The transition from college to the real world is a difficult time for many post-grads. Between figuring out how to file taxes, paying rent and cooking nutritional food, adulting can be a whirlwind of lifestyle changes. Switching to the 9-5 lifestyle leaves little time for those usual college activities such as mid-day naps, midnight pizza—and sadly, travel. During college there was ample time to travel however, the real world reality is that most entry-level jobs have two weeks vacation time. Two weeks make college winter break seem like forever.
But don’t let this dull your sense of adventure. Seeing the world is still possible as a young twentysomething. By following these travel tips you can maximize your two weeks of vacation so that you never have to compromise.
The Good News: StudentUniverse Gets It
Adulting is expensive. People recognize the financial struggles of those “poor college students”, but it seems like no one recognizes the financial struggles of your twenties. We have rent, loans and an entry-level income! At StudentUniverse, we think that traveling the world should be affordable to no matter your age. 80% of our deals are available to anyone under the age of 26. Search our cheap flights and filter by “Youth” to take advantage of the prices.
Now that you’re in the know, read on to find out how to maximize those precious two weeks a year.
Schedule Vacation During a Vacation
Tack on your personal vacation to an already paid vacation day to maximize your time. For example, take vacation the week of the 4th of July when you already receive a paid day off from your company. That means you get one whole week of vacation with using just four vacation days instead of five. Ta-da!
Be Direct
Spend a little more, get a whole lot. Direct flights cost a little extra than those with layovers, but can save you hours of time. And, with all the money saved using StudentUniverse discounts, you can afford to upgrade to that nonstop flight so that you can minimize your time spent traveling and maximize your time adventuring.
Pro tip: Your first international flight with StudentUniverse is $20 off. Check it out.
Less is More
Being a smart traveler means knowing your limits. Don’t assume that you can see all of Europe in under two weeks. You can’t. Choose one or two cities and explore them to their fullest. Discover the best restaurants down those little side streets and how the locals spend their days instead of just hitting the tourist traps. You’ll leave feeling like you conquered all and truly maximized your vacation time. Besides, you will be working for the next 45 years so there is plenty of time to see all of Europe, just one trip at a time.
Be a Night Owl
Take a late night flight so that you don’t waste any daytime in the air when you could be exploring. Instead of flying out on a Saturday morning and losing half a day to traveling, take a late night friday flight. That way, you can work a full day, not use up a vacation day, and get to your destination for Saturday morning.
Do your Research
Plan out every detail of your trip beforehand so that there are no surprises when you arrive. Consider whether certain attractions need tickets booked in advance or if you should factor in a long wait time? Knowing these things can help keep your trip, and schedule, running smoothly so that you can fully maximize those two weeks vacation time.
Pro Tip: The StudentUniverse blog and travel guides are full of travel tips and tricks to help young travelers in their journeys around the world.
Beat Jet Lag
Jet lag is every young traveler’s worst enemy. Nothing wastes more time during an international vacation than being cooped up in the hotel room recovering from jet lag.
First and foremost, to beat jet lag, start adjusting your sleep schedule a few days before leaving for your trip. Each night leading up to vacation, go to bed either an hour earlier or later (depending on your final destination’s local time). It’s better to be tired at home than while first arriving in a new time zone.
During the flight, be sure to drink plenty of water and keep hydrated. Do your best to sleep as much as possible, especially if it’s an overnight flight. So, enjoy a glass wine, rest up and go kick jet lag’s butt.
Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep in the hotel room upon arrival. Do everything you can to stay up until the local bedtime. As hard as the first day will be, this will give you extra time and energy throughout the rest of your vacation. It’s like those all-nighters you pulled in college to finish an essay, only for a better cause. As soon as you land, stretch and go for a walk. This is a great way to not only get a lay of the land and check out some local menus for dinner, but also to get the blood flowing and stay awake through the jet lag. You don’t want to waste any of your hard earned vacation time!
What’s Next
The real world is tough, but traveling doesn’t have to be. At least not with StudentUniverse’s cheap youth flights and these travel hacks to maximize your two weeks vacation time.
Wondering where you should begin to maximize your vacation time? Check out the best places to see before you turn 30 and start your post-grad adventures. Happy (postgrad) traveling.