Cheap Summer Travel for Students

One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t travel as a college student. Looking back, I always wished I had done a semester abroad or a trip to Europe after graduation. That’s tough when you graduate during one of the worst recessions in history, but I can’t imagine it’s any easier nowadays. Students carry tons of debt and travel seems out of reach. The good news is that it’s not – there are more cheap international fares and summer travel for students is more attainable than ever. Here are five ways students can score cheap summer travel:

 

1 – Low-Cost Carriers

Low-cost carriers like Wow Air, Norwegian, Air Asia X, and Level Air offer international fares as low as $500 or less. For students who just want to get from point A to point B, these fares are a total bargain. Take Level Air, for example. The Spanish carrier offers flights between Oakland and Barcelona for as low as $300 roundtrip. As with most low-cost carriers, checked bags, seat selection and even meals cost extra. But if anyone can get by on the bare minimum, it’s a broke college student.

 

2 – Fare Sales

If the idea of getting nickel-and-dimed by a low cost carrier sounds unappealing, then you’ll want to keep an eye out for fare sales. Major carriers frequently run sales on summer airfares. How do you find these deals? Follow accounts like @FlyerTalk, @airfarewatchdog, and @TheFlightDeal frequently share travel deals, including fare sales and mistake fares. Which brings me to my next point…

 

3 – Mistake Fares

Nothing (and I mean NOTHING) is more exciting in this hobby than a good mistake fare. Whether it’s $180 roundtrip fares to Abu Dhabi or sub $1,000 premium international fares, nothing beats a mistake fare. Assuming it’s honored. That’s why it’s important to pick the earliest travel dates possible, as airlines will sometimes make exceptions to fares booked 1-2 weeks out. Mistake fares are ideal for students who want to travel cheap, especially in the summer when fares tend to be highest. To get in on the best mistake fares, be sure to follow the accounts I listed in #2. And while you’re at it, follow @pointchaser – I follow all the key travel hackers and retweet the best deals.

 

4 – Buy Miles

Sometimes airlines run sales on miles, which can work out cheaper than buying a ticket outright. Especially during summer travel season. Most of the time, airline mile sales work out best for folks who are trying to score cheap business and first class tickets. However, sometimes these deals work out great for cheap economy class tickets. For example, a couple of weeks ago Iberia was offering 9,000 bonus points for any flights booked on their website. Amazingly, there were no requirements about actually flying – points were credited 10 days after the fares were booked.

The deal applied to even the cheapest one-way fares. Translation? For as low as $183, you could score enough miles for a roundtrip economy class flight between Los Angeles and Barcelona! Deals like this are few and far in between, but they can be an incredible opportunity for students looking for cheap travel deals.

 

5 – Credit Cards

Whether it’s cash back cards or airline miles, rewards credit cards can make summer travel incredibly affordable for students. Some of my favorites include the Barclay Arrival Premier World Elite MasterCard, as well as the Chase Sapphire Reserve. For students, the best cards are probably flexible rewards cards with annual fees under $100. As much as I dislike Capital One for pulling credit from all three bureaus, the Venture Rewards Credit Card is actually a good option for students thanks to a 50,000 mile sign-up bonus and $0 annual fee the first year. That sign-up bonus can be used towards $500 worth of travel.

It also helps that the card earns 2 miles per $1 on everything, 10 miles at hotels.com, and comes with a $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit. Students are great are working with shoestring budgets. I know people who’ve spend a month traveling around Europe for less than $1500. The sign-up bonus from a card like the Capital One Venture really takes a huge chunk out of that expense. For tips on how to meet the $3,000 spending requirement, be sure to check out this post.

Thanks to cheap fare, low-cost carriers, and credit card rewards summer travel is more attainable for students than ever. If you have any tips to share for young, broke college students trying to see the world on a shoestring budget, please share in the comment section.