Tag Archives: travel

March 7, 2013

5 Tips for Planning Spring Break

Filed under: College Life, Seasonal Celebrations, Tips, Travel & Abroad - Angelina
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Sylwia Baran Blogger Biography

 

 

 

 

Put your studying on pause for a second and start planning for Spring Break! The sooner you book your trip, the sooner you can go back to focusing on school. Plus, having a trip to look forward to will give you great incentive during midterms!  Here are my top five tips to consider while planning your spring break.

Spring Break in Sand with Sunglasses

Photo © Mayan Explore

1. Research

When choosing a hotel or resort for your Spring Break trip, research each place thoroughly.  Read the reviews people have posted about the hotel/resort on TripAdvisor.com and consider all of the different places in the area before booking your trip.

2. Book Early

If you’re planning a trip that requires a flight and/or hotel rooms, plan your trip early on and book well in advance of Spring Break.  Usually, sites like Expedia.com and Orbitz.com offer lower prices when booking early. Plus, you don’t want to wait until last minute because you’re not the only college student in the country going on Spring Break at that time and hotels and flights get booked up quickly.

3. Package Deals

Don’t book your flights and hotel separately. It is usually less expensive if you book your hotel and flight in a package deal through sites like Expedia.com. If you’re planning a trip to Mexico or any Caribbean place, check out CheapCarribean.com for some great packaged deals. They also offer great all-inclusive packages so that you don’t have to worry about wasting money on food during your trip.

4. Share Rooms

Going with a larger group can really benefit you all. When booking your hotel room, book a room with two double beds or any room that sleeps four. If you and your friends don’t mind sharing a room, the trip can be much cheaper for all of you. The more people splitting the cost of the room, the less you each pay.

5. Find Free Activities

Just because it’s a vacation doesn’t mean you need to empty your wallets! Type the city you will be in during your Break into Google.com and the words “free activities” and you’re bound to find something fun you can do for free. You can keep busy and have fun and still hold onto your money.

Spring Break Group of Friends Playing Volleyball on the Beach

Photo © CraigShipp.com

Keep these tips in mind and get to booking!

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July 22, 2012

Summer Break Destinations That Don’t Break the Bank

Filed under: College Life, Travel & Abroad - Social Community Manager
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Summer movies almost always include a scene with a group of friends driving down on a highway on a road trip with a cliché sunset in the background. Getting a driver’s license in the US is a rite of passage for teenagers and college students. Holding that license is like a ticket to freedom.

Summer road trips with my college friends are echoes of drives taken by previous generations. In 2009, I took a road trip with a friend, whose dad had driven the same route 30 years earlier. Road trips are also a great way to travel cheaply. A couple of mixed-CDs, a cooler of snacks, a roadmap, and a full tank of gas will make the world your oyster.

But summer break vacations can be expensive without travel included. Having to pay for meals and board can quickly add up. For college students, outdoor activities can be active or relaxing, and offer the biggest break on your wallet.

 

National Parks

giraffes

Photo © Krug6

State and city websites will list national/state parks or federally protected land located nearby. These parks can have picnic or camping areas and are beautiful scenic destinations. They may ask for a daily parking fee, but it’s a small price to pay to protect from forest fires and support upkeep of the land.

Beaches

If you’re lucky enough to live near one, beaches are a great summer destination. Even a couple-hours drive or weekend trip can be worth feeling the sand between your toes. Physically, visits to the ocean are good for your body and anytime out in the sun will up your D3 intake.

Concerts & Festivals

If you are able to throw a few extra dollars aside, then concerts and festivals are the way to go for music lovers. Sasquatch, EDC, and Coachella are all opening acts to the line-ups over summer on the West Coast. All across the US, major summer festivals include Bonnaroo, Identity, Warped Tour, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands.  A quick search online will give you the websites for all of the above concerts and many more.

Happy summer traveling! Don’t forget to keep those windows down!

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July 13, 2012

Summer Travel on a Student Budget

Filed under: Travel & Abroad - BookRenter Team
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Hey everyone! I wanted to share with you guys some of my tips and tricks on traveling on a budget.  I’m currently visiting New Jersey and New York, part one of my summer adventure. As a student, it’s definitely tough traveling on a budget, but here are some tips and tricks on how I save money and have tons of fun while traveling on a budget!

At the Airport

If you really want to stretch your budget out, start by saving at the airport! Everything at the airport is extremely overpriced, so save money by bringing your own things. Here are some ideas:

  • Bring a reusable water bottle or an empty water bottle. You’ll save an extra $4-5 just by bringing your own water bottle! Once you’ve passed security you can fill up your water bottle at any water fountain, some airports even have ‘refill stations’. Using this throughout your trip will save you tons of money in the long-run.
  • Pack your own food because the airport and airplane food will be expensive and not that appetizing. Although they say you’re only allowed to bring a personal item (purse, backpack, etc) and a carry-on, you are allowed to bring an extra bag with food you’re going to be consuming at the airport or on the airplane.

Sight-Seeing & Dining Options

Doing your research on the local scenery and dining options prior to traveling will help you stay on budget. Having an idea on the price points of different places will help narrow down your options.

