund of money you can dip into for food or something else you might really need. Taking extra money that is only for emergencies is a good way to keep your trip inexpensive because you know that money is only there for an emergency.