6th November 2019 | Blog,
Travel America,
Uncategorised
Working out how to travel on a budget after camp can be quite the task. After camp, you want your earnings to stretch as far as possible. Budgeting your money doesn’t mean you have to skimp on your travel experience. Read on to discover more on how to travel on a budget! Travel on a Budget After Camp as a Group Travelling as a group is not for everyone. However, avoiding going solo means that there are more people to spread the cost. Figuring out how to budget while you travel can be a lot easier with a group’s combined brainpower! Perhaps someone knows a great deal or a cheap place to stay. You might even get money off as part of a group discount when booking accommodation or tours. As well as activities and places to stay, if you decide to go down the Airbnb route, cooking as a group will save you money on eating out. A little compromise when travelling with friends goes a long way which could save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. Be flexible with your travel group and your travel budget is bound to go further! Make Friends with an American! While there is a lot of international staff at camp there are also a whole heap of American staff! You’ll be making friends left right and centre. While it can be comforting to make friends from home don’t neglect the opportunity to expand your friendship group beyond your own shores. Who best to show you the hidden hot spots than someone who is from that place? In addition, you could even be offered to stay at their home. There’s not much better for your budget than FREE! Deals, Deals, Deals Before and during camp, keep an eye out for any travel deals you can cash in on. We offer discounts on amazing travel packages with Contiki and TrekAmerica. If you’re a student, you may want to see if you can bag student discount on your travel or accommodation too. Alongside this, any food vouchers you pick up on the way will also be useful! If you plan on visiting any theme parks, make sure to check online to see if a combined ticket will save you money. You might also get a great deal to enter more than one theme park! Get the Bus Save money on both your longer and shorter journeys by utilising public transport. Flights and trains can eat up a lot of your budget and you’d be surprised how much money you can save by getting the bus or using the metro. In addition, Uber’s will VERY quickly add up and leave a burning hole in your pocket. In some cities, you may also be able to get a group travel ticket on some modes of transport which will save you additional spends. Where are you sleeping? Hotels can very often be the biggest expense of your trip. Yes, some sites can give you the best deals on hotels but have you thought of alternative accommodation? The word ‘hostels’ can bring up thoughts of dark, dingy and dirty spaces but you’d be very surprised at how they have changed. Do your research and check out hostels in the locations you will be staying. The majority of hostels we have come across while on our travels after camp has been modern spaces with a surprising amount of privacy. If you’re staying in a larger group you can also book out a whole dorm in most hostels meaning it would be just you and your friends. Hostelworld is a great database of hostels all across the world with user reviews! If hostels are 100% not your thing, check out Airbnb. Often cheaper than a hotel and you can choose whether to rent out the whole space or just a room. Your host may even be able to suggest some great places to visit while you are passing by.
» Full Story
4th July 2023 | Before Camp,
Blog,
Uncategorised
What is a gap year? ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood – and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.’ Robert Frost. Gap years have grown enormously in popularity over the years. They are essentially an opportunity to reset, a time to do something different, to work, volunteer, to travel aimlessly or to travel with a purpose. One can make a difference, enhance skillsets, earn money – all while having the time of your life in as many countries as one can think of! There is one country that we at USA Summer Camp, hold particularly close to our hearts and which is the perfect place for your gap year– the United States of America! Why take a gap year in America? I’m going to say it, the quote that is included in just about every article written about working in the Unites States, but if you can make it there, you really can make it anywhere! The American Dream is still alive and well and there is nowhere better for those looking to improve skills, those looking to network and make connections for the future, for those looking to make a difference, and in truth, those looking for true freedom. Few countries are more welcoming – the warmest, most hospitable, and kindest people I have ever met have all been American. Few countries have a more varied landscape where one minute you can be in a thriving, melting pot of a metropolis with all of the sights and sounds and culture that some can only dream of experiencing – and then in a few hours, be in a lush and imposing mountain range, or another few hours Westwards, in a desert, and the next day, on a white sand beach! In addition to the natural phenomena that is on offer across the entirety of the United States, one of the most beneficial aspects of spending time working in such a country is learning the American work ethic. Americans know how to make things happen, they know how to be confident in the workplace, they know that hard work and determination are rewarded, and they know how to have fun while doing it! It is often said that we learn the most about ourselves by ‘doing.’ I know first-hand, how you may be feeling – whether you are finishing school, or college, or unsure of your path in life, questioning decisions, anxious about the future and unsettled in the present. I have been there. Would you care to know where I got my answers? Benefits of Summer Camp for your gap year in America Going to summer camp is an American tradition that is almost as old as the Declaration of Independence – or at least it is that ingrained in the American psyche! Each year, children bundle off to camp, wave goodbye to their parents for 8 weeks, full of excitement and the knowledge that they are promised another summer of a lifetime. Any kid that goes to summer camp lives ‘ten for two.’ Their ten months of regular life are ticked off by the day until they can again spend their summer under the sun, amongst their favorite people, enjoying everything that only an American summer camp can offer. It is not just children, however, that reap the benefits of summer camp. Year on year, counselors flock to the US to experience a summer at camp – and for good reason! Going to summer camp changed my life and so I have compiled a list of the main benefits of a summer (or several summers) of working at an American summer camp. 1. Incredibly well supported way to travel! The prospect of travelling alone – as some choose to undertake a gap year – or even as part of a group, is rather daunting for most people! If you are finishing school, or university, or looking to take a year out from working – but don’t know where or even how to begin, then summer camp could be the perfect launch pad for you! A summer at camp is an incredibly well supported way to travel. From the minutes you sign up to an agency such as us here at USA Summer Camp, you are taken care of. USA Summer Camp will hold your hand all the way up to you coming home from camp! We are there to help you with your application, to find you your perfect summer camp, to assist you with the visa process, flight bookings, and all the in-between. Your health insurance is covered, your food and accommodation while at camp are covered, and you are guaranteed one of the highest salaries in the camp industry once you sign up with USA Summer Camp! When I arrived at camp, I told my camp director that I felt as though I found my second home – and we want the same for you! The support does not end once you board the plane to the US. You will arrive at camp and be welcomed into the biggest, craziest, most loving second family you could ever imagine!! 2. A way to save money! As I mentioned above, your food and accommodation are covered while you are at camp – and camp food is some of the best of American cuisine! Think weekly barbecues under the sun, s’mores around the crackling campfire, and more ice cream than one can dream of – and it’s all covered! Essentially you do not have to spend any money while you are at camp – except for days off which can be budgeted super easily. Not having to buy groceries or even think about what to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner really was such a break from the real world! Also, you do not have to pay for your accommodation which is a major bonus now and means that you will have even more savings for travelling […]
» Full Story
