Busting student travel myths

Sarah Jones completed the HSC in 2016, used ATAR Notes regularly, and scored a state rank in Studies of Religion II thanks to pure passion and hard work. Sarah has now started her Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle. Between her studies, Sarah stepped out into the world of travel – starting with India and Nepal. Read about her trip here!

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“I can’t go alone.”

So you’ve got your heart set on exploring the back streets of Hanoi but your friends are not interested in coming with you whatsoever. Whether its financial constraints, strict parents, lack of commitment or just plain dislike of travel, its hard to stay excited about your own travel dreams without the support of your mates. But this whole scenario is incredibly normal and definitely isn’t a reason to stop researching the cheapest flights.

The fact is, you can travel solo. Yes, you. Including the ladies. There are literally so many places in the world you can go. Majority of these places are safe and a tonne of fun if you keep your head screwed on. There are heaps of perks to jetting off by yourself including freedom to go wherever you want, an opportunity for personal growth and being forced to work your social skills when making new friends.

But in saying all of this, there are obviously some people that will still have major doubts (myself included). It’s also incredibly hard to convince your parents why they should let their first born child go on their first international solo trip to India (I speak from experience). Behold a magical solution:

~Travel with a group tour.~

There are quite a few awesome companies that organise trips that cater to young travellers. Some of these include; Gecko Adventures, Rustic Pathways, G Adventures, Topdeck Tours and Contiki. Shop around and find a tour that suits your preferences – group size, accomodation style, transport style etc.

In my experience (travelling with Gecko Adventures) it was so relaxing to have everything already organised for me, especially travelling to such crazy countries like India and Nepal. I’m not kidding when I say I couldn’t have navigated these places by myself. I also automatically had 14 great companions plus a super hilarious and knowledgable guide!

“I can’t travel unless I’m having a gap year.”

A gap year is an absolutely awesome idea if you are wanting to pursue long-term travel. I’ve got friends who are off doing amazing things all around the world. But for me, I couldn’t wait to get to uni and start my degree. So now my travelling is just broken up a bit instead of one long round the world trip. I’ve done the maths and a typical uni student will get approximately 20 weeks off a year. That’s 5 months!

Make the most of the huge break after finishing the HSC to embark on an adventure. I worked throughout November and December to save money to then jet off in January.

“I don’t know when the best time is to travel.”

The best time to travel is whenever you have just enough time and just enough money. Although, some destinations rely on visiting at a certain time of year due to things like weather and the amount of people around.

I went to India and Nepal in winter during the ‘off-season’ for tourists. This meant it was less busy at some major attractions like the Taj Mahal and it was also more comfortable to walk around in conservative clothing. Both of these things may seem insignificant but they actually went a long way in making my trip awesome.

Basically just do some research. Read every article that Google can spit at you about the places you want to go. Ask friends and family. Trawl your Facebook feed for other peoples’ photos and experiences. Post in online forums.

“I don’t have enough money.”

Ah finances. I’d take a guess and say that this is probably one of the most common travel myths, especially for students. We all wish we could afford to take a private jet to the Maldives and spend a month frolicking between a white sand beach and a pool, clicking our fingers for another cocktail.

But the sad truth is that if you wait until you can afford to travel in complete comfort and luxury, you will never travel.

Besides the untiring advice to “get a job and save money”, here’s a few tips that I found actually useful:

Choose a cheap(er) destination.

It’s not a coincidence that the stereotypical backpacking trip is to a full moon party in Thailand. For Aussies, money goes a lot further in South and South East Asian countries due to low living costs and being geographically closer. In India I daringly ate breakfast on the street for less than 50c (and thankfully lived to tell the tale). If you’ve got your eyes on Europe perhaps steer them towards the Eastern side, including cool countries like Poland, Croatia and Hungary.

Do a thorough search for cheap flights.

Use a website like Skyscanner or Momondo to easily identify the cheapest airlines and flights. On Skyscanner you can also use a feature where you input your departure airport and then click to fly “Everywhere” and it shows you the cheapest destination for the dates you specify.
Generally, the bigger the airport the cheaper the flight is. For example, it could be more economical to fly into Los Angeles and then catch a bus to Miami instead of flying straight there. This method is super fun because you often get to see a little bit of another city. You also feel like you’ve cheated the system! Hacked the airline! Defeated the establishment! Feel free to give yourself a big pat on the back and write a book about your success.
Just assume that the rumours you’ve heard about booking flights are true. Book on a Tuesday. Fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Book around 3-5 months in advance. Don’t book 3 days before. If you haven’t heard this information before please exit this page immediately and start googling for click-bait articles about “Hacking Airline Bookings”.
Sometimes if you sign up to airlines’ newsletters you can get access to special deals or discounts like Jetstar’s “Friday Fare Frenzy” or Scoot’s “Take Off Tuesday”.
Delete your cookie cache in your Internet browser when you’re searching for flights. Sometimes airlines are sneaky and hike up the price because you’ve looked at a particular flight before.
If you can emotionally/mentally/spiritually deal with travelling carry-on only then go for it. No check-in baggage obviously saves money. I’ve read hundreds of articles about how to pack lightly and I promise I try really hard but I’ve never been able to achieve this, therefore I’ll be very impressed (and jealous) if you can.

Make the most of student discounts.

I signed up to the UNIDAYS website with my school details and then trawled for deals throughout the year. They usually have discounted travel insurance and other helpful brands as well as 10% off Gecko Adventures tours.