So I just got back from three very long days of vacationing with my folks.

I mean, VERY long.

Here’s the thing: it totally sucked. I mean, I love spending time with my parents. I do. We get along very well. But three days of touristing in some random little rural town without any break from my parents EVER just isn’t my idea of a good time.

So here are a few tips that I wish I knew before I went. Good luck, you poor brave souls.

(1) Insist on having at least a little say in the location.

Okay, we went to this town in upstate NY (5 hours from their house, 3 from my apartment) for seemingly no reason. When I was informed, I did not question. Foolishly, I said instead, “Whatever you guys want.” Fatal mistake. You see, my mother decided that we just HAD to go see this giant kaleidoscope. Yes, that’s right: apparently, the basis of this trip was a giant kaleidoscope.

Anyway, we finally get to the stupid thing and they take one look at it and my dad says, “I’m not paying 10 bucks a person for this!”, my mom says, “I can’t lean on this thing for 7 minutes!”, and next thing I know we’re back at the motel trying to figure out what to do for the next three days. Read More »

Some of us might still be seeing snow outside our dorm windows, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start getting ready for our spring break getaways. Planning now provides more time to find good deals and makes for less scheduling stress as the departure date draws nearer.

Here are some travel tips to keep in mind:

Students can get cheaper airfare and train tickets than older adults by using travel web sites aimed at youth. StudentUniverse is a fantastic resource that provides young people with heavily discounted plane tickets as long as riders are enrolled at least part time at a college. The European railway, Eurail, also offers student fares. A spring break tour of France and Italy is only $250.

If planning to leave the country for spring break, don’t forget about getting a passport. It takes four to six weeks to process the order, so make sure to plan ahead so you get your passport in time to start getting those fancy stamps. Passports cost $97 unless travelers procrastinate. Expedited orders can jump to nearly double that price.

Then there is always the question of where to stay when we get to the exotic locations. Many of us might pony up for nice, or at least decent, hotels. However, youth hostels can be a very economically friendly and fun option. Read More »

I’m broke and lazy - are you broke and lazy? Of course you are.

You’re a college student (or a big fan of college-related material if you’ve found yourself reading this).To many, “college student” is synonymous with “too busy and too broke.” Even if you’re a part-time student/full-time worker it’s assumed that you’re a slacker. So instead of slacking off on ultra-cool college websites (…) how about you get off your ass and start preparing for your trip home?

Oh, you need help? Sigh…OK.

Just sit back and let CollegeCandy do the dirty work of providing simple-yet-important travel tips while you reap the benefits.

Book your flight early

It’s surprising how many people don’t follow this all-important rule. Call it being a member of the A.D.D. Generation or being too busy with schoolwork, but there’s no excuse when purchasing a ticket home is just a click away.

It’s early November - are you planning on heading home to see your family? Let’s hope you’ve already bought your ticket: holiday season is by far the most booked-up time to travel in the year. If you haven’t yet come back to this article (it’s not going anywhere) and book your flight at Orbitz, Expedia or Priceline immediately. Be sure to avoid spending ungodly amounts of time looking for the absolute cheapest rate: too much time browsing will equal too much money spent if you don’t act quick. Read More »