What to Decide Before You Go Traveling After University

Usually, by the end of university every graduate is running pretty low on money, so the first thing you need to think about is how you’re actually going to fund your travels. Are you planning on working while you travel, or would you rather save up beforehand?

If there’s a chance you might want to work abroad while you travel, it’s important you get the paperwork sorted before you go. I didn’t purchase a work visa for my trip and I still regret that decision as I met many fellow travelers who worked as they traveled and that ultimately allowed them to gain much more out of their gap-year experience.

Websites such as MyRealGap or KiwiExperience have plenty of information about working abroad and how to get started, if it’s something you might be interested in.

I planned out my entire itinerary before I began my trip, which allowed me to book my transport and some of my accommodation in advance. Why is this beneficial? Because you may be able to save money. I found Expedia particularly useful as booking flights with them could sometimes save me money on hotels. Hostels are also often cheaper when booked in advance online, and it’s worth comparing the facilities on offer in different ones too. Some will offer free food and services like bike hire which can really improve your traveling experience.

Don’t forget that Airbnb can also be a good option, depending on your location. In some places this can even be cheaper than a bed in a hostel, and they’re also good if you need some personal space every now and again.

I would also highly recommend booking a form of accommodation which doesn’t charge cancellation fees. That will allow you to change your itinerary if necessary without the fear of wasting money.

Always keep an open mind when you’re traveling as the best experiences are often last-minute and unexpected. While it’s a good idea to plan an itinerary for your trip before you leave, I’d suggest keeping it as open as possible so you can easily manage any last-minute changes.

I’d also highly recommend planning a couple of free days into your itinerary just in case the weather is bad, or you’re not feeling well – or in case you want to plan a couple of things with some new friends. You never know what might come up. When I went traveling, we spent a couple of extra days at each stop and it worked out really well for us.

If you’re bringing a DSLR camera or laptop with you while you’re traveling, I’d seriously recommend bringing a USB stick or hard drive with you, maybe even a couple of extra SD cards. You don’t want to run out of storage space halfway through your trip.

When you have access to Wi-Fi, try uploading your photos and videos to the cloud in case you lose your camera or it’s stolen. That way, all those memories are safely stored. I took so many pictures for my blog when I was away and I would have been completely devastated if I lost them all. I’d also suggest bringing an external battery charger with you, I used mine every single day and it was a life-saver.