When you’re a college student, there’s nothing more fun than using your vacation time to go explore the world. Even if you’re earning your degree with online, you are going to need some vacation time here and there. You may not have a ton of money, but with a strong wanderlust, you can cover a lot of ground. You just have to know how to get around on a shoestring budget and how to find out about all the coolest events going on.

Finding out what to do is the easy part, but figuring out how to do it on a small budget is what requires a little bit of tact and creativity.

Here are 5 money-saving travel tips for college students.

1. Stay in Hostels

If you really want to save money on lodging, then you’re going to want to stay in hostels. Usually in a hostel you will get a bed in a communal room. There could be anywhere from 4-20 beds in that room and there may or may not be linens for you. That’s why you should have your own sleeping bag and towel. Most hostels usually have communal kitchens as well where you can make your own food.

2. Buy Food at the Supermarket

The best way to save money on food is by buying your own groceries from the market and cooking it yourself. If you keep a water bottle, flatware, and a Tupperware with you at all times you will be able to eat wherever and whenever you want. This is not only the most cost effective way to eat while you’re traveling, but it’s also the most ecologically sound, so it’s definitely worth the extra work.

3. Travel Light

The last thing you want to do is weigh yourself down with a bunch of baggage. Not only will it be heavy to carry, but it could also cost you a lot more at the airport, the bus station, or however you plan to travel. Most countries and travel agencies have a maximum weight for each passenger’s baggage and when that weight is exceeded, the passenger has to pay a lot more money to lug it around.

4. Book Early

If you want to get the best rates on just about everything, you want to be sure to reserve all of your tickets early. Everything from your plane ticket, your hostel stays, your train rides and any events you plan to attend. The earlier you reserve your tickets, the better your rate will be. So make sure to just get all of those plans out of the way ahead of time.

5. Find a Partner Bank

There’s a good chance that the bank you use doesn’t have any branches in the company you plan to visit. If it doesn’t, you may want to find out if there are any other local banks that partner with other foreign banks for the convenience of their clients that travel internationally. If so, it could be worth your while to temporarily open a checking account with that bank so that you don’t pay too much in service charges every time you want to withdraw some money.