Traveling Abroad on a Budget

22 years old KC Omen, student at St. Bonaventure University in the United States loves travelling. In email he requested me to upload his traveling abroad plan with limited budget to share with diverse audience. And I agreed to share since I love traveling too.

Here it is…

Like most college students, I often find myself worrying about many different things. If I’m not worrying about paying my tuition, I am stressed about studying for my exams. Luckily, I have found ways to alleviate this worry; and as a result, I am able to release a lot of my stress. By taking a trip abroad every year, I am often able to feel rejuvenated to continue with my college education. However, I have to always ensure that my trip does not cost me more money than I can truly afford. Even though I am a college student on a very strict budget, I still find ways to travel at a very low cost.

The Important Financials:

As mentioned previously, I often worry about paying my tuition and being able to afford to buy something to eat. Therefore, some people may wonder how I’m able to travel abroad. By simply doing a little research, I was able to find two ways to help me with my travel expenses. First, I decided to apply for a traveler-specific credit card. My card served one essential purpose: it allowed me to be able to pay for my plane ticket. I would be able to make small monthly payments on the balance over time and make it a little more manageable.

I also received a little help with my travel expenses by applying for travel grants through my university. In my current major, I could do some research while I was abroad. The travel grants gave me the opportunity to have more money in my pocket when I took my trip. Whether it is a new line of credit and small monthly payments or a travel grant, there are ways to get out there and travel, you just have to do some research ahead of time.

How to Carry your Life:

Unlike many of the other passengers that I would see on the plane, I decided not to invest in a set of luggage. First, I did not want to deal with the hassle of carrying so many pieces of luggage around with me. Also, I did not want to have to pay more money for extra pieces of luggage or for one extremely heavy piece of luggage. In order to eliminate these problems, I simply invested in one large backpack. With the backpack, I was forced to pack lightly. Therefore, I could carry the bag with me on long walks to the hostel or anywhere else I went. Most importantly, I was able to purchase this bag for a very cheap price. I was able to buy my pack at the local mall for less than forty dollars.

The Must-have List:

Finally, I also had to be very conservative with the items that were a must to take along with me. The most important item was my wallet. Not only did my wallet contain my identification card, but it also contained all of my cash and credit cards. I made sure to invest in pants that had pockets with zippers, and I was especially sure to keep my wallet zipped up at all times. Also, I made sure that the shoes I brought along with me were tennis shoes. With all the walking I do, I need a durable pair of shoes. I also made sure that they would also look nice with a pair of khaki pants. By wearing these types of shoes, I could walk comfortably to different destinations; however, I would still feel comfortable when I was in a more formal setting. Also, depending on the destination you are traveling to, it may be a good idea to bring some type of raincoat. I learned this lesson the hard way and participating in a walking tour while soaking wet was not fun.

KC Omen

KC Owens has written and submitted this article. KC is a college student 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.