Trying to juggle your studies with travelling is difficult. The UK loan system often does not even cover student accommodation rent and many families are not in the financial position to assist. Despite this, travelling is so important when you are young. It will broaden your horizons and immerse you in culture. Travel now, when you still have the time and energy to do so.
Take a ‘gap yarrrr’
Ah yes, that cliche. The lesser spotted gap year. The year to ‘find yourself’. For many, this is probably the one year in your life with no real responsibility and the most amount of free time you’ll have until you retire. Whether you take it after A Levels or when you graduate, it is probably one of the best decisions you will ever make. We both took up multiple jobs prior to travelling in order to acquire the money we needed in short amount of time, and then spent pretty much all of it on 3 months in South America and 3 weeks interrailing round central Europe.
Save your loan
Do you really need that Tesco meal deal outside the Library? Are the cheesy chips on the way home from a night out strictly necessary? Do you really need to get an Uber for a 10 minute walk? If you consciously think about where your money is going before you spend it, you’re much more likely to be able to save some of your student loan to spent it to see the world. Lets say you go out twice a week, taking an Uber there and back. Thats probably 15 dollars a night, 30 dollars a week, 360 dollars a semester, $720 dollars per academic year. At the time of writing, you can get a return flight to Guatemala from London for $450 dollars. Need I say anymore?
Get a part-time job (as long as it doesn’t affect your studies)
This is a difficult one, many courses are very demanding and may not allow you to work alongside them. In addition, retail rotas are not overly flexible when it comes to working around your schedule. That being said, if you can get a Saturday or evening job then it will definitely allow you to save at a much faster rate. Tutoring can also be an option for many university students as it allows you to pick your hours and cater to your own financial needs. ‘Tutor hunt’ is a great platform that allows you to get in contact with tutees in your area.
do a year abroad/year in industry abroad
If you’re not on an industry sandwich/ year abroad course already, many universities allow you to incorporate it onto your course after your first year. Ellie is going to Argentina and Brazil to study next year whereas I am looking at a Pharmaceutical placement year abroad.
plan early
Planning your trip in advance can greatly decrease the cost. Many tour companies offer ‘early bird’ prices on their packages, flights are also likely to be cheaper as the demand is less the further away you are from the departure date.
Uni Travellers 
Great post- its so hard to travel as a student. I’ve just released a post on planning budget trips as a student and an earlier one on taking a gap yar.
Year in industry is a great shout too
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Hi Tom – Thank you!
We will check them out.
Elliot and Ellie
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