Best Student Travel Deals

Find the best student travel deals from cheap student airfares to cheap car rentals.

Even if you have a "full ride" scholarship, you will still need to pay for your own travel in most cases. Here are some tips on how to save money on student travel.

Cheap Student Airfares

Many students go to college out of state, or far away within state, and fly back and forth from home to college. Read our tips on how to get great student travel deals when you fly.

You can find some cheap student airfares online through Priceline, which searches for cheap flights from different airlines that participate in their program. Remember if you are checking baggage, be sure to find out the airlines baggage fees before you book, or you may find yourself paying another $100 at the airport to check your bags!

One tip is to first find a flight that you like, then search for that flight in Priceline. For example, if you know of a direct, non-stop flight that departs and arrives at the right time for you, search for that flight and you will most likely find it for a cheap price. If you just let Priceline suggest flights, they sometimes tend to be at odd hours or require a layover at another airport.

Cheaper to fly round trip - Do you only need a one way ticket, but find you can get a much cheaper rate with a round trip ticket? This tip works great for college students. Book a round trip ticket with the first way to school or home, and the return trip months later for the first half of your next trip. For example:

Round trip 1 -

Home to college August 23

Return trip college to home December 19 (for winter break)

Round trip 2 -

Home to college January 2

College to home March 19 (for spring break)

Round trip 3 -

Home to college March 27

College to home June 3

Cheap Student Airfares Southwest Airlines - One of my favorite airlines to fly is Southwest Airlines. Southwest flies to many cities in the US, and offers some nice student travel deals. 

Southwest Airlines Baggage Policy - An important question you should always ask, is how many bags can you check without paying an extra fee? At Southwest Airlines, you can check two bags in addition to one carry-on roller bag. Many airlines charge extra fees to check your first or second bag, but not Southwest. Maximum weight per checked bag is 50 pounds and max size is 62" (length + width + height. This make flying Southwest one of the best student travel.

Cheap One Way Tickets - You can book a one way ticket for the same price as half of a round trip. This provides both cheap student airfare, but more flexibility about your return trip.

Cancel Trip Policy - Southwest Airlines also allows you to cancel your trip at the last minute without losing your money. While they won't give you a refund, you have 12 months to use the credit. I like to book a few trips in advance when sales are happening, knowing that I can cancel without penalty and rebook for a later trip.

Rapid Rewards - Frequent flyers should join the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program, and earn points toward free air travel. For really cheap student airfares, get a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card, a credit card that currently offers bonus points for 2 free roundtrip flights to one of 70+ airports.

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Student Car Alternatives

Zip car rental is an option. Zipcar is now owned by Avis

Do students need a car? Many college students wonder if they will need a car on campus. In most cases, there are many alternative forms of transportation like trains, buses,  Uber and Lyft, so a car is not needed. An exception of course is when the student goes to a commuter school, or lives far enough off campus and there is not good public transportation. One of my work friends leased cars for his students, and it was cheaper than paying the high rent on campus.

One option for occasional car use is to rent a Zipcar, now owned by Avis. These cars can be found at many colleges and universities and rented by the hour or day by students 18 and older. For more information, see Zip Car Rentals at Colleges and Universities.

State ID card or Driver's License - Do you even need a drivers license? More teenagers are getting their license later, as the cost of drivers training, student car insurance, and a student car add up. One choice is to delay getting a drivers license. Instead, get a state ID card. You will need some official government issued ID card to fly on an airline, or for banking.

Cheap Student Car Insurance - Non-owner car insurance - If you don't take a car to college, you can get non-owner car insurance. This is a nice cheap student car insurance because you are only paying for an insurance policy for liability (when you are at fault in an auto accident). This means if you borrow a friend's car occasionally, you are covered for liability.

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Student Discounts Amtrak and Other Trains

Metro Train Station near Boston University (BU)

Some areas offer decent train service and good student discounts, making travel by train a cheap way to get to and from school for college students, depending on the university location and where you live.

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Student Transportation via Bus

Most college campuses have good school transportation via buses on and off campus, like this double decker bus at University of California, Davis.

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College Bicycle on Campus

Student bicycles at University of California Davis (UCD). There are an estimated 40,000 bikes in Davis, the most per capita of any U.S. city. The campus is very quiet because of the lack of cars.

A college bicycle, ebike or electric scooter is one of the best and cheapest form of student transportation on campus. Your best and most effective mode of transportation on campus is riding your bike. The larger the campus area, the more you rely on a bike or ebike to get around, especially if your classes are far apart.

If you have a student bike on campus, you may be able to take it off-campus on public transportation such as a train or bus, making it a great way to get around town. Check your local public transportation websites to see if bicycles are allowed.

Bike-sharing is becoming a popular program across our nation’s colleges and universities. The demand is mostly driven by the students and include bikes, ebikes and electric scooters. Many colleges and universities with a parking crisis offer the bike-sharing program as a way of discouraging the students from bringing cars to the campus. Bikes are checked out differently. Some programs require membership, some are free, and some charge a rental fee.

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Walking on Campus

Of course the cheapest form of student transportation is walking. It's great exercise and a good way to meet other college students.

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