Summer World Travel Tips from a Jet Setting Student

Today we bring you a guest post from KC Owens, a student who is extremely passionate about traveling and has found a way to do it with limited funds and resources.

As a student, my summers have always been the best time of the year. This is the time when I go backpacking across new places and explore a whole side of the world that’s just unique. Backpacking is the simplest way to travel around the world. It’s also one of the ways that I save a ton of money. While you still need to pay for the initial flight to get to where you’re going, there are a lot of ways to save money (and even make money) while you’re traveling to make it a better experience.

It’s Easy to Borrow

Exploration is key in college. If you never see outside of your domain, then how can you really know what’s out there for you? This can be difficult if you do not have proper funding so one of the things that I had to do was get a student credit card. I know that many parents and everyone else warns against borrowing, but it can actually be a really amazing tool if used properly while traveling around the world. One of the first things I looked for was a low interest credit card specifically designed for students. These cards have a better APR and really make it easy to repay later. It’s also incredibly simple to go out to eat and shop while overseas with a credit card because you don’t need cash. Normally, this isn’t an issue but if you are backpacking, then you are also bouncing from country to country and the currencies might change. There are those instances where you do need cash, specifically when visiting more local markets, but it’s easy enough to get your cash ahead of time before heading to those small locations.

A Working Vacation

I know, who wants to work while traveling? Well, it’s not as bad as it may seem. You can learn a lot about a place, meet people and even find new interests by working at local places where you travel. Most restaurants and bars will hire travelers if you know how to bartend. Local places also hire for extra help in the kitchen. While some of these jobs are a little dirty, they do give you that cash to hang around and grab a drink or go out to a local place while you’re in town. This is the best way to save money. You can search for jobs ahead of time. Some students also get a job online so they can continue to work their regular job while traveling.

Don’t Pack So Much

Backpacking is really not about what you bring with you. Of course, you need the essentials, like clothes, but backpacking is the ultimate way to go if you want to save money and time. The people who bring four suitcases to the airport don’t know how much time they are going to waste trying to unpack and pack up wherever they go. Aside from time, airlines charge you for having numerous bags. You have to keep it simple when you’re trying to travel on a cheap dime.

Backpacking also discourages you from buying too many souvenirs. After all, the best souvenirs are photos, experiences and the people. A few small souvenirs are always great to find, but if you want to save money, you’ll spend more time exploring and less time worrying about what you can buy to make the trip worthwhile. You’ll already have a ton of memories to make up for that 10-pound tribal vase that you absolutely don’t need back at the dorm.

KC is a college student who loves traveling, college life, fitness and a good survival kit. He enjoys studying different cultures, meeting new people and leaving his footprint somewhere most people only read about.

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