Exploring the Mediterranean as a Student Traveler
If you’re a student who loves to travel, you may have disregarded cruises as an option thinking they were either too expensive or simply reserved for your grandparents and retirees, but more and more students are finding out cruise companies have made it an affordable travel option for young adults and offer exciting itineraries packed with adventurous excursions and loads of onboard entertainment aimed at younger generations.
Whether it’s semester break or spring break, more and more students are heading to the Mediterranean and they aren’t roughing it on foot backpacking, rather they are enjoying cruising around the Mediterranean in comfort while not depleting their savings.
Cruise ships sail around the Mediterranean year-round, making holidays possible for any student regardless of where they study and when their breaks are. Here are some tips for exploring the Mediterranean as a student and why it can be a great idea to choose a cruise option.
Why Cruising the Mediterranean is Great for Students
As a student, you often don’t have the time to do a lot of traveling planning such as booking numerous hotels, transport, activities, etc. Booking a cruise to the Mediterranean involves a single upfront cost and then you can sit back and relax, leaving the travel planning to the ship and its crew while enjoying unlimited food. It’s a great way to stick to your travel budget without fear of unexpected costs which can really hurt students who often have limited finances.
While most cruise ships set sail in the Mediterranean between April and November each year, you can find options available in the winter months as well and this may appeal to those students wanting to decompress after exams and escape the crowds and commotion for a bit of peace and self discovery.
Affordability of Mediterranean Cruises for Students
You may have thought that Mediterranean cruises were expensive, but the reality is cruise companies have created itineraries and options that make it affordable to a wide range of travelers these days. You may end up finding that a cruise ends up costing you half of what you would otherwise spend on a regular student holiday.
There are affordable options for solo travelers or you may wish to gather a group of friends to enjoy potential group discounts where each person can still pay individually. Remember that the price of a cruise includes accommodation for the entire journey, unlimited food, all your transport costs to the various ports of call, and also no need to worry about renting a car or paying for daily entertainment.
Unlimited food alone makes cruising worth it, especially for students who seem to have insatiable appetites. No longer will you be restricted to microwaving up noodles or settling for cheap fast food. You’ll enjoy a wide range of dishes prepared by talented chefs that is likely to surpass anything you’ve cooked up back at your dorm.
If you’re a student who likes to drink, you can even take advantage of cruise drink packages that will allow you to drink a wide range of alcoholic delights including beer, cocktails, and wine all for one set price throughout your journey.
And because time is often just as valuable as money is to a student, cruising the Mediterranean will allow you the ability to visit a wide range of popular European cities more efficiently while also not having to forgo comfort.
Cruising can get costly if you rack up a lot of extra onboard expenses such as spa treatments, internet access, visiting the casinos, etc, but they aren’t mandatory to do these things so you can make your Mediterranean cruise as affordable as you wish.
Onboard Fun
While the main highlights of a Mediterranean cruise are all the incredible cities you’ll visit, you shouldn’t overlook the fun you’ll have while simply on the ship. We aren’t talking bingo and shuffleboard, rather dance clubs, live music, state of the art fitness centers to keep your young body fit, martini bars, theatre performances, glorious pools and sun lounge decks overlooking the sea, and more.
You’ll discover that there is a cruise ship to suit every personality, so go and find yours. In many ways, cruising the Mediterranean is symbolic of your student years where you are in your experimental stage trying to discover your identity. A cruise allows you to venture around Europe and surrounds sampling a wide range of cities and cultures that will allow you to discover what really intrigues you.
Where You’ll Go…The Possibilities are Endless
It’s safe to say the Mediterranean region is vast, with nearly two dozen countries sharing the tens of thousands of miles of coastline that encompass parts of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa.
It will be impossible to experience all the Mediterranean has to offer on a single cruise, so you’ll need to do a bit of research and find an itinerary that most appeals to your interests in terms of destinations you wish to visit.
Some itineraries will present you with opulence and romance while others are more adventurous. You’ll find there are also numerous departure ports to choose from including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome, Venice, and Athens to name a few. Regardless of where you sail, you’re guaranteed to feast on plenty of delicious Mediterranean cuisine, whether it’s Greek, Italian, Turkish, or Moroccan dishes.
While most ports of call on Mediterranean cruises can easily be explored independently by sharp-minded students, some destinations are worth considering booking excursions offered by the cruise company. This is especially true when wanting to visit those attractions that may be a little trickier to arrange bookings or transport to, and those where you would really benefit from having a knowledgeable guide for both insight and safety.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites seem to be prevalent in most ports of call on a Mediterranean cruise. You may visit incredible structures and monuments such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Acropolis of Athens, Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia, the Colosseum in Rome, or Santorini’s, famous blue-domed churches.
You’ll likely set foot on some of the finest beaches in the world, discover enchanting seaside towns like those along the Amalfi Coast, and be awed by world-famous artworks such as Florence’s Renaissance masterpieces that include Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Michelangelo’s David.
Feel like you’ve stepped into the magical world of Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik, party it up in Ibiza, find romance in a Venetian gondola, or embrace your inner James Bond in Monte Carlo.
No matter where your Mediterranean cruise takes you, you can be assured of experiences that you will never forget. Cruising this beautiful region of the world allows you to take in numerous incredible destinations while you still have the freedom to do so as a student before you throw yourself into a career or choose to start a family. And even then you can be assured there will be a Mediterranean cruise that caters to any new lifestyle you create for yourself after your studies.