Is summer travel becoming impossible for students?

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While the summer break should be the ideal time to take that long-awaited trip after exam season, for many of us, it simply isn’t possible. A 2023 NUS study found that 69% of current students have a part-time job alongside studying. However, businesses are all the more reluctant to employ university students due to our long term-time breaks and the threat of being unavailable. The sacred three-month summers are therefore used to cram in as many hours as possible, with travel plans pushed to the backseat. 

With growing anxieties over graduate employment, many students view the summer break as important for developing their career prospects. The growing sentiment among students that a degree is not enough to become employable means that securing an all-important summer internship or work experience programme is at the forefront of many minds.

“…businesses are all the more reluctant to employ university students due to our long term-time breaks and the threat of being unavailable.”

As students want to both travel and earn money, work abroad programmes would seem most ideal. Schemes such as Camp America or Holiday Rep jobs abroad often include a salary, accommodation, and even meals. These short-term summer roles seem perfect. However, with the large upfront costs required in these programmes, as well as the costs required to travel to these international destinations, lower wages often mean you barely break even, or that you’ve lost money on your summer job! 

Student discount websites such as Unidays and Student Beans do offer discounts on travel and holiday services, but most airline discounts are not valid in the University summer break. Other discounts for as little as 5% off Airbnb on Unidays aren’t incredibly helpful for reducing summer travel costs. 

“With growing anxieties over graduate employment, many students view the summer break as important for developing their career prospects.”

However, there is hope for the broke student! By taking advantage of the long university summer breaks, students can benefit from booking holidays during off-peak times, while schools are still in full flow and deals for travel or accommodation are much cheaper. Budget airlines such as Ryanair often offer cheap flights for European destinations; staying in hostels can be incredibly budget-friendly, and a great way to meet people. Buying an interrail pass and travelling around Europe for a few weeks is a popular choice for students wanting to keep the costs down. Worldpackers is a great website to live abroad for as little as a few weeks in exchange for some light tasks. Current opportunities include teaching yoga in Italy for a few weeks in exchange for accommodation, meals and transport. Programmes often accept friends and couples, with an upfront cost of as little as £69 for two people. Working or volunteering at music festivals is also a great way to travel, enjoy great music and possibly earn some money. Opportunities can be found in both the UK and internationally- an ideal summer trip for less.