Having a semester abroad means you can easily get caught up in the whirlwind of cheaper travel options. If you’re from the states then you know traveling anywhere within and outside of the states is incredibly expensive. When I was in Scotland, I found plane fares that were 70% less what their US counterparts would have been. Give me a free weekend and a cheap plane ticket and I’m suddenly exploring another country; however its not always the best idea.
There are multiple reasons why planning a trip around a cheap plane ticket can go wrong and I’m going to outline them for you so that when you go to book a cheap flight you’re prepared for the rest of your trip ahead.
Hidden Fees
Chances are if your ticket is cheap there are hidden fees somewhere along the lines. Most of the time this is with how much baggage you are allowed to have on a flight. EasyJet is known for having cheap airfare but you are only allowed one carry on luggage. Without prepaying a fee for another you can run the risk of being charged double what your plane ticket’s original cost was. Other airlines may charge you a ticket which only covers you, you’ll have to pay for anything extra you bring on and any drinks or snacks are an extra fee in flight. Below is EasyJet’s breakdown of their fees.
Some websites now detect these policies and will flag the ticket as restricted so that you know ahead of time what you may be purchasing. It’s always important though to read the fine print for yourself just in case.
Expensive Country
One weekend I was supposed to go to Paris and my friends were supposed to go to Ireland but both plans fell through when our prices for airfare went up. We decided to do a combined trip to Geneva, Switzerland as the flights were incredibly cheap and we figured seeing the Swiss Alps would be fun. It’s always important when choosing a country to travel to that you research the country and plan a budget accordingly. Prices in Switzerland were incredibly high due compared to those in the US and UK. To give perspective a small cup of coffee was about $9 USD compared to its $3 counterpart in the US. Ensuring everyone in your group knows this ahead of time will help to lessen one aspect of culture shock and will also enable you to be less restrictive with where you choose to spend as you can research places ahead of time.
Not Where You Really Wanted To Go
Your experience on a trip changes if you don’t like where you are traveling too. Sometimes purchasing a ticket just to travel anywhere can end up being meaningless because your heart was never in it. It’s important to always make sure your destination is a place you truly want to be. At the end of the day, the memories you make on a trip should be positive ones. Choosing a place to travel to just to say you traveled there can become pointless. Ensuring your trip has a purpose will make it more worthwhile.