By unigoofficeTravelling Overseas On A Student’s Budget, KC Owens College is an amazing time of life full of new friends and new adventures. With so much stress from coursework while class is in session, it’s great to use the breaks between semesters to travel to new places. You can fit a lot of fun into just a few weeks, but paying for this can be tricky. I use some clever tips I’ve learned to be able to travel to exotic places without spending a fortune or coming back to school knee-deep in debt. Yes, you may have to work a bit while you travel, but it’s all just part of the adventure and working in a different country is an experience most people can’t claim as something they have done. The first problem is, of course, how to pay for the trip. One way to do this is by picking up a part-time job and saving some money. When that falls short, I would suggest doing what I did. I did some research and learned that I could get a travel credit card that was designed for students. This was great for a number of reasons. I was able to pay for my larger expenses after my trip and not stress about how to pay for it before my trip. Also, the card gave me a way to pay for meals and lodging while I was overseas without having to carry hundreds of dollars in cash on me at all times (don’t try this, it’s too dangerous). Finally, it allowed me to exchange currencies automatically without having to deal with small kiosks that exchanged cash for you while charging you a massive fee. Having a travel card was, and continues to be, very useful for me when traveling abroad. Some places give you the option of paying for Internet services but you can save some cash by sitting in coffee shops or hostels that offer free Wi-Fi; it’s a great thing to find while traveling. Keeping your friends and family updated on where you are and the fun you are having is a nice thing to do, and you want to be able to do it as cheaply as possible. Often your hostel will give you a password for their connection when you check in, and most have a computer or two available in the lobby for paying guests. If you need a hotspot and you’re far away from your hostel, look for the local library, or anywhere else, has a free connection. Packing light when you travel is the way to go. Not only are you hauling around less baggage, but you’re also saving money by not checking bags on planes, and sometimes trains and buses. Most people find that a backpack is more convenient than any other type of luggage, but fortunately you can get a sturdy backpack that is lightweight for fewer than one hundred dollars. I found mine on Amazon and it has been all over the world without breaking. Find yourself a high quality pack and you’ll find yourself a travel partner, too. KC Owens is a college student at St Bonaventure 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.