Stamps, sightseeing, and studying: Travelling as a university student – and how to make it possible

Make the most of your three years at uni. That’s the advice that you probably heard before arriving at Warwick whether from parents, friends, or co-workers at your summer job. Yet, when you arrive to reading lists as long as your arm, a timetable packed full of seminars, and looming deadlines, making the most of your university experience can often seem – to put it lightly – a little difficult.

“As someone who is about to graduate from Warwick, let me tell you one thing: my passport has certainly been peppered with more stamps since being at Warwick than before I arrived at university”

So, if someone turned around and suggested that you use some of your precious and finite spare time to leave the campus bubble and go away for a break, it might seem like a crazy, almost impossible suggestion. But with Warwick only 15 minutes away from Birmingham Airport, society tours on offer, and friends on years abroad, the opportunity to travel is perhaps too good to miss. 

As someone who is about to graduate from Warwick, let me tell you one thing: my passport has certainly been peppered with more stamps since being at Warwick than before I arrived at university. From the idyllic coastlines of Malta to the festive streets of Málaga, I’ve been lucky enough to experience some amazing trips – and all while managing my university work and not having Tabula notifications telling me I’ve missed a deadline. 

Go on society tours

It’s fair to say that society tours can sometimes seem shrouded in a bit of mystery. Whether you hear horror stories of “intense” trips away or see pictures which paint tours as a week-long bender in a random European city, a break with society friends may sound like a daunting experience. 

“Across my three tour experiences, I’ve taken a river cruise down the River Danube, cooked traditional Hungarian and Maltese dishes, and relaxed at Europe’s biggest indoor spa and pool complex”

However, having been on three tours myself, I can guarantee you that tours are not all chaos and drinking but rather, they are amazing ways to discover new places and travel with friends. That’s not to say that there won’t be a dose of healthy chaos – but I’d say that traipsing around the streets of Bucharest to complete photo challenges is a great way to both get to know the city and spend time with friends. Tours are a fantastic way to explore a place and tick off a new country – all at a cost that is (often) student-friendly. 

With popular destinations including Budapest, Prague, and Berlin, tours offer something for everyone. Across my three tour experiences, I’ve taken a river cruise down the River Danube, cooked traditional Hungarian and Maltese dishes, and relaxed at Europe’s biggest indoor spa and pool complex. Other tour activities I’ve heard of include museum visits, flamenco dance lessons, and covering a room with paint. Tours are certainly eclectic, to say the least. 

If experiencing the local nightlife is your thing, then that’s always an option on tours too with tour secretaries and events officers usually putting together an itinerary which caters to everyone – but never feel the pressure to have to do everything on tour either! There are usually some opportunities for downtime too. That being said, however, the beauty of tours is that a lot is organised for you by the tour secretaries, so you can buy your tickets, get to the end of term two, pack your bag, hop on a flight and enjoy whatever the tour has to offer.

Make the most of year abroad friends

Whether they are language students or people who just fancied escaping the Warwick bubble for a year, I guarantee you probably know someone on a year abroad (especially if you’re a finalist). Why not make the most of your globe-trotting friends and jump on a plane and go visit them?

“As the dull British winter weather set in last December, I hopped on a plane to visit two of my friends in Marbella – swapping the dark nights on campus for Christmas markets in the sun on the Costa del Sol”

The great thing about visiting friends on a year abroad is that, usually, they’ll have a spare bed (or at least a floor) that you can sleep on. Free accommodation! With return flights from Birmingham to the likes of France, Denmark, and Italy starting from £45 in November, you can often get on a trip away for as little as a hundred and a bit pounds and make memories that’ll last a lifetime. 

As the dull British winter weather set in last December, I hopped on a plane to visit two of my friends in Marbella – swapping the dark nights on campus for Christmas markets in the sun on the Costa del Sol. After leaving Birmingham early on a £40 Jet2 flight on the Friday morning, I was sat in a café in Marbella eating lunch by 2pm and sipping a drink on a rooftop terrace by 5pm. Much more enjoyable than whiling away another day on floor 4 of the FAB, that’s for sure. 

While I might have only jetted off for three nights, I still managed to experience Christmas the Spanish way, watching the famous light show on Málaga’s Calle Larios and sampling traditional turrón. Of course, while it was still term time, I couldn’t escape the looming work that I had to do – but with two three-hour flights and some early morning starts on my friend’s balcony, I was able to get through my American Fiction reading, French tasks, and presentation planning all while enjoying a weekend exploring Spain. 

It’s a bit of a DIY way to explore a new place, but would I recommend going to visit a friend on their year abroad? Absolutely! Not only is it often nice for your friend to see a friendly face from back home (and maybe even take them a slice of home – an M&S white chocolate and raspberry cookie, anyone?!), it’s a great way for you to have a much-earned break from work.

“Maybe you and a group of friends could book an Airbnb together, hop on a train (or in a car if you happen to have a friend who drives – be that passenger princess!), and have a night away”

A trip away… in the UK?

Of course, travelling abroad isn’t cheap and it does also take away precious work time. Money and time: two things that students don’t always have. I get it. But you don’t have to jump on a plane to explore a new place. Going for a night away somewhere in the UK – or even a day trip – can still provide a much-needed travel boost! 

Warwick is well-connected to many destinations: Birmingham, Oxford, the Cotswolds. Maybe you and a group of friends could book an Airbnb together, hop on a train (or in a car if you happen to have a friend who drives – be that passenger princess!), and have a night away. It’s a cost-effective way of exploring somewhere new, taking a break away from the hustle and bustle of uni, and switch off with friends – all without leaving the country.

So, whether it’s a society tour, a visit to a friend on a year abroad, or a night away in the UK, there’s plenty of ways to travel as a student. Maybe next time you go and order yet another Spoons cocktail pitcher, pause and think whether you could save that money up for a trip away. What will bring you more memories? A night at Spoons or a break with friends? Happy travelling!