What Not to Do When Traveling in College

College is one of most exciting periods in a person’s life. All new things to do, places to see, people to meet, and yes, there is some stuff you can learn. As a College student, you have a lot of traveling prospects ahead of you. Whether it’s just you and your friends going for away for a week or you get an urge to leave everything and everyone behind and take some time for yourself. However, while you have fun and learn about new places, there are some things that you have to keep in mind. In order to make sure you don’t get any ugly
surprises or get into a bad situation, we created this quick traveler’s guide.

Don’t go on a trip without your own money

Simply put, this is rule number one. You don’t want to go away on a trip without a financial backup. Well that, and you don’t want to forget to turn in your college homework before you leave. Try to plan your budget before you even consider packing your bags and leave. You need to make sure that you have enough money for basic expenses, plus some extra cache in case you get into an unplanned situation. It doesn’t matter if you
have a lot of friends with you, make sure that you have enough money on you all the time. So what do you need money for the most?

• Gas or traveling tickets – this goes without saying, but let’s be thorough and put it on this list. Keep in mind that you need to return home.
• Hotel room – You need a place to stay, it doesn’t have to be a fancy five-star hotel, you can find a lot of student accommodations for a small amount of money. Don’t waste that money.
• Food – We all eat occasionally, and the food is seldom free. You might wind up in some French countryside with a nice farm family and work for your meal, but let’s not get carried away.
• Souvenirs – You need to get something back to for your loved ones, don’t forget about them.

Don’t expect special treatment

A lot of tourists think that because they are in a foreign country and it’s their time off, everything is allowed. This may come as a surprise, but tourists can have it easy only until they take it too far. This means that you shouldn’t think that someone is going to let you go with a crime, small theft, drug abuse, alcohol, etc. Make
sure you are well acquainted with the law of the land you’re visiting. Also, think twice before you do something you might consider cool in front of a building or a monument. You might offend locals and get in trouble. Yes, people are usually nice to tourists, willing to help out, even act as a guide. However, don’t take
people’s hospitality for granted, remember that and do your homework before you visit a place.

Don’t go on a trip without a plan B

Let’s say that you have a friend abroad and that friend is calling you over for months now. So you plan your trip, get on the plane, and once you land you get some bad news. Your friend is in a hospital and won’t
get out for at least a week. Do you just go home? No, you behave like a smart person and you move to plan B. Plan B is a backup plan in case something goes wrong. It should include every possible situation that you might come across. For example, if you get mugged and you are left with no money or passport. This is a situation tourists find themselves into all the time. When you’re in this kind of situation, remember not to panic. The most important is to have a contingency plan, preferably thought ahead. Unless you came
unprepared for the situation, you’re into, think quick and come up with a plan. Otherwise, you might be in some serious trouble. Nevertheless, don’t be too scared, you can always turn to your
Embassy for help if there’s one near. The most important thing is that you have a plan, any kind of plan.

Nothing brings value to our life as meeting new cultures, seeing new places and getting to know new people. The memories that we bring from our travels are experiences that can’t be bought or lost. It stays with
us forever. This is why it’s important that you keep yourself safe from any potential harm, and know just what to do when you’re in an unplanned situation. It would be wise to remember what you have read here and plan your next trip according to our suggestions.

What interesting experiences you during your travels while in college? Let us know if you have any interesting suggestion or piece of advice for us.