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…

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.