Travel hacks

The student guide to going places

By Amber Harding, Chelsea Dill, MA & staff reporters

Going somewhere special this summer? Most of us want to travel, according to a recent Student Health 101 survey. And you’re pretty clear that the benefits of travel go way deeper than a tan.* “Travelling allows me to gain independence and have more confidence,” says Rachel W., a first-year student at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver. “Travel encourages me to appreciate the unknown while recognizing the familiar,” says Joe Foley, a rising first-year student at American University in Washington DC, who in 2014 became the youngest ever National Geographic Traveler of the Year.

What’s blocking your exit route?

Not surprisingly, by far the biggest barrier to travel is cost. “Travelling costs a lot of money that students often don’t have. Also, planning and making time to go on a trip can make it difficult to commit,” says Bradley R., a fifth-year student at Brock University, Ontario. In our survey, 91 percent of students who responded said lack of funds was a barrier; only 2 percent said they were uncomfortable with the prospect of unfamiliar places. 

*And by the way, there’s no such thing as a healthy tan. Use SPF 30+, people.

Your top 5 travel experiences so far

• Outdoor adventures, e.g. kayaking and hiking
• Beach vacations
• International tours
• Backpacking trips
• Volunteer projects

Your top 5 destinations

• Europe
• Mexico
• Australia
• Cuba
• United States

Source: Student Health 101 survey, April 2015

Your barriers to travel

“A down side of travelling is that many people only visit the ‘touristy’ spots. These places are heavily commercialized and designed to be attractive to foreigners, not to accurately depict what a country is truly like.”
—Jonathan Z., third-year undergraduate, Saint Mary’s University, Nova Scotia

 “Stress of airports and the need to use credit cards everywhere you go.”
—Josue K., fourth-year undergraduate, Memorial University of Newfoundland

“Dietary reasons. You have to be very careful what you eat unless you have an awesome GI tract.”
—Ashley D., third-year undergraduate, St. Clair College, Ontario

“Jet lag and sometimes some level of discomfort as a result of adjusting to a new environment and culture.”
—Ashley A., fourth-year undergraduate, University of Victoria, British Columbia

“Travelling can bring exciting new experiences, but I am uncomfortable with all of the ‘unknowns’ that come with venturing away from what is familiar.”
—Carrie G.*, first-year student, Concordia University College of Alberta

*Name changed for privacy.

What you love about travel

“Travel offers a chance to learn about people, human nature, culture, physical geography, and God. It takes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to try new things and grow as a person.”
—Rebecca H., fourth-year undergraduate, Trinity Western University, British Columbia

“I’ve found it is great for broadening your opinions of the world, and the exposure to foreign cultures is very enriching. Plus learning to love new foods is great!”
—Michael M., second-year student, Concordia University College of Alberta

 “You meet the most wonderful people and hear the most interesting stories.”
—Sophia R., third-year graduate student, Nipissing University, Ontario

“Travel makes you less ignorant. It fascinates you how we can all be so similar yet so different in terms of our culture, history, etc.”
—Mahlet T., fourth-year undergraduate, University of Waterloo, Ontario

“Travel experiences are built by the little things. The smiles, the first bite of a foreign country’s food, the hostel chitchat. Although the globalized world of Facebook, the Golden Arches, and American TV shows exists in every major city, the local cultures remain vibrant. The world today is as fascinating as it’s always been, and in most places it’s safer than ever to be a tourist. Travel gives us the thrill of adventure and somewhere new while reminding us of our shared humanity across cultures and encouraging us to push our horizons.”
—Joe Foley, rising first-year undergraduate, American University, Washington DC; National Geographic Traveler of the Year 2014

“It’s an educational experience as much as it’s a vacation. It can break many preconceived notions or ideas you once had about a certain culture”
—Jonathan Z., third-year undergraduate, Saint Mary’s University, Nova Scotia

“You get some really great stories!”
—Niamh K., fourth-year undergraduate, University of Waterloo, Ontario

