Do you travel?

Of course the subject of this feature is not to explore gap year travelling or post graduation expeditions, but is focused on students travelling home at weekends, visiting friends in other university towns or simply returning to work.

Having travelled down from Newcastle to Brighton to visit my girlfriend I have tried it all…. So I hope my experiences put you in good stead for travelling in future.

The Mega Bus:

Offering a very much what you pay is what you get service, the Mega Bus is often full of students sprawled over the not so comfortable seats or worst still laying on the floor when the lengthy stretch from Leeds to London gets a bit too much. The Mega Bus is very much a bus, a ‘Double Decker' with friendly drivers and hospital like neon strip lighting. One simply cannot deny that the price (singles from £1, plus 50p booking fee) is extraordinarily good value but that might be the only thing you love. Check out Megabus.co.uk for prices and time. Remember to book early to get the best fare.

GNER:

Great North East railways are just one provider offering travel outside of London, with single fares between Newcastle and London starting at just £8.50 each way. Book early and travel at off peak times to get the cheap deals. Its also worth checking out TheTrainline.com for web only details on nationwide train travel. The Megatrain has also just been lauched but as yet I havent had the chance to try it out. Offering cheap off peak rail travel on selected routes the mega train aims to do exactly what it does so sucessful with the bus. Discounts: Cut the cost of your rail travel by a third with a Young persons railcard. You have to be either under 26 or a full time mature student to qualify, but you can easily buy a railcard online or by any staff railway station for around £20. The savings on fares soon add up, check out youngpersons-railcard.co.uk for full details and to apply.

Driving:

Got a car: When driving home, try to lift share and thus save on the amount of petrol you were going to spend. Or you could also plead with your parents that you want to come home but you can't afford the petrol. When driving anywhere avoid motorway service station food, particularly on the A1 north and southbound. I have never found anything worth eating that is under £8.00, its absurd. Renting a car: The cost of Car and Van hire can soon mount up with one way surcharges, under 23 supplements, insurances waives and petrol deposits, but again try to share the cost of car hire with a number of people or if you do need to rent alone make sure you do your research into the best deal. Personally I would recommend Carrentals.co.uk and National rentals.

Budget carriers:

There are numerous low cost airlines including EasyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair as well as BA who also offer some fantastic fares around the UK. Sometimes this can be the most expensive option, but its certainly worth trying if all of your other avenues are exhausted.