Arcadia Ireland

Many people believe that studying abroad could be out of their budget, and financially unattainable for them, which it can be, but, if you play it smart, you can do it without breaking the bank! I am a testament of the possibility when I didn’t think I could afford it. The following is my guide to living abroad on a budget, with some tips to do before you leave.

Before You Go

• Do Your Research!
  Look into what each program abroad provides you and the cost overall. Some programs will provide you housing with no additional costs while some will add charges. Also check to see if any meal options are provided. Look into the living costs for the area you will be staying in like the cost of groceries, public transport, and laundry (if not provided by program). Also start looking at flights and the time it will take to get to your new country (Google Flights will be your best friend at comparing prices!). If it takes 8 hours to get to your program, those flights will cost more as they feed you. 
• Start Saving!
  Even if your program is months away from starting, slowly start to put aside money for your time away. I worked up until I started my program, and saved about ½ my paycheck to costs abroad, but you can change this to better fit your needs. Also look into saving gift cards and birthday/holiday money.
• Scholarships and Financial Aid
  Arcadia Abroad offers several options to apply for scholarships for various amounts across different study options like semesters, summer and January options. Also look into options your home university may offer for applying to scholarships. Look into whether or not you will be receiving financial aid from either your home university or Arcadia.

While You’re There

• Grocery Shopping
  To save money on food, instead of buying takeout or going out to eat every night, try to buy some groceries. It seems simple but food can cost you hundreds of dollars a week if you eat out all the time. Buying groceries, either ingredients to make meals or prepared meals can help you cut costs overall as groceries will always be cheaper than eating out all week. You can still go get takeout or sit-down meals, but it doesn’t need to be every meal. Also, especially in the UK, look into meal deals where you can buy a whole meal for cheaper than buying separate items. Along with that, buying the store brand of things will cut costs rather than buying the popular or brand name, and it tastes no different!
• Flying with Smaller Airlines
  Regardless of where you are around the world, if you are looking to travel around your country or to other countries, flying at smaller airports with smaller airlines will save you lots of money. For instance, if you are in Europe, flying RyanAir or EasyJet will cost significantly less than flying British Airways. It is easy to book these flights to various locations so that you can travel around.
• Look for Deals with Trains
  Traveling by train is one of the easiest ways to travel in your country, or even beyond. Once you arrive, you may be able to buy a railcard for your national rail service which will take some money off of buying train tickets. In the UK, buying a 16-25 railcard takes off ⅓ of the price of train tickets.
• Look for Free Things To Do!
  Whether you are looking at exploring your host city or while you are traveling, there are plenty of things to do that will be at no cost to you! If you want to find these free things to do, either search for articles that may include free museums or go onto the visitors website and there are compiled lists of various free activities for people with different interests

Studying abroad is one of the most rewarding experiences of your life, and it is possible to experience it for yourself! Look and research other options for yourself because it is within your grasp. You’ve got this!