College Costs: Don’t Spring Break-the-Bank

You should absolutely travel while you’re young. What you absolutely shouldn’t do is travel luxuriously while you’re trying to cover college expenses without taking on excessive debt. If you want to have the college experience of going on a spring break trip with your friends, go for it. Start planning now, before the school year starts to make sure you actually have the money to go in the spring semester. And try out these tricks to cut your costs.

Cut your travel costs. Choose a destination within driving distance and carpool with your friends. You can split gas for a fraction of the cost of airfare (which will be expensive during this high traffic season). You can also try to get cheap airfare by choosing a spring break spot that’s less popular. While the sandy beaches in Florida may be crowded, you could be saving hundreds by flying somewhere off the beaten path.

Make room for your roomies. Even budget friendly hotels can add up over a week. If you have several close friends who want to travel too, share a room with two queen beds and pack four people to a room. Your $100/night hotel stay just dropped to $25/night.

Rough it (kind of). Consider taking a camping trip. Few amenities are sacrificed when you go camping. Many campgrounds have hot water showers, flushing toilets, and even electricity at some campsites. Dig out your parents’ camping supplies and give it a try. The $16-$44 you will spend on a campsite is much cheaper than hotel rooms. Plus, you’ll spend less money by cooking your own food over the campfire than eating every meal out.

Now make a rough estimate of the total amount you’ll need for spring break transportation, lodging, food, entertainment, souvenirs, and a little backup cash. Start saving now so you can hit the amount by spring break.