How to Travel in Europe on a Student Budget

Being an international student means more than just gaining knowledge through studies. It means experiencing culture shocks (one on arrival in the foreign country and another when you get back home), participating in various extracurricular activities, including traveling, and  learning to survive on a tight student budget.

International students spend a lot on buying household goods, starting from a fork and plate, then ending up in a furniture store looking for a mattress. Once you’ve got all the basics covered, you might not think you can afford to splash out on any trips. But although traveling may be associated with unaffordable expenses, without weekend trips to neighboring cities or holidays in nearby countries, your university years risk becoming a little monotonous.

Europe is one of the places in the world where traveling seems common and even obligatory – the countries are so close together and the transportation so easy. However, for those who find European prices relatively high, it might be reasonable to bear in mind several tips on how to spend less, protect yourself from unpredicted bills and keep yourself from exhausting your student budget. Here’s my advice on how to travel in Europe without overspending…

Travel in Europe with budget airlines

Planning your European trip one or two months ahead is the first way to leave more money in your bank account; the best deals on transport and accommodation are usually available for those who book early.

Since the early 90s European countries have been served by budget airlines, making travel in Europe that much easier and cheaper. Today these companies have grown and serve dozens of destinations. Three of the most widely known budget airlines are: British Easyjet (easyjet.com), Spanish Vueling (vueling.com) and Irish Ryanair (ryanair.com). The cheapest of these are Easyjet and Ryanair, where the lowest rate for one ticket may be just €17.

However, if using budget airlines, make sure you know exactly what you’ve paid for and what all the requirements are – otherwise you may have to pay unexpected extra fees. It might be worth knowing that Ryanair, for instance, requires online check-in. If you have carry-on luggage, every airline in the airport has their stands to check if your bag fits their standards. If your cabin bag is judged too large, you will have to pay around €50.

In my personal experience, I’ve found that Vueling and Easyjet work more professionally and offer better service. I’ve flown four times with Ryanair and every time something went wrong. In one example, we had to stand outside while waiting for boarding when the weather was cold. And overall, flying with Ryanair left me with more negative memories than neutral, especially when they made me pay for a cabin bag that suited their bag check desk… so from now on I’ll probably be choosing Vueling or Easyjet if I can.

Use technology to help you

Almost all budget airlines have made it more convenient for clients to check the available seats and the costs by creating downloadable apps for tablets and smartphones. In addition to using the apps created by the companies themselves, those on a student budget should also make use of comparison websites and apps to compare prices across all the possible options. Sometimes prices can range quite a lot, so that extra 15 minutes spent checking may save you enough for your next ticket.

Travel Europe by train or plane?

Another tip concerns the dilemma “Should I travel Europe by train or plane”? Train travel in Europe is often very easy and accessible; the websites of European train companies such as Spain’s Renfe, Portugal’s Comboios, Italy’s Italo and TrenItalia and Germany’s DB Bahn are reliable and user-friendly. Of course instead of taking the 11-hour train trip to get from Lisbon to Madrid, it is probably preferable to fly with Easyjet and reach the destination in 55 minutes.

If you want to travel Europe by train or plane, here are a few things to think about. When the distance can be easily covered by train, it might be more convenient and comfortable to take that option. The trains in Europe are fast, have more space inside than any budget airline’s cabin, and sometimes even offer facilities like wi-fi. In addition, train stations are mostly situated in the hearts of the cities, while airports are much further out. So by choosing the train you can save a lot of time – not only is there no long drive from city to airport, but you also don’t need to allow so much time to check in and go through security control. Plus, travelling by train is also better for the environment.

Of course, compared to many parts of the world, travel in Europe remains a pretty expensive undertaking. But if you’re spending some time studying in Europe, you should definitely take the chance to explore it as much as you can. So, good luck with savings and have the time of your life traveling!