So far, 2018 has been a year of experiences for me. I got boo’d up out the gate (cue the music) and it was long distance, I tried different foods, I started taking care of my mental health more, and it only seems right that I traveled more. I began the year with a trip on Jan 4 and since then, I’ve managed to travel every other month for the last 6 months. I mostly took trips to see my boyfriend but I’ve also taken advantage of other things. This year, I put New York, Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Virginia Beach under my belt so far– and for the majority of the trips, I paid little over $100, if that. Here’s some tips for easy and cheap travel for college students on a budget.

Use your friends, family, anyone who may like you

Before I book flights anywhere, I call friends or family because you never know who has the hookup– Use your NETWORK! I’m not above flying layover when my prices are half the regular price. Some people have free bus vouchers for having family that work with different buses and trains. They may even offer you a place to stay. A free place is A MAJOR KEY to cheap traveling. Don’t be like those spring breakers going homeless in Miami. My people have definitely helped me out on more than one occasion.

Budget Better

We’re in college, which means, for most of us, we’re horrible with money. I used to be. I never saved my money but the way I see it, money comes and money goes. You just have to be smarter with what you get so you can maximize your experiences. This year, I changed my budget around to afford the experiences I wanted to have. I spent less on clothes, eating out and taking UBER everywhere. Also,  ALWAYS have backup funds. like I said, before I’m not above flying layover, but flying layover comes with some down sides. Sometimes, there aren’t enough seats for you and you’ll have to stay over night in a different city. You may have to change your flight last minute or some other emergency may pop up. Be prepared for these things.

There’s an app for that

Take advantage of these free apps for your phone to help you travel. I use Hopper, Skyscanner, and skiplagged to make traveling easier. Hopper, is an app that tells you when the best time will be to buy your plane tickets. You just tell them your flight dates and where you’ll be going and they send you notifications when the prices go down or rise. Skyscanner is fairly self explanatory. It tells you which airline is offering the best price for your trip at the time. Skiplagged is an app that helps you fly by booking layover flights. For instance, if you need to fly from JFK to Atlanta, you might be able to get a seat on a flight to Alabama that has a layover in Atlanta and just get off at your desired destination.

Research Your Airports

Look up the different airlines that fly into your desired airport. Different airlines like Frontier, Allegiant, Spirit, and Southwest offer inexpensive flights. (Allegiant and Spirit you may have to push the plane off the runway yourself, but you can’t beat the prices.) I only recommend these if you’re traveling for leisure because most of these airlines only offer flights on certain days. Plus, all these airlines offer sales on flights at different times so make sure to sign up for rewards and news to find out about those deals! Southwest also has a good rewards program where you can pay for your flight with points as a reward for flying with them.

Coming up, I have another trip in July and August, who knows, I might fit in three trips before September. These are just some tips I’ve used which have helped me figure out what/where I’m going and how much I’ll need to save for each one. Never let people tell you it’s too expensive to travel. They just didn’t make it a priority to have more experiences. I hope these help you in your future traveling endeavors!