If there’s one thing students are good at, it’s doing everything on a budget. That or blowing your student loan on items that are very much not essential. Wherever you sit on the money savvy student spectrum, when it comes to securing your next hols on a student budget, we’ve got the hacks you need. So, make sure you pack your sun screen – and that all important uni reading, of course. Because we’re going to help you scrimp and save whilst you travel!
Take a Risk in Last Minute Deals or Be Advanced?
It’s an old trick, but that doesn’t make it any less true. To scope out those incredible deals, your best bet is to wait it out for the cheapest flights to come to you. But when is the optimum time? Here the advice can be conflicting. Whilst some say there should be absolutely no holiday browsing on Mondays where there’s a strong case of back to work blues, others say to skip out on Fridays and Saturdays, too. The Tuesday, six weeks before rule is said to be the perfect bargain hunting time, but really you could also wait until a pig flies across a full moon?
Skyscanner has weighed in with 7 weeks being the best time for the lowest prices, whilst Expedia advises a very specific 57 days. Our advice? Start monitoring prices from 70 days before departure and watch out for fluctuation patterns. Ultimately, if you set out a budget for yourself, you’ll be able to find the perfect student holiday that fits the bill.
Computer Hacks for Saving on Flight Bookings
C’mon, if there’s one thing students have got it’s those savvy tech skills. When you’re looking at different holidays, it’s a good idea to browse using the incognito feature and to clear your cookies before booking anything to guarantee you’re seeing the best prices. Otherwise you’ll notice you rarely find flights at the same low price again. Once they know you’re interested, not only will you be hit with behavioural advertisements between every other Facebook post, you’ll see the prices rack up.
To use incognito on Google Chrome, simply go to open a new tab as you normally would but instead click ‘New incognito window’. In this mode, none of your history is logged, as well as the cookies which remember your surfing past and retain this information to give you the searches that best fit you.
Save by Choosing the Cheapest Airlines
When it comes to flights, there are lots of things to consider. First things first, why not fly with a budget airline like easyJet or Ryan Air? You can even make use of easyJet’s ‘Inspire Me’ feature, which allows you to select where you wish to fly from, how long you want to go away for or the type of holiday you’re looking for and shows you all the available destinations and flight prices. Perfect for if you haven’t got your heart set on anywhere in particular, you can find something that fits easily into your budget with returns for under £100.
There are also plenty of lesser known airlines like KLM, as well as country specific airlines that you can hop on at far cheaper rates by flying non-directly. Non-direct flights are a great way to save on costs. Sometimes adding as little as an hour extra to your journey, if you’re looking to cut down on expense this is another aspect to consider when booking flights.
Book in Advance on Holiday Extras
If you’re going to take anything from this, saving money all comes down to planning. We often forget that whilst you may have paid off your hotel and flights, there are still a bunch of other holiday essentials that cost money. You can find a number of Promo Codes For retailers like Holiday Extras, Avis and John Lewis Travel Insurance where you can save an average of 15% on your booking. Be ahead of the game and ensure you’ve budgeted in your travel insurance policy as well as transfers and airport parking.
Save on Student Holidays with STA Travel
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place dedicated to gifting hardworking students travel options at massively discounted prices? Well – spoiler alert – there is! With STA Travel you can save on everything from flights to £100 off round the world trips and regular voucher codes of up to 15% off. Also find helpful documentation like International Student Identity Cards that allow you to reap the benefits of your student status wherever you go in the world, as well as free travel insurance and other amazing deals. It’s the hub for student travellers.
Students Should Travel in Off-Peak Periods
Not only are students gifted with a huge chunk of time where they can laze about and contemplate life’s big questions. It also turns out that some of this time off falls directly on term time for the rest of the educational system, which means you can travel more cheaply and not pay those sky rocketing school holiday prices. Especially if you’re thinking about becoming a teacher after your undergrad, we’d urge you to rinse off-peak travel for all it’s worth while you can. Travel in off-peak periods and you can save hundreds on not being nailed down by term timetables.
Explore Cheaper Accommodation Options
If you’re going travelling, it goes without saying you should get the authentic experience and hostels are a part of that. They’re considerably cheaper than any hotel will be, no matter how grotty you may be willing to sink for the sake of budgeting. There is also likely to be a livelier atmosphere in a hostel, with like-minded people you can get to know and maybe bond over your travels with. This is especially perfect if you’re travelling solo. Alternatively, if you’re planning to go away with a group of friends, look into booking with Air BnB. Having your own space to live in is great and split between a few of you, the nightly rates can end up being cheaper than you’d expect.
As something that can be hugely expensive, you’d be surprised at just how many options there are for student travellers looking to save a few extra pennies. It doesn’t just stop at reduced flight fares, either. Benefit from old saving hacks, as well as those tailored just for those in higher education and you could get hundreds of pounds worth of discounts on everything from once in a lifetime trips to those much-needed weeks of respite from the library.
