Students, you’re already shelling out enough money when it comes to books, housing, and tuition, so don’t get caught overspending when it comes to travel too! College students are among one of the largest percentages of those who travel.
Study abroad programs, long summer vacations, or even a semester off from school provides the perfect opportunity for travel. And, as it turns out, students are the least likely to be affected by the recession.
Student travel has remained strong throughout this most recent travel slum, with schools providing a great avenue for educational and affordable travel. Also, there are some great discount deals for students that you should take note of if you’re a college student thinking about a trip to Patagonia, or a summer vacation to the Greek Islands. Check out how you can maximize your travel potential by cashing in on these great student deals.
Specific travel companies and websites offer discounts to students. Some, like STA Travel only require that you be a student or be under the age of 26 in order to take advantage of their excellent travel deals and programs. For example, right now they are offering roundtrip flights to Paris for as low as $445 for participating students. That is almost a record low for a flight such as this and one hell of away to spend a thanksgiving vacation with college friends.
Another great example of capitalizing on student-discounted travel is through certain airlines. Take for instance the Student Advantage Card; a card that any student can acquire for about $20 a year. This simple act will save you 10% on any American Airlines flight you book when you have the card and are an active student. If you take into account most people spend an average of $320 on a domestic flight, you’ve already recouped this cost after only one flight purchased. American Airlines also offers discounts to students who attend specific participating universities, a discount that can be found from the homepage of their website. Jet Blue, for example, also offers a student discount; eleven percent for any student that has an ISIC (International Student Identity Card). (Those who have this card also will find discounts on the afore mentioned STA Travel website as well.)
United Airlines doesn’t offer any discounts for being a student but, through their College Plus program, participating students who track their mileage through United will receive 10,000 frequent flyer miles as a graduation present.
There are even sites for the parents of kids who are in school. Take the popular UniversityParent.com, where parents can find travel deals to universities and colleges for graduations, sporting events, or even just to see the kids.
By finding ways to save on travel you can end up saving hundreds, if not thousands, in a year. If you’re a student and you’re considering teaching English abroad, or if you want to take a semester off to see the world, do yourself a favor and save some cash by cashing in on some excellent travel deals. By simply being a student you save! Not too shabby.
