Traveling on a Budget
The USA is a big place and youll probably want to explore it as much as possible. But youll also need to be able to afford those trips, as well as trips back to your home country. How can you pay for everything?
Traveling
The USA has tons of obvious places to visit like San Francisco and New York City, but there are many out-of-the-way places that are worth seeing but arent necessarily near an airport. So have a quintessential American experience and take a roadtrip! Rent a car and visit the USA on your own time and for less money.
Visit the STA Travel website. STA Travel has been around since the 1970s and they are experts at finding travel deals for students. Check them out to find cheap flights, hotels, and tours, and read their blog for great travel advice.
Sign up to for a free membership at Student Universe, where youre eligible for discounts and deals with more than 220 airlines. The site also has deals for hotels and tours, plus it has a 24-hour cancellation policy for many of its flights.
There are seemingly millions of websites that provide aggregate flight information for destinations all over the world. Some of the most popular in the USA are Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, but there are many more. Just note that though those sites are incredibly useful in showing you all your options, there are some drawbacks: They dont necessarily list the best prices (sometimes the airlines website is a better deal) and arent responsible for helping with missed connections, lost luggage, special meals, or other traveling issues since theyre third-party sites and not the actual airline.
Accommodation
Keep in mind that there are fewer hostels in the USA than in other countries, but they do exist. Use websites like Hostelworld and Hostelling International to help you look in each city.
Or check out Airbnb, which may not have cheaper rates but often is overall a better deal because many accommodations include a kitchen or other amenities.
Many of the same aggregate websites that help find cheap flights also help you book accommodation. Take advantage of all their information but dont forget to price compare and read reviews.