Since I started in uni almost five years ago, I’ve been able to spend more than one year abroad and visit 8 countries. How? Whenever I talk to people from home about my travels, they assume that I just make my parents pay for me. That is not the case. Although I’m just a poor student, I have still paid for all my travels. It just takes a little bit of work and planning, but it’s definitely possible. Here’s how I manage to travel while still studying:

First of all, it’s all about prioritizing. Prioritize your time and prioritise your money.
Since moving into my own apartment when I started in uni, I pretty much quit shopping and getting expensive drinks at the club, and instead I saved all the money I made through my parttime job for travels. Also, during the semester, instead of going out after class or during the weekend, I would work enough for me to be able to not work during the holidays.

Take every opportunity to travel. Now, in Denmark we are rather lucky that we don’t spend much time in the classroom. Instead, we spend most of our time writing projects and exams. That means that only 8 weeks of the semester are spent in the classroom, and after this we’re pretty much free. I like to take advantage of this, and spend a week or two of my finals period travelling. Most of the time, I will visit Ollie in France, or my best friend in the US, while other times I will make short trips to other European countries. Even if you don’t have semesters this short, it’s still possible to travel. Go during the holidays and breaks. Got an extended weekend because of no classes on Fridays or Mondays? Travel!

Travel through your studies. Study abroad, study trips, do internships abroad. During my almost five years in uni, I’ve spent one semester studying in Arkansas, I’ve spent one semester doing an internship in Hong Kong, and I’ve spent one month at a summerschool in Beijing. And before, during or after every of those trips, I’ve made sure to take advantage of being in another part of the world, and travel and explore as much as possible. Of course this is an amazing opportunity to travel and visit new places, but it’s also a huge advantage to have this kind of experience on your resume when you’re competing with 200 other students with the same degree as yours. Another great outcome from this kind of travelling is that you might be lucky enough to meet some new friends that you can visit after the trip has ended. In my case I have both met my boyfriend and my best friend when studying abroad in the US, and I visit or travel with both of them very often.

How do you manage to travel while still studying?