A broke Iowa student’s guide to Spring Break

How to afford SB when you can barely afford groceries

Spring semester has officially started, and even though the weather isn’t showing it quite yet, Spring Break is just around the corner. This means that, if you haven’t already started, SB vacation planning begins now.

Everyone dreams of the perfect Spring Break: chilling on an exotic beach with cold drinks, warm weather and great friends. But being a college student trying to plan the best Spring Break ever isn’t that simple. Unless your parents are funding your vacation, you’re on your own covering expenses, and being a college student usually means that money is always tight.

For those of you really trying to make Spring Break happen this year instead of skipping out because of a tight budget, here’s a guide to planning SB without breaking the bank.

Rent a house with a big group of friends

While your squad may only be five or so people, it’s wise to travel in a much larger group, as splitting costs among several people will always be the cheapest way to cover large costs.

This is especially true for housing. Aim to rent a big house with multiple rooms, and then make arrangements to fit as many people in it as possible.

Big groups in one place has its perks, particularly when it comes to sharing a house. Everyone’s contributions of food, booze and anything else that can be shared adds up, and you all end up with a whole lot of the basic Spring Break necessities.

Opt to carpool instead of flying

Airfare usually takes up a large portion of your Spring Break budget, so opt to drive when you can. Take it a step further and carpool with as many people as you can. This will make paying or gas extremely inexpensive, as one tank of gas can be split up between four or five people, or however many you can fit into your car.

Driving has its own special bonuses, as depending on your destination, you and your friends will get the chance to sight see along the way. Look into your travel route ahead of time to plan out any pit stops you can make to national parks, landmarks or other attractions. This will give you all something fun to do whenever you need to get out and stretch your legs.

Stay at a hostel instead of a hotel

Have you ever stayed at a hostel? Many people aren’t even familiar with this term that can save you so much money. Think of a hostel as a hotel, but much cheaper. Hostels often have large dorm style rooms with multiple beds, which are ideal for group housing. Hostels also include common areas, kitchens, laundry facilities, free WiFi and even computer rooms. Of course, there are always private rooms meant for one person in case you prefer privacy.

Hostels are located all over the world, and are much more common than you might think. Hostelworld, one of the largest hostel chains in the world, has more than 33,000 properties in over 170 countries to chose from. Wherever you go, you can almost always opt for a hostel instead of an expensive hotel.

Skip the beach and road trip

It’s true that Spring Break on a beach down south is often the most popular SB destination, but why do what everyone else is doing? If a beach has a reputation for being a popular Spring Break location for college students, that usually means law enforcement knows that as well. It’s common to get busted by cops or even arrested for partying too hard or underage at places like these. Plus, these beaches always get trashed. Ew.

This year, opt to skip the beach and try something new. Road tripping for Spring Break is becoming more and more popular among college students, especially because it ends up being super inexpensive. Travel out west for hiking in the country’s most amazing national parks, up north for gorgeous cities and a lot of history, down south for interesting new cultures, or anywhere in between.

The United States has so much more to offer than just getting drunk on a beach.

Want to keep it traditional?

There are still ways to save on Spring Break even if you have no problem paying a bit extra for costs. Check out websites like EF College Break, STS Travel, Student City, and Student Universe, websites made for planning Spring Break and offer special packages for trips made just for college students. Many of these packages include visits to awesome attractions, discounted housing and even cheap airfare.

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