A huge portion of study abroad is actually getting out of your host city while you're there and seeing as much of the country and surrounding countries as you can before it's time for you to return home. Study abroad is the one time you'll be out of America for an extended period of time for much cheaper than it would be if you just decided to take a vacation. With that being said, it also means you will never be able to get to go to all of these other places for as cheap as you will while you're abroad. So then this proposes the question of how to do the traveling and adventuring you want on a college budget. Here are some tips I have learned during my time abroad so far and I would highly suggest you take these into consideration when you plan your trips within your study abroad experience.

1. You can never plan too far ahead.

As soon as you know your academic schedule, you should sit down with your travel companions and plan as many of your desired trips as possible because plane, bus, train and hostel tickets will shoot up within a day's difference. In order to save some money, being efficient and organized in your planning will ultimately help you save a lot of money in the long run.

2. Bring food and/or snacks with you.

While individual meals aren't necessarily expensive within themselves, the cost of food and water can pile up rapidly. Say you take a trip to Paris for three days: Friday night, all of Saturday and most of Sunday. You're looking at having to pay for roughly six meals and this isn't including any other random stops along the way like coffee, ice cream or a local pub. And you will make multiple of these random stops. Just trust me. If you can restrain yourself from having the full culinary experience and bring food with you, you'll be able to save a lot of money. My friend and I went somewhere for two days and only paid for a single meal. Lifesaver.

3. Use youth hostels, not hotels.

This is probably pretty obvious because everyone preaches about using hostels right before you go abroad. But I have a few reasons other than the fact that they're incomparably cheaper than hotels (13 GBP per night, I'm just saying). You also have the chance to meet new people because you will most likely be sharing a room with complete strangers. While you shouldn't be irresponsible with your personal belongings, it's really cool to all sit on your bunk beds like summer camp and talk about the places you've traveled, what you've done, and how long you've been abroad. At the end of the day, the vast majority of guests in a hostel are travelers and understand the same things you do about expenses and experiencing a lot of new places in a short span of time. (Emphasis on the words "youth hostel" in the title).

4. Bring hiking boots.

I know people's sightseeing interests differ from one person to the next, but I am a huge advocator for packing your hiking boots. They're heavy, but I've been so beyond grateful to have them on my study abroad adventures. Some of these trips could have gone sour very quickly without these blessed adventure-ready boots. Despite the weight, they're still really good walking shoes and will ultimately keep your feet warmer and dryer. As a person who is studying abroad in the UK, warm and dry feet are essential to having a good time. Also, having them at your disposal will also allow you to take more outdoorsy trips like hiking up mountains or extended walking through different types of terrains.

No matter what, you will probably start to feel your bank account slide through your fingers against your will. You will go through days of panic that you're spending too much--and maybe you are--but the way I see it is spend your money on the best experiences of your life. Memories you will cherish until the day you die and share with your whole family and friends. Take the risk. Go on adventures. You deserve it and you will not regret it in the slightest.