Summer is a great time to travel if you’re a college student. You likely have at least one or two weeks you can take off from your summer classes or your job, you can choose to go nearly anywhere you want to, and you don’t have to share the backseat of a car with your younger sibling.
However, unless you have piles of spare cash sitting around, the distance you can travel and the amount of time you can stay at your destination are limited by what you can afford.
Luckily there are several places you can stay that let you get away from home cheaply. You won’t be able to book a room in a four star hotel, but at least you’ll have enough money to get back home as long as you aren’t going to Vegas.
Hostels
Hostels are an inexpensive alternative to hotels for young travelers. Most hostels offer their guests accommodations in a dormitory style setting and provide facilities for cooking food. They are also much less formal than hotels and don’t offer as many amenities, but you shouldn’t be ordering room service anyway if you’re on a budget.
In addition to being cheaper, hostels generally encourage a communal environment that facilitates interaction among the guests. Some people prefer this type of arrangement, while others might be interested in a more private atmosphere.
CouchSurfing
CouchSurfing is the practice of sleeping at another person’s house while traveling in whatever free space you can find (generally a couch or a floor). CouchSurfing is usually free, but you should consider bringing your host some sort of gift if you want to be a considerate guest.
If you have friends who live in other areas of the country you can always call them and see if they will allow you to sleep on their couch for a few days. If you want to go somewhere where you don’t know anybody you can join the
CouchSurfing network at http://www.couchsurfing.org/ and try to find a host there. The site has security features for both hosts and guests, but as with anything on the Internet, make sure you know who you are dealing with before deciding to spend a few days in their house. If you don’t like the thought of staying in someone else’s house, some student housing co-ops accept couchsurfers over the summer.
Camping
Camping on a road trip is a great way to get outside and save money. If you plan your route ahead of time, you can almost always find a nearby campground to stay at every night for a minimal fee. You can also save money on food since you can cook for yourself instead of eating out. And since you’re outside you won’t have to worry about your crazy friend costing your group a lot of money by wrecking the hotel room.
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a program that connects farmers with travelers who are willing to work for accommodations. In exchange for helping on a farm for about half of a day, you get food and a place to stay. No money is exchanged and no prior experience is necessary. In addition to getting room and board at no monetary cost, you get to learn about organic farms and the people who live on them.
The WWOOF program is worldwide, but you still have to pay for your transportation, so working close to home will cost you less. The global listing of participating farms can be found at
http://www.wwoof.org/ and the listing of host farms in the USA can be found at
http://www.wwoofusa.org/.
Following these ideas may require you to occasionally sacrifice some comfort or to work while you’re on vacation, but they’ll also keep you on budget. In addition, they can help you meet new people and gain experiences you might otherwise miss while you travel.