Travel

Student Travel Planning 101 - Why You Should Go and How to Get Ready

From Kathleen Crislip, former About.com Guide

Why go? What is it? How to do it? If you've decided you want to go see the planet, you'll need a road map: decide what you want to do, where you want to go, how to get there and how to get ready -- how to get student travel discounts, which travel documents you'll need, how to pay for travel, whether you'll need to speak the language (and how to do that), how to pack and what gear to get... this is the fun part!

Student Travel Planning 101
Where to Go - Student Travel Destinations
Volunteer? Work? Study? Play?
Getting There
Paying for Travel, Budgeting and Money Matters
Plan: Travel Documents

Plan: Packing and Travel Luggage
Plan: Travel Gear and Gadgets
Plan: Travel Guidebooks You'll Like
Plan: Learn Some Lingo
Plan: Communications
For Parents

Student Travel Planning 101

Start right here to plan everything from start to whenever: where to go, how to get there, how to get student travel discounts, how to get around there, where to stay, what to do... you're covered. Or jump to individual sections below.

Where to Go - Student Travel Destinations

Sunset in Port Campbell on Australia's Great Ocean Road

So, you know you want to go on a backpacking, student travel adventure -- where to? Some countries and continents are perennial student favorites, like Latin America and Europe, and some are must-stops on the backpacker trail, like Southeast Asia. Australia is about to become a truly happening place, since US students can now work down under. Look into a few place ideas, or look more deeply into a few places.

Volunteer? Work? Study? Play?

Start with making the most basic decisions: what do you want to do? Volunteer abroad or at home? Study abroad? Work abroad? If you're just planning to play around the planet, decisions are easier... like where do you want to go?

Getting There

Qantas Airplane Through the Window, Sydney Airport

The journey can be a big part of the fun, whether it's your first time traveling alone or you're a seasoned backpacker. Get the overview, the specifics, and how to get there most cheaply while having the most fun (or least hassle!).

Paying for Travel, Budgeting and Money Matters

How will you pay for this wonderful trip? Learn about grants and scholarships, how to budget for travel, and how make the most of your moolah with student travel discounts. Learn about using money abroad, too, like debit card basics, finding ATM's. and most importantly, how to stash that travel cash.

Plan: Travel Documents

Which travel documents will you need? First, figure that out and then learn how to get 'em (fast, if need be, like how to rush a passport).

Plan: Packing and Travel Luggage

Your travel gear is a crucial component of an easy trip. Find the best backpacker, flashpacker and student travel backpacks and carry on, and learn how to pack those bags for ease of hauling (remember that you have to carry all that stuff on your own back, perhaps across many countries).

Plan: Travel Gear and Gadgets

Having a few things along makes life easier on the road -- yeah, you can buy some of it abroad, but ya gotta haul some of it with you. Find out what you might want.

Plan: Travel Guidebooks You'll Like

Rough Guide to First Time Around the World Book Cover

You may not want to drag a travel guidebook with you -- they're potentially heavy space-takers and you can get info from fellow travelers in hostels or pop into an internet cafe to read up on your next destination. You do, very definitely, want to read before you go, though, and perhaps make a few lists of what not to miss (keep those in your travel journal).

Plan: Learn Some Lingo

Planning is key to happy travels when it comes to speaking the language -- it is just not as much fun to wander on the surface, so to speak, which is what happens when you can't speak a word of the local lingo.

Plan: Communications

You may want to figure out the best student travel communication options before you go: international cell phones, SIM cards, GSM and satellite phones, internet cafes and email, not to mention how to get plain old snail mail abroad.

For Parents

"How not to worry" ain't here, but a few practical ideas are.

Student Travel