Although the notorious stereotype of students being skint tends to ring true, that does not
mean young people are doomed to a life of confinement in their University city.
In fact, being a student may be the easiest time to explore the world. Being in the UK may
not usually appear to have many benefits, actually our Geographical position is a great
assets.
Not only are we lucky to be a part of Europe, a continent notorious for its good food and
friendly culture, we are also therefore in the midst of many different location options - from
typical spots like France, Spain, Greece and Italy to equally incredible but often overlooked
areas including Croatia, Hungary and Iceland, these are put a fraction of the endless travel
possibilities right on our doorstep.
Having such exciting neighbours provides seemingly limitless opportunities but also creates the luxury of short flight times - with many popular destinations being equal to most student train journeys between home and University.
This benefit not only means there’s no need to take up precious luggage space with in-flight
reading materials, but also makes a weekend away to dream destinations more than
plausible. No need to skip your lectures, sorry no excuses here, quick trips can easily fit into
our regular free-time. And for those lucky enough to be free from studies on Mondays and/or Fridays, the more you can see.
Not only do these flight times provide flexibility, but they also aid in extremely budget friendly prices. Notoriously affordable airlines, RyanAir and EasyJet, can allow for prices as little as £10 - a whole holiday for less than the cost of a round in Bar One.
Another lovely part of our European lifestyle, a lot of key attractions are free!
Paris’ Louvre may take days to explore but is free for everyone aged under 18 all year and
under 26s on Friday evenings. Mature students don’t be dishearted, if you plan your trip right entrance is free for everyone on the first Saturday of each month, between an almost 4 hour evening period, and all day on Bastille Day (14 July). This is just one example of many
tourist favourites but serves to prove the point that, with a bit of research, there is so much to be done once you land without even spending a penny.
As for accommodation, although it's well-known to be the most bank account draining aspect of travel, Hostels don’t always have to be the only option. Usually, most 'bang for your buck' chains like EasyHotel and benefits provided from websites like Booking.com mean a bit of privacy doesn’t have to be a distant memory. In fact, last minute deals on AirBnB can often be not only kind to our pockets but also provide a more unique location that allows for you to easily pretend to be a local.
In conclusion, travel doesn’t have to be something saved for a gap year or post-graduate life, explore while you still have the freedom of a non 9-5 life - and your government provided loan, of course.
Edited by Nadia Lincoln.