Four of the Golden Rules of Student Travel
Make no bones about it, being a student can be hard work.
It doesn't really matter if you're handing in first year course work for your online bachelor degrees, or if you're a group of friends who've just finished your final year exams for your nursing degrees, university isn't all fun and games.
The best antidote to a stressful term's studying is, of course, a bit of travel in the university holidays.
Before you set off, though, make sure you run a quick eye over these golden rules of student travel...
1.
Make the Right Choice for You This is basically the golden rule.
The secret to a great summer's traveling is to first make absolutely sure you know where you want to go.
It may sound self-explanatory, but far too many student travelers make the mistake of going to the latest hotspot without having really thought through a) what exactly they're looking to get out of it, and b) whether it's right for them in the first place.
If all you're after is a few weeks' lounging around on a beach in Turkey, then make sure you do that; if, on the other hand, you're after something a little more substantial from your university summer, then there are obviously any number of meaningful travel experiences - from volunteering in Africa, to teaching English as a foreign language in Southeast Asia.
But only if you make sure you've really mulled over the options, can you guarantee you'll choose the one that's right for you.
2.
Think about Variety Variety, so they say, is the spice of life.
And that's certainly the case with a summer's backpacking around Europe.
No matter how beautiful the islands of Croatia are, how bouncing the nightlife of Barcelona or how fulfilling the art galleries of Florence, mix it up, and you're almost certain to get more out of it.
Simple as that, really.
3.
Don't Try to Do Everything the Day before You Set Off Another obvious point, essentially.
But it's always a good idea to bear it in mind, nevertheless.
Because if you leave all your university summer travel prep work to the last-minute, you're jeopardizing the success of your trip.
It's that simple.
And depending on where you're planning to go, you may even be putting your health and well being at risk.
Like the sound of turning up in Costa Rica for a spell of volunteering without the requisite jabs? Exactly.
So just take care that you've read all the necessary literature and found out what you need to do with enough time to spare to actually do it.
And then actually do it! 4.
Don't Bite off More than You Can Chew The most common mistake people tend to make when planning a summer of traveling is to assume that the further - and faster - they go the more they're likely to see and generally get out of the experience.
Generally, though, the opposite is more likely to be true; for as much as travel is about seeing and experiencing new places and new cultures, there's a lot to be said for staying in the same place and taking things in for a while.
Rule of thumb for a backpacking trip: take your initial list of planned destinations.
Then halve it.
It doesn't really matter if you're handing in first year course work for your online bachelor degrees, or if you're a group of friends who've just finished your final year exams for your nursing degrees, university isn't all fun and games.
The best antidote to a stressful term's studying is, of course, a bit of travel in the university holidays.
Before you set off, though, make sure you run a quick eye over these golden rules of student travel...
1.
Make the Right Choice for You This is basically the golden rule.
The secret to a great summer's traveling is to first make absolutely sure you know where you want to go.
It may sound self-explanatory, but far too many student travelers make the mistake of going to the latest hotspot without having really thought through a) what exactly they're looking to get out of it, and b) whether it's right for them in the first place.
If all you're after is a few weeks' lounging around on a beach in Turkey, then make sure you do that; if, on the other hand, you're after something a little more substantial from your university summer, then there are obviously any number of meaningful travel experiences - from volunteering in Africa, to teaching English as a foreign language in Southeast Asia.
But only if you make sure you've really mulled over the options, can you guarantee you'll choose the one that's right for you.
2.
Think about Variety Variety, so they say, is the spice of life.
And that's certainly the case with a summer's backpacking around Europe.
No matter how beautiful the islands of Croatia are, how bouncing the nightlife of Barcelona or how fulfilling the art galleries of Florence, mix it up, and you're almost certain to get more out of it.
Simple as that, really.
3.
Don't Try to Do Everything the Day before You Set Off Another obvious point, essentially.
But it's always a good idea to bear it in mind, nevertheless.
Because if you leave all your university summer travel prep work to the last-minute, you're jeopardizing the success of your trip.
It's that simple.
And depending on where you're planning to go, you may even be putting your health and well being at risk.
Like the sound of turning up in Costa Rica for a spell of volunteering without the requisite jabs? Exactly.
So just take care that you've read all the necessary literature and found out what you need to do with enough time to spare to actually do it.
And then actually do it! 4.
Don't Bite off More than You Can Chew The most common mistake people tend to make when planning a summer of traveling is to assume that the further - and faster - they go the more they're likely to see and generally get out of the experience.
Generally, though, the opposite is more likely to be true; for as much as travel is about seeing and experiencing new places and new cultures, there's a lot to be said for staying in the same place and taking things in for a while.
Rule of thumb for a backpacking trip: take your initial list of planned destinations.
Then halve it.
Source...