7 Ways High Schoolers can travel cheap
High schoolers, you do NOT have to be a slave to the learning solely from the classroom! Travel — even if you are scared out of your mind, GO! You will grow and learn and find yourself even stronger than before. Don’t let your parents tell you otherwise. Don’t let your parents plan your trip. YOU have to do it. So, start researching with these seven easy to find ways to travel for cheap!
- Sign up with a school trip. A lot of students gape when I tell them how much a trip to Europe with EF tours costs. What they don’t know, though, is the value of a dollar. $3,600 for round-trip airfare, 3 star hotels in every city, a personal bus to maneuver around countries easily, and ALL meals is a HUGE deal for a two week trip! Oh, and did I mention that there would be a personal tour guide who is an expert in all the cities travelling with the group and getting the students in to see tourist attractions and places off the beaten path? It seems like a lot of money, especially to high schoolers, but they will not have the chance to go on a trip like this ever again.
2. Convince your teacher to apply for the FLYTE program. FLYTE is a program that sponsors a teacher and about 20 students to travel for free somewhere. Everything is included for all students. It’s worth a look.
3. Find a cheap flight (even if you have a long layover). There are loads of travel sites that all promise the best price, but speaking from experience, if you want good customer service and a flight that takes off and lands on time, just book through an airline site. Atlanta is a hub for Delta, so there are multiple flights to all over the world every day. Southwest Airlines is picking up business after their recent re-brand and marketing campaigns, and they promise to have great fares. Students can find flights through StudentUniverse.com, which promises cheap seats for students. When I am looking for something really cheap though, I book through Kayak.com. Do NOT use Spirit airlines. I write about my experience with them here. Flights are the most expensive part of the trip, but they can also be the scariest part, so trust your gut when it comes to booking an airline.
4. Stay in a hostel. I know, everyone has seen that horror movie called “Hostel” but I can guarantee that hostels are just like any hotel business (as in, not torturing guests for a bad movie). I use Hostelworld.com to book all my trips, because it is easy to use and easy to read reviews. PLEASE read the reviews and then make a decision — you don’t want any surprises when you are travelling. Depending on the city, most hostels cost about $5 — $30 for a shared room, and sometimes a private room. A lot of boutique hotels will list on Hostelworld.com to drive travellers to their sites as well. They always send a confirmation email when you book and a payment receipt by email when you arrive, so you can forward it to your parents so they know where you are and if you are okay.
5. Apply for the Global Citizen Scholarship by EF Tours. Here I am recommending EF Tours again, but not on purpose, I promise! They see a need for travel programs for high schoolers and are working hard to fill that need.The scholarship is very selective, but definitely worth a shot. I had one student make it to the last round of scholarship candidates last year, but she did not win one. However, she did make her name known to the board so that when she applies next year, she will have a better chance of making it all the way. The scholarship pays — in full — for a student to go on an EF trip with their school or with another group. It also pays for the student to attend a Global Leadership Summit at the end of the summer to discuss world problems and draft potential solutions with peers their age. I wish that every student could do something like this!
6. Do a summer study abroad for high school students. This is a long program but for the student, it flies by. It’s cheaper than doing a backpacking trip, and students are learning the culture and language in a country that they get to see from a local’s perspective. Seeing a place from this point of view and for so little money is a rare opportunity. Students that are independent and have street smarts will really benefit from this kind of program.
7. Do your sophomore or junior year of high school in another country. Sign up for a host family at Homestay.com and enroll in a local school in the city you have chosen. This is a huge commitment and experience, but completely worth it.
