By Andrew Doran
The semester is almost over and it’s time for CI students to start thinking about what they are going to be doing over summer break. Some students are going to have to work, and others are going to go out and travel. As someone who has been to almost 30 counties, I feel confident saying that traveling is good for personal growth as well as learning about other cultures around the world. While most think that traveling is expensive, there are plenty of ways that you can travel anywhere in the world even if you’re penny pinching. Here are my four tips to travel on a dime.
Stay in Hostels
This sounds like a no-brainer, but with the emergence of Airbnb around the world hostels have started to take a hit. It’s unfortunate because some of my favorite memories of traveling have come from hostel life. There are so many people you get to meet and everyone has the same goal of enjoying themselves while they travel. In Europe, you can expect to pay around $20 per night, while in Asia it goes down to around $10 per night. Move away from the comfort zone and meet like-minded people.
Look for cheap flights all the time
I make it a habit to look at flights around the world every week. I have found mistake flight prices that allowed me to go from New Zealand to Bali, Indonesia for $30. I have also found flights direct from Los Angeles to Barcelona for only $200 roundtrip. Flying can be one of the most expensive parts of traveling, so being able to find cheap flights can be one key way to explore more of the world.
Walk, walk, and walk some more
In my travels, I have found that walking is the best way to see and understand a country. Of course, walking is free to do, but you really can understand what is happening in any country by getting lost in a city. I have walked into little alleyways and found some of the best food and drinks in my life, all places I’d have missed if I had of been driving instead of walking.
Go solo
While traveling alone sounds scary, it’s one of the most liberating things I have ever done. Not only do you get to create your own schedule, but you only have to dine for one! Want to sleep in? No problem, because you are by yourself. Only want to see a particular building? Of course you can! Solo travel pushes your boundaries and makes you get out of your bubble in order to explore and get to know yourself and the world!
With these four tips in mind, go find your next destination and have fun exploring!
