By Grace Eberts, EIC
This year when I found out that my good friend and roommate was going abroad, I was super bummed. This meant that we were subleasing her room in my house and I wasn’t going to have one of my closest friends around for the semester. However, I was also extremely excited for her and the new adventure she was going to embark on, full of brand new experiences and exposure to new places.
Between a paid internship and a part time retail job, I knew that I wanted to put aside money from working to save up and take a trip to visit her. I’ve always wanted to visit Barcelona, but also knew how much I would miss her! However, funding a trip abroad for myself wasn’t the easiest and required careful planning and budgeting to make sure that I was not spending outside of the means of my savings and fall income. To preface these tips, many of them do come back to saving money from paychecks. Therefore, if you don’t have a job, but want be able to take a bigger trip, I recommend either looking for one (if it is within the means of your schedule) or picking up odd jobs (dog walking, house sitting, etc) to be able to have some sort of income.
There are very few times that you will have the chance to go and visit your friend in another country like this, so I wanted to share everything that I learned about traveling on a tight budget as a student. I recognize that having the ability to take this trip was a huge privilege as a young student, but it was largely due to ways my parents had taught me to save money and travel well. I hope they can be of help to anyone looking to take a trip or visit a friend who is studying abroad as well!
Flight tickets
Buying tickets will likely be the biggest investment of a trip, but budgeting and planning ahead is key here. During the summer, I set aside a consistent amount from my income each month. This may feel like a big commitment, but eliminating unnecessary purchases, really cracking down on any type of excess spending, and picking up a few extra shifts a week can make this possible. By the end of the summer, I had saved enough money to commit to my flight tickets. Throughout the early months of the fall semester, I checked flights multiple times a week until I was able to find the cheapest option. Each time, I checked different days, times, and airline options to ensure that I was making the best decision possible. Eventually, I was able to find a flight for half the average price for a flight to Barcelona and I was able to book it ASAP with the money I had been saving.
Lodging
When it comes to where you will be staying, this is a decision where you will have to find your own personal balance between comfort and prices. You have a few different options to explore: AirBnBs, hostels, or hotels. Ultimately, most of your trip really shouldn’t be spent in your room, but for each individual the need for privacy varies. After looking at prices, my friends and I chose to stay in an AirBnb in a shared apartment. This way we were able to book our own room (rather than a shared room in a hostel), but still save money by sharing the apartment with other people staying in town. This setup was perfect for us – we really never spent time in the AirBnb so all we needed was a safe, clean bed. If you don’t feel comfortable in a hostel, I suggest exploring this option. Plus, it was cheaper than a hostel in the end because to reduce costs even more, we chose to have two people stay in the Airbnb and have one person stay with our friend in her dorm room. This option depends on the rules of your friend’s program, but it allowed us to avoid an increased three-person price for the AirBnb. We still split the price three ways, keeping our lodging costs to under $150 for five days.
Food
When traveling to a new country, it is so important to taste and experience their food culture and traditional cuisine. This doesn’t mean you can’t do it on a budget! Take time before your trip to research places to eat, as you can certainly find cheaper restaurants that still serve great food. Having meals planned ahead of time avoids putting you in situations where you can’t find a restaurant and get stuck with a more pricey spot.
Cooking in a friend’s dorm kitchen or the AirBnb kitchen is also a great option. Plus, it is likely that the produce selection at the grocery store is very different and there are lots of new snacks to try. Breakfast and lunch are great meals to replace with grocery shopping and cooking. During my trip, I was able to save money by having ham, cheese, bread, and fruit for some meals in order to make our own copycat tapas style meal. We tried new fruits that weren’t so readily available in the US and took advantage of low meat and cheese prices.
Tourist attractions
When trying to plan a low cost trip, it is critical that you spend time making daytime itineraries to optimize your time and spending. Lots of people travel on a budget, so if you do a quick google search for “free activities in X” you will find a goldmine of free or low-cost options for museums, tourist attractions, and even free tours. For example, during my time in Barcelona I was able to find a long list of museums that were free at different times throughout the week, saving us expensive admission fees.
Taking time to plan this out also helps you determine what activities you actually need and want to pay for. In Barcelona, I decided that I really did want to see the inside of La Sagrada Familia, but in order to do that I had to buy a ticket. Before buying a ticket, I researched other options and learned that you can attend Sunday mass for free– offering a free way to see the inside of the church. When I arrived at 8:30am for the 9am mass, I was quickly informed that people camp out as early as 6am to get in; unfortunately, my plan to save some money didn’t work out! However, for me personally, this was one of the few things that I had planned for my trip that I felt was necessary to pay for. When I went in, it was totally worth it and I was glad that I had left room in my budget for it!
Other expenses
When you are in a new country, it can be tempting to shop and spend money because it feels like a special occasion. However, a really important part of saving money on your trip is keeping yourself in check when it comes to these more frivolous activities. When you think about it practically, there is no reason to visit stores like Zara or H&M that we have right at home in DC, but this doesn’t mean that shopping can’t be part of your trip. Seek out local thrift stores, vintage shops, and flea markets to find affordable shopping options. I picked up a few things during my trip to Barcelona, but found them at the €1 table of a local flea market. The bonus is that these items will be far more original and likely impossible for anyone else to find. I’ve also discovered that vintage shopping and thrifting in Europe is not just cheaper, but so much better! I tend to find better quality clothes at much better prices.
Under the umbrella of shopping is the question of souvenirs. I think that pictures and memories are the best free souvenirs, but if you are someone who enjoys physical items there are a few low cost options. One simple option is to bring along a film camera and then develop the photos when you get home to have a physical stack of pictures from your trip. You can also find items at flea markets that connect back to your destination– like vintage matchboxes, old stamps, or smaller artwork. Finally, cheaper items like postcards and mini-trinkets are also great choices that you find at small shops on most touristy streets!
Ultimately, being able to travel abroad is a huge privilege. But, if it is a goal or passion of yours to experience new cultures and explore the history of other countries, saving up money and being able to have a unique experience is extremely rewarding and special. If you have never traveled alone or visited another country, these tips and tricks are great ideas to keep in mind when you plan your adventure. Happy traveling!
