Beautiful day in Venice
Most people will look at the title of this post, and think to themselves “Why would I want to live like a college student again?” Well if you have any desire to travel the world you may want to listen closely…..
People sometimes take the idea of living like a college student too far, and think it must mean that I have to be a broke, penny pinching kid again. And that misconception could not be further from the truth in regards to what we are talking about.
This article could be written from two different angles or two different perspectives. I will talk about them both. They work hand and hand together. And combined, they form an unstoppable duo!
The first way you can live like a college student and travel the world is by living like a college student when you are home. What exactly do I mean by “when you are home?”
Remember the days of college when you lived on the most basic of sustenance and covering. You had what you “absolutely needed” and could get by and be happy despite having very little materially.
Take those basic principles and apply them to your life now. How?
I am not saying to throw a bunch of people in a college dorm or tiny apartment to cut costs, or living on Ramen Noodles for every single meal. I am talking about practicing the art of living simply in your every day life.
Having this type of lifestyle enables you to cut costs on your living expenses, and utilize your money to travel! Most people cannot simply splurge in every way of life. They cannot have a 7,000 sq foot home, a few luxury sports cars, and travel the world on their dime and time. Most ‘every day’ people need to conserve costs in some aspect of their life so they can splurge on what they really love.
So examine your situation and your life to see what you can cut out. But also weigh that out with what makes sense financially as well. As I talked about in this article, we want to remember to be financially intelligent when making decisions too!
If you have a home or a large living space, can you rent out part of the home to make a profit? Do you need the most expensive TV or cell phone plan? Can you share a car with your spouse or significant other? Can you afford to get rid of your car and use public transportation or a bicycle to get you where you need to go?
Can you cut your $200 grocery store runs down? Can you cut your $4 latte habit? Can you stop hiring people to do things for you when you can realistically just do them yourself?
These are just a few of the self-evaluating questions you should begin asking yourself if you want to be able to travel more! Living like a college student is not depriving, or a miserable way of life.
The second way you can live like a college student and travel the world is by living like a college student when you are traveling. What do I mean by that?
Ok so you have mastered cutting expenses and costs when you are are home. Maybe you have simplified your life to the point of cutting costs and liabilities significantly.
Now the second major expense when traveling is the actual traveling itself! How can you cut costs considerably when traveling now?
Credit card churning – As I have talked about over and over again in my articles, the best way to get practically free travel is by taking advantage of awesome credit card offers. But to do this, you need excellent credit.
Stay at Hostels, Apartments or House Sit– By traveling with friends, you can stay at nice hotels for ridiculously cheap! Or better yet you can stay at apartments or you can house sit for amazing houses for free. If you are traveling by yourself, I recommend staying at hostels or couch surf. Check this page out for all the frugal ways to get cheap accommodations.
Eat Authentically – As I have talked about here, by eating authentically not only will you eat where the locals eat, but you will save significantly when traveling. Plus the food where the locals eat is almost ALWAYS better quality.
Stop Shopping – This one is pretty obvious, but there is no need for the latest knick knacks. They are just going to add to the clutter of your house. If you insist on buying something, make it small, cheap and authentic to the area.
Combining these two aspects of living like a college student will enable you to travel as much as you want!
In the comments section below, post your favorite ways to live like a college student so that you can travel more!