To begin with, youll probably be shuttling back and forth between your place of study and the dear old parental home. Then there is your new surroundings to explore, and no doubt a bit of foreign traveling as well. It all costs money, so heres how to minimize your travel expenses.
Using a car: You may already have a car or will invest in one prior to going away.
Firstly, make sure youre insured and taxed, as you dont want to face the fallout if you have an accident and youre uninsured. Secondly, your peers who are car-less may want to take advantage of your good nature and use you as a convenient taxi service to the local supermarket. By all means, give people lifts, but make sure youre not constantly paying out for the petrol. Try and avoid using your car unless you really have to because petrol expenses can thus soon become a burden on your student loan.
Travelling by train
A lot of students will already have a Young Persons Railcard. This is a sound investment if youre going to be travelling a lot by train as it saves you a third off the full adult fare and it will pay for itself if you make a couple of long-distance journeys. You can get details on how to apply for one from your nearest railway station. When booking tickets, it pays to book as far in advance as possible.
There is a bewildering array of different train ticket prices the Evening Standard recently carried out an investigation into cheap train tickets and found 57 different fares on offer on the London to Exeter route. The best place to book in advance is via the National Rail website, which offers a full timetable of available trains and shows which tickets are available for each service.
Travelling by coach
If you can handle the extra time on your journey, then going by coach is a cheaper alternative to rail. Again, investing in a Young Persons Coach-card will prove a worthwhile exercise if youre going to use coaches quite regularly. Your local bus/coach station will have further details on how to apply for one. Another option for those of you who dont mind a bumpy ride is to travel by Mega bus. Although they are relatively slow lane and hardly luxurious, theyre cheap, with tickets on most inter city routes starting from just GBP 1
Local transport
Many students, particularly after their first year, end up living off campus and further away from their teaching buildings. If the distance is too far to walk, local buses, tubes and trams can prove an inexpensive alternative. Getting hold of a weekly or monthly pass is usually cheaper than paying a fare each time you travel, particularly if youre going to use them regularly.
Taxis
Most students are on a tight budget and will be willing to walk for miles rather than spend money on a cab. However, after a night out on the tiles, its very tempting to get a taxi home. Although taxies arent the cheapest form of transport, they are the safest, so long as youre travelling with a reputable cab firm. Your student union should be able to provide you with a list of good firms to use.
anjitha is a financial adviser and well known for his finance related articles . you can find more financial articles written by the author by visiting the following link .
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