*_There are tons of great ways to save on traveling as a student._* Whether these methods are for students only or if they are simply tailored to students' lifestyles and budgets, they're available. I've compiled a list of the most helpful money saving techniques that I found while abroad. I hope they help you, too! *Although there are loads of tricks for cheap student travel, they are only helpful if you take advantage of them.* All of these tips helped me at one point or another during my year abroad. They're fast, easy and available right now! *1. Statravel.com* STA is the world's largest student travel organization. It offers cheap student flights on major airlines, and it has two important features. First of all, it sells the ISIC card. This card is widely recognized as proof of student status. This is important because some international universities will not give you a student card, and your American university student card may prove useless and unrecognized. The card also gives you access to a lot of discounts and extra insurance while traveling. The ISIC is generally invaluable when abroad, and can be purchased on the website or at any STA store. Be careful, though, because they expire in December; they only last for a calendar year. Therefore, if you are abroad for a whole academic year, you will have to buy two. The other perk that STA offers is the blue ticket. This ticket makes it cheap and easy to change the return date of your flight. Some restrictions may apply, though, according to peak travel periods. *2. Studentuniverse.com* This website also links you to major airlines that give discounts to students. It also has detailed information about and links to discount railway passes, like the Eurail pass. I found this company to be consistently cheaper than STA. *3. Whichbudget.com* Especially in Europe, I found this to be a great starting point for planning a trip. Although it isn't necessarily just for students, it offers flights that are a little less high class and a lot more affordable for students. It connects you to 104 airlines, 95 countries, 631 airports and 13555 routes. These are discount airlines, so they are definitely an interesting flying experience. Sometimes they fly out of airports that are different than those of the major airlines. It's important to pay attention to this because sometimes is not worth the extra money it takes to get to these other airports. *4. Hostelworld.com* This website is really great because it offers tons of accommodations within a student budget. You can see pictures and reviews of the hostels and a printable map of the location. A lot of times, you may get into a city late, so it's really comforting to have a specific destination and a map. *5. Online Forums/Discussions* I think that the best way to find deals is by word of mouth. I found that forums and discussion boards are especially helpful in this sense. The two best ones are Studentuniverse.com (http://forums.studentuniverse.com/) and Ricksteves.com (http://ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti_menu.htm). *Even though these five methods are great money savers, there is one paramount trick that I didn't list.* _That is, ASK!_ When you are unsure whether or not there is a student discount available, ask and you may be pleasantly surprised. Furthermore, people may create a student discount for you! Although this sounds impossible, I've seen it happen. Safe travels! delicious | digg | technorati
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