Travelling at Uni and working a part-time job:

I know finding the time to travel whilst at university can be challenging, especially as I have never been more skint than when I moved to uni, suddenly being plunged into adult life and being required to manage bills. However, I was determined not to let that stop my seeing and exploring the world. Although I am aware many students take a gap year to combat this, I would like to discuss how I find time to travel during my studies and working.

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BUDGET:

Travelling as we all know is a privilege and one in which I don't want to take for granted. I for one know that I couldn't afford to go anywhere without working part-time, although I am aware that it can be challenging finding time to save. As I live in the UK and am in further education I am entitled to SAAS which I take full advantage on (this is a student loan for those of you who don't know.) I attempt to use this to cover my rent and save anything left over, then use my money from work to survive for the week. If travelling is something you want to build into your time at university you 100% need to have a budgeting plan which includes, food shopping, any travel you require, what you can save and nights out (as these are a big part of university culture (although I attempt to keep this to once a week minimum.)

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TIME OFF WORK:

Now, I am aware that, this can prove to be the challenging part for many people but here are a few tips on how I manage. First of all disclaimer, my work are pretty lenient with me getting time off as I don't work weekend so am still able to work the majority of the week meaning I only need a couple of days off if any. Giving them notice in advance is always crucial as often means they can write the rota in advance so as I am not on those days whilst still getting my full contracted hours. Also, if you are anything like myself then you will want to make the most of summer and Christmas holidays which means, yep you guessed it. Overtime. As frustrating as overtime can be it does have many benefits one being you'll be able to make much more money to save for your travels. Although here's something that you may not know, overtime actually entitles you to more holidays a year. So on that Saturday night when all your friends are out and you're working, just remember that you'll be able to get more time off for your next holiday.

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MANAGING YOUR STUDIES:

As university and your studies will be your primary concern this doesn't mean that you can't travel. Many universities allow you to allocate yourself to classes and pick what times suit yourself. I would advise attempting to clear a Monday and Friday as much as possible. This is what myself and John do which allows us to book short city breaks from a Friday- Monday meaning we aren't missing much if any of our lectures or tutorials and we only require getting time off work. Similarly, if you're wanting to catch up on university work you can always bring your laptop to do work on the plane and in your hotel/ hostel at night.

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HOW TO SAVE MONEY WHILST AWAY:

View from my flight home from Milan where we flew over the Italian Alps.

Everybody knows that money can be tight when you're a student, myself better than anyone. This, however should't stop you from travelling when you're away. Hostel's are a great way of saving money when in cities especially as they very often come up much cheaper than any hotel's. The last two times which we have visited London we have decided to stay in SAFESTAY hostels. These hostels are great as they are affordable and comfortable which are great for students such as myself.

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basically...

Although, university will be your primary concern this doesn't mean that you shouldn't be able to still travel. I hope these tips and tricks help you guys to make the most from your university experience.