Stuff you might not think of

Before you go

• Check which currencies are performing badly against the dollar—your money buys more there.
• Apply early for a passport. Here’s how
• If you need vaccinations, go to your student health centre.
• Check the insurance that comes with your credit card. Check your health plan for international coverage too.
• Let your bank and credit card company know your travel plans so your account isn’t flagged for fraud and possibly blocked.
• Check if there are any areas or cities to avoid. Here

When you go

• Search online for free stuff to do in any tourist-friendly city (e.g., “Chicago free”).
• Electronic guidebooks and maps (not books) reduce the schlep factor. Use Google maps offline by typing “OK maps” in the search bar; the current area will be saved.
• Check the comments on Foursquare for passwords of free wi-fi in local shops and cafes.
• Keep your electronics charged. If you’re going international, bring a converter outlet plug.
• Check out restaurant reviews on Yelp for local food and cheap eats.

How to land cheap flights

• Flexible fliers get the best last-minute fares; be open to a variety of destinations.
  
• Use a travel search engine: ThriftyNomads.com recommends Skyscanner, Hipmunk, Google Flights, and several others. Here’s how
  
• Try searching for airfare deals around 1 a.m. The unsold deals from the day before will be reposted.
• Before buying any ticket to anywhere, check for student discounts.
  
• Keep your online searches incognito to find the lowest price. Here’s how
  
• Don’t make the mistakes everyone else makes. Here’s how
  
• Be smart about budget airlines. Here’s how
  
• Get cheaper domestic flights in other countries. Here’s how
  
• Find the best way to get where you’re going. Rome2Rio

Spend less to go farther

• Kayak’s Explore: Find out how far your money can take you
• Adioso: Sort fares from your city by price
• Get the Flight Out: Free iOS app. The cheapest fares leaving from your city today
• STA Travel: Expert travel itineraries and student discounts
• Student Universe: Lower-cost airfares for students
• One Travel: Cheaper flights for students

Cheap digs

Hotels, hovels, homes, & habitats

• Hovelstay: Save money with downmarket digs
• CouchSurfing: Be a guest at someone’s house; check out the reviews
• Friends of Friends Travel: Find a travel buddy and contacts at your destination
• Trip Advisor: Recommendations and red flags from real people
• AirBnB: B&Bs, apartments, and spare rooms for rent. Try to negotiate the price.
• Hostels.com: 35,000 hostels in 180 countries (including Canada)
• Hostelling International Canada: Youth-geared Canadian hostels
• Hotels.com: Need a place tonight? Deals start at 50 percent off
• Parks Canada Reservation Site: Beautifully habitable campgrounds across Canada
• Parks Canada: Way more to do than you realized

Why travel?

Here’s how to talk yourself (and others) into it

Be a better person

Most students who participated in an international exchange program felt it helped them become more trusting, open-minded, flexible, confident, and tolerant, says a 2006 study by the International Student Travel Confederation.

Go global

Students expect travel to make them more “global”—i.e., expand their knowledge, perspective, and social and cultural connections, according to a small study at California Polytechnic State University (2010).

Run free

Students associate travel with freedom; e.g., a break in academic and work expectations, a boost to emotional health and relaxation, and an opportunity to experience nature (Cal-Poly study).

Step it up

Students who have taken a gap year perform better academically and report greater job satisfaction than do those who haven’t, research suggests. They even increased their chances of getting a job by eight percent, according to a study by the Canadian Council on Learning. Gap-year experiences can reignite a passion for learning and influence personal goals and values, including career paths, say Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson in The Gap-Year Advantage (Macmillan, 2005).

Stay healthy

Physically-active leisure helps us maintain physical and mental health, especially during times of stress, according to a study of 20,000 people in the Canadian Journal of Public Health (2001).

Get creative

Knowing people from other cultures makes us more creative in tasks that draw on multicultural influences and more receptive to new ideas from outside our own experience, suggests a study from Harvard Business School (2011).

Love your life

Even the anticipation of vacation travel makes us feel good about our lives and health, according to a 2002 study in the Journal of Vacation Marketing.