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Student Travel PlanningStudent Travel DiscountsHow to Pay for TravelHostels, AccommodationsSpring BreakTravel Safety and HealthTravel Gear, PackingTravel Money MattersPhones, Mail and InternetWomen Travelers TipsWork Abroad - Jobs AbroadStudent Group ToursStudent Travel AgenciesEducational Student TravelPhotos, Maps, Blogs | Student Travel Planning 101 - Why You Should Go and How to Get ReadyBy Kathleen Crislip, About.com Guide to Student Travel 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 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. 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 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.
Get Ready - 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).
Get Ready - 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 a cross many countries).
Get Ready - 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.
Get Ready - Travel Guidebooks You'll Like 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). Get Ready - 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.
Get Ready - 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. |
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