Looking for suggestions/tips on how to travel on a college student's budget.
Hello all -
I am a Junior in college in Connecticut, USA, and am looking for some suggestions on travel. It's a dream of mine to be able to travel to other countries, just to explore and view the different cultures around the world.
The problem is, I have very little money. One of those "RTW" trips I see a lot on here isn't feasible for me, because of the money situation, and because of school. But, I would like to get started by visiting a couple adjacent places, since it would obviously be cheaper.
I have a list of places I want to travel to, but definitely #1 on my list is Israel. So many different places/things to see there, and I hear nothing but good responses from those who have traveled there. So pretty much, I am asking for any suggestions/tips on how to travel to the middle east on a very limited budget.
Obviously there's no real way of getting around the airfare, so I take that into account, but after that - any tips are appreciated. I would stay in Hostels, since they are much cheaper, but does anyone have any tips on these in Israel, or any good ones to stay at?
Also, I would like to visit Egypt for a day or two, which I hear can be done by Bus. I assume this can't cost too much? I would also like to visit Cyprus - any tips on getting there cheap? Any other places nearby that you would recommend would be appreciated as well.
Sorry if this post got long 😉 But yeah, any information is greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone.
Reply to this If you really want to travel, I would suggest attempting to combine school with travel and perhaps do a term abroad. If you have a student loan, they might have a category for abroad travel and give you more money. Also check into your school for travel grants/scholarships, those always help.
If you live in your hometown, I'd suggest living with your parents (if possible) to save on rent.
Other than that, work your ass off during the summer to save up and travel the following summer.
Lonely Planet is a good guidebook. Check if they have a "shoestring" edition for where you want to go. They're pretty good for spendthrift people.
Reply to this Ditto to all of the above. I'm studying abroad right now and I'm almost out of money...I don't recommend relying on your school to get you your loan refunds on time. But there was no other way, I decided to go on this semester abroad last-minute. If I had done the planning, I would have saved up LOTS more than I had. But so it goes! Anyway, if you don't anticipate being able to work your butt off before this trip, take out more loan money than you need and get your school to refund it to you. I know, I know, it's a pain in the butt, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm hurtin' in London right now. Good luck...and have fun in Israel 😊
Reply to this dont know about the flight tickets but travelling in Cappadocia would be really cheap for u. Like u pay 10$ for pension and 35$ dollars for a daily tour....
Reply to this Two quick pieces of advice. First off, don't bother with a RTW ticket. Pick a continent and buy a one way ticket. Cairo, Cape Town, and Bangkok are good places to start. Save as much as you can and live cheap. If you've flown to any of those places I mention, you'll be able to get by on $10 a day without too much trouble. And you'll have to travel a long way before you get anywhere expensive.
Second, Flip your itinerary around so that you do Israel LAST. None of the good places in the Mideast will let you into their country if you have any evidence in your passport of having been to "Occupied Palestine". Trust me, you don't want to miss Syria!
Jason Kester
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Reply to this www.couchsurfing.org - an amazing way to meet new and interesting people, see the country in greater depth and travel extremely cheaply. Amazing, and so much fun.
Reply to this Hello Jared 😊
The biggest expense in the Middle East is often the visa fee. I dont know if a visa fee applies for Israel or not.
As well as couchsurfing, as suggested in Msg 7, you could try getting around by walking to get rid of transport costs. If you only hit Israel on your trip, walking would be a feasable way to get around. Or you could use a combination of public transport and walking. But, maybe let how much time you have determine if you visit just Israel or more than one country. The less moving around you do the lower the costs.
To save money, you could also avoid restaruants, and shop for picnic items in outdoor markets and supermarkets.
About the airfare: Prices can vary quite a lot, so be sure to be flexible about which day and which time of the year you fly. From one day to the next airfares for the same flight or route can vary by hundreds of Euros. Use an internet search engine to find the flight, to avoid the travel agents fee, and also to allow you to spend as much time as you want searching.
Mel
Reply to this Hey, you can also look here: <snip>
It is a forum in english with students experiences from other countries 😊
have fun
Reply to this www.couchsurfing.org - I would never do it alone, but my two girlfriends and I did it all around Israel and found nothing but welcoming homes. There is great community spirit in these people - my sister and a lot of my friends have hosted couch surfers now for a good few years and they have had wonderful experiences. Its a great, cheap way to travel and you also get to meet some lovely locals.
Also, we travelled into Sinai by bus ..it was fairly easy and not too expensive. It was late when we crossed the border and I think we got one of the waiting taxi-men to bring us to the most relaxing beautiful beach-hut guest houses in the world. So peaceful there. There are a lot but we went to Rocksea Camp and the people there were absolutly LOVELY. The hut was extremely basic but so cheap and right next to the shore. Great snorkling spot too.
One of my better adventures this. I would gladly recommend it.
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