How to Summer - Plan your holidays
Ooooookay, summer semester is still running and it's first and foremost a semester (wow), all about studying, exams, blah blah blah. But to make sure that you will soon treat yourself to the most awesome summer ever, you should start planning your holidays now. Admittedly, this means even more work besides all the university stress, but that's exactly why you should do it NOW and not in July. You need something positive to drive and motivate you throughout the semester. Long story short: here are our tips for planning your vacation..
Summer Planning 101
Planning now for what's happening in summer not only gives you something to look forward to during exam season, but can also save you a ton of money. Here are a few tips that may seem a bit basic, but that you should still go through while planning your next vacay:
Check out regional offers
Going somewhere by train can be a lot cheaper than flying. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to stay in your country. France, Belgium, Germany, Holland...these countries are all easily accessible by train from London, for example. If you are in continental Europe, this should be even easier. Interrailing is of course always an option, and relatively low-cost, but if that's too intense for you, checking out only a few destinations by train and booking those tickets individually might be the better option for you.
Check school holiday dates
You already know to avoid going on holiday when EVERYBODY is on holiday, if possible. But what many people forget is that school holidays vary from country to country. If you're planning on going to a very touristy destination, and have some flexibility regarding dates, it makes sense to check out when some other countries are on holidays. Going to Mallorca? Check for German school holidays. This might make your holidays a lot more enjoyable for more than one reason haha.
Make it a party
It is always worth it to get more people together for a vacation destination, so that you can get a larger Airbnb for less money. And if you're not in the mood for actual clubbing and partying on some overcrowded island, traveling with more people gives you the opportunity to just get a house for yourselves off the grid. 10 people, 1 villa, two cars somewhere in Spain or Portugal can run you waaaay cheaper than booking a hotel with two friends in a popular destination.
And booking it?
Comparing flights for prices and being flexible with the flight dates is no breaking news. What the flight comparison websites don't want you to know, however, is that it is often a lot cheaper to then book the flight through the actual airlines. So, compare flights with momondo, booking or google flights, but then do the booking through the airline of the flight you found.
TikTok inspo
While Instagram can give you plenty of visual vacation inspiration, TikTok gives you loads of tips on how to travel CHEAP. Don't just check out the classics for students, but also browse through all the digital nomad/vanlife stuff. Can be a bit of a pain, but the tips are worth it at times.
But how do you ACTUALLY plan all that?
Block fixed times in your calendar for vacation planning, create a Whatsapp group, get everyone's budget information, create a survey asking about availability and some key questions (beach holiday, city, etc) and book everything as early as possible. It can be annoying, but then you'll have something to look forward to during exam phase.
And until your next vacation it is time to study and take exams. To help you rock those, check out other students' revision notes on Studydrive!