  • Ask the locals about restaurants they recommend you to try out. They always recommend the best budget-friendly eateries that fill your stomach! Stray away from asking the hotel for recommendations, they’ll send you to pricier restaurants that they’ve partnered up with.
  • Compare and contrast the different hotspots, narrow down your sight-seeing list to your top 5 must see places. Check out the ads in newspapers for free summer concerts or events.  By pairing up the top 5 places with a few free summer events, you’ve got yourself an eventful summer trip!
  • Buy admission tickets online because they are usually a couple of dollars cheaper. Trust me, these few dollars you save will only help your budget out even more. Also, oftentimes museums and tourist attractions offer student discounts, so make sure to ask ahead of time.
  • Emergency snacks are a must! You never know where the closest store is and their store hours. From experience, I have gone a couple hungry nights wishing I had snacks. Having an emergency stash of snacks will help you out for those late night munchies! I like to bring a large ziplock of granola bars, fruit snacks and trail mix.

Traveling doesn’t have to feel like you’re splurging all your money. By using these tips/tricks and budgeting wisely, you can have fun without spending tons of cash!

 

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July 9, 2012

Life After College: Now What?

Filed under: Post Grad and Career, Travel & Abroad, Volunteering and Giving Back - Social Community Manager
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Graduating from college is a huge accomplishment, and it’s even more wonderful if you have already secured a post-grad job… but what about those of us who haven’t? Your happy little moment of celebration can easily be soured with the reminder that you don’t have your foot in the job market yet, but rest assured, there are plenty of options for the unemployed undergrad.

peace corps

Photo © oar4me

Join the Peace Corps

Train for six months, serve for one to two years in another country with a monthly allowance, and get paid $7,500 for your work? Yes please! There are about nine different categories volunteer work falls under, from Education and Health to HIV/AIDS and Business. Connect with a recruiter in your area to find out more about the application process, but it’s best to start early if you want to be volunteering within six months. You might not get to pick which country you go to because it’s all based on the needs of what skills you have, but it’s a great opportunity to travel, make a difference in the world, and take a break from school to let the economy recover before you job search. Not to mention, it will look great on your resume! Side note: the other option is to do Americorps, which recruits volunteers to serve here in the U.S..

Teach English as a foreign language (TEFL)

english as a foreign language

Photo © seetefl

Become certified to teach English in another country in as little as 4-6 weeks and all online! You may be able to find a program overseas that doesn’t require you to be

certified, but most employers look for people who are. With the TEFL certificate, you can teach in a variety of countries, such as Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, European countries, and South America. If you think you might want to teach, consider the very basic TEFL certificate. Even with the basic certificate, it’s a great resource to have if you want the means to live anywhere you wish. 

Just travel

map for travel

Photo © Cali4beach

A lot of people I’ve talked to seem to have one thing in common as far as what they regretted not doing after college: traveling. If you have long lost relatives overseas, take advantage of the connection and give them a call or send an email to catch up. Usually, families are more than welcoming when it comes to hosting. Since housing and food is already hooked up, all you’ll have to worry about is your round-trip plane ticket (assuming you want to come home!).

Still feeling stuck? It’s important to remember not to panic. You always have options; just put the time and research into seeing exactly what they are. The more research you do on your own, the better you’ll feel and the better choice you’ll make.

 

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June 19, 2012

Stretching Your Student Wallet for Summer

Filed under: College Life, Digital Interns - BookRenter Team
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Last month marked the official start of summer 2012! That means a whole lot of fun in the sun and chillaxing with your friends. You might wonder what things you can do that are fun and exciting, yet cheap.

Food, friends & fun

Well for starters, everybody loves to eat, so why not get a group of friends and host a potluck or a picnic at a popular spot in town? Here are a few pointers on how to stay under a reasonable budget.

  • Buy what’s on sale! Food goes on sale all the time and is usually the first thing you’ll see when you walk in the store.

    picnic

    Photo © KFoodaddict

  • Value brands are pretty great. If you see something that looks great but is a little pricey, look for a generic brand. Odds are they taste exactly the same!
  • Need your condiments? Save your ketchup, mustard, mayo, & hot sauce packets from every time you go out to eat. It’ll probably save a lot of time when large crowds of people are trying to use the same bottle of ketchup.
  • Most importantly, divvy up who brings what. The more people that participate, the more options, and the easier it’ll be to have a great time!

Movie time

movie theater

Photo © Abhijit Patil

Now that you have a lot of free time, you probably want to catch up on all the movies you missed out on during the semester while you were studying (of course you were studying, right?).  Luckily for you, those awesome movies you missed out on at the time are probably in Redbox or at the dollar theatre! Since you worked hard for a good four months, get a group of friends and make it a weekly thing to hit up your local dollar theatre, or stay in and rent a movie from your nearest redbox! Here are a few ways to find out where to check out cool movies:

  • Got a smart phone? Download the Fandango and/or Redbox app to search local theatres near you and to see what movies are available to rent.
  • Always on your laptop? Have a movie night with a group of friends and hook up your laptop to a TV and stay up all night watching TV from Hulu.com or Netflix.

Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have tons of fun. When there’s a will, there is a way! Inside or outside, doesn’t matter! It’s summer. It’s time to have fun… the inexpensive way!

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