During my freshman year, I flew out the country twice. The first time I left was for a week with an immersion group to Nicaragua during spring break. In Nicaragua, I went to the grand Cathedral in the city square of Granada, the Museo Nacional, which houses famous art and cultural relics, and Plaza de la Revolución, an essential landmark to the country of Nicaragua as a whole.

The second time I left was at the end of the semester for my Erasmus class, where I went to Cambodia for two week. In Cambodia, I ate a cricket, hiked up one of the seven wonders of the world Angkor Wat (the largest religious monument built in the 12th century) and visited monks protecting the rainforest.

The sticker price that accompanies studying abroad for a semester, or a short-term international program, may be shocking, but there are ways to travel on a budget. I didn’t come from an excessively rich family nor had I saved much money for these trips, but by researching about different ways to travel on a budget, I found opportunities to take discounted or free trips and save a whole lot of money. Here are few top tips for traveling as a student.

Research university-sponsored trips

Many universities have trips that are open to students from a variety of majors. With my school, there are student leadership trips to Austria, business etiquette trips to Hong Kong, refugee study in Rome, and more. Most trips have a mission, and if it sounds interesting to you, you should get details and look into financial aid options. Depending on the financial budget of the programs, most have scholarship funding that will cover part or all of the trip.

Tip: If the trip doesn’t have financial aid support, see if they offer any options that pay for airfare costs.

Sometimes your financial aid can cover the cost! University trips include one fee for transportation, airfare, food, and lodging that can seriously help you in the long haul and ease anxieties. You should look into these trips by speaking with coordinators, online research, or from posters and promotions around your college campus.

By comparison, studying abroad for a semester can cost upward of $30,000. Even four weeks for a summer term with outside organizations can be thousands of dollars. These programs usually don’t add the out-of-pocket costs for local travel, food, clothing, airfare, and other expenses, which can increase total costs by hundreds of dollars.

Group it

Taking group trips always reduces the cost. For example, a Croatia: Hike, Bike & Kayak tour with Intrepid costs around $1,500 for eight days. This includes meals, transportation, accommodations, and guided activities. At Intrepid, the maximum number of people is 15 per group with a minimum of one.

They also have a flexible range of start dates from April to September. The price varies depending on which area you travel to (e.g., Europe or Asia) and time of season. For example, Europe tends to be more expensive in the summer during their off season.

However, if you don’t want to go on a university-sponsored trip and just want to have fun, then go with travel companies like Intrepid, G Adventures and StudentUniverse. These opportunities provide great ways to meet new people from all over the world as a solo traveler or in a group of three or less. 

Tip: These companies also offer specific group travel communities, such as age-restricted trips (e.g., 18-30 only), rail-only tours, sea and ships, and private tours.

With these pre-planned itineraries and all-inclusive fees, you won’t have to worry about putting together a trip or logistics—you can simply enjoy yourself.

Utilize outside summer study programs and internships

Some universities have connections to outside organizations or specific colleges around the world for internships and summer study programs for their students abroad. These programs often have the students carry the burden if they decide to do a summer program as many institutions do not offer summer aid.

However, there are usually opportunities to pursue scholarships offered through the program itself. Study abroad organizations like AES Abroad, CIEE, and AIFS are student-oriented and focus on all students studying abroad. With programs all over the world, they offer scholarships ranging from $500 to 50% off of a particular program.

Tip: They have internship programs and volunteer exchanges as well, so you have the option to work or volunteer if you don’t want study or earn college credit.

Similar to full semester length study abroad, these programs have excursion dates that allow you to travel and meet other students, but the cost of these vary depending on your region of travel. Regardless, these programs offer a variety of payment options: Payment Plans, William D. Ford Federal direct Loan Program, Federal Pell Grants and other grants.

Saving for your trip

As a student you’re in the best position for discounts on almost everything. When you plan for a trip, first find a program, determine the estimated cost, and make sure you have a savings account so you can put away money for the trip. When it comes to saving money, you can utilize the 50-30-20 rule.

The 50-30-20 Rule: 50% of your income goes toward necessities, 30% your income goes toward enjoyment, like travel or dining, and 20% goes toward financial goals (e.g., paying off debt and emergencies).

This is really simple to follow for students that work or receive a allowance. Another trick to saving for studying abroad is unsubscribing to subscriptions services such as Hulu, Netflix, Apple Music, ipsy, and others that advertise the low-cost average of $10 for their services, which can add up to almost $50 or more a month if you’re subscribed to more than one. Lastly, eating on campus with your meal plan versus ordering off campus, as well as shopping every 2-3 weeks with specific spending goals in mind, can prevent impulse spending.

While saving money is always hard, taking the opportunity to go on one of these trips is definitely worth it, especially when you can save a lot as a student. All it takes is some research to find a budget-friendly student trip that appeals to you, and a commitment to save some money every month. With a little bit of effort, you’ll be well on your way to taking the trip of a lifetime!