For full-time university students, life can get a little tough at times throughout the semester. Socialising becomes a restricted activity, getting a full nights sleep is a thing of the past and your diminished ability to work full time means you're probably going to be pretty broke. In the name of academic learning, sacrifices will be aplenty, and to counteract that, you need something to look forward to. Did someone say travelling?
One of the best ways to spend your semester break is travelling. Of all the things you need to do this, from a valid visa to passport, perhaps what you need most is money. Yep, travel generally incurs an expense and for students already doing it rough on the bank balance front, achieving some time away from home will be challenging. You needn't despair - we're here to help you find ways to save so you can take that dream student vacay - because you deserve the break!
Make the most of being a student
Got a student card? Then you've got discounts nearly everywhere you go, including right here with us. There are endless ways to use your impoverished student status to your advantage, including discounts on cinema tickets, retail stores and restaurants. There are even apps that will tell you where to find the best deals, like UNiDAYS.
Budget
For students under or in their early twenties, the idea of sitting down and drawing up a budget might seem a little premature. But if you have your heart set on a holiday, it might just be a necessary evil. Break things down into simple categories; earnings per week and outgoing expenses like petrol, groceries and rent. From here, you should see how much excess cash you have to pop straight into the holiday savings account.
Make more sacrifices
As we said earlier, studying full time is all about making sacrifices, and we're about to suggest you make a few more for your savings sake. This means things that might be fun to do every week, like nightclubbing or eating out four out of five nights, probably need to stop. You'll have to make some sensible, albeit a little bit boring, sacrifices to save for travelling.
Go thrift shopping
You might think the value in that $120 pair of jeans you just found online is glaringly obvious, but did you know a painfully similar pair is probably sitting at your local op shop for $5? We get it, you need to buy new things, but you'll never make it overseas cutting loose at the shops every other week. Search the op shops instead and do your savings account and the environment a favour in the process.
Meal prep
Not in a calorie-restrictive, dietary sense, but for the sake of your finances! Eating out a few times a day or even a few times a week can quickly become an expensive activity so we suggest meal prepping or at the very least, planning. Try to figure out what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, write a grocery list and shop accordingly. This will save you money and the panic of being hungry halfway through your lecture and dropping $20 at the uni food court.
Stay in the boss's good books
If you're working while studying, you're going to need to make the most of that job for your travelling aspirations. It helps to have a good relationship with your boss or manager, or whoever is handling the roster and shifts. You'll need to beg for extra hours when your timetable allows, be the first point of call if someone calls in sick and score the extra rates on weekend and public holiday shifts.
Even practising a few of these money-saving tricks can help you get closer to your next travelling stint. Whether you want to keep things close to home on your break and discover somewhere new in Australia or head abroad on an all-inclusive tour, we've got plenty of options to offer. Speak to one of our student travel experts today for more tips on how to plan your next mid-semester or post-study break.
