Travel

Cheap student travel is available to most students as many airlines and train operators have deals and discounts available mainly through the student travel agency.

The best way to get the cheapest travel is through student travel cards which offer special discounts on rail travel whether on the tube in london or through the UK and Europe.

As mentioned student travel cards offer deep discounts on London travel on all the systems including the Tube, buses, docklands light railway (DLR) and the National Rail Systems operating though London.

The system is called Transport for London (TfL) Student Photocard Scheme and offers an Oyster card providing a 30% discount for all eligible students. You need to be 18 years old or over for the student Oyster photocard and studying at a school, college or university that participates in the scheme. There is also a 16+ student Oyster card that offers even more savings. See if you can apply by looking at the tfl website here

Student travel insurance is a must have if you are travelling abroad backpacking or simply taking a gap year between studies. When searching for insurance think about the types of activites you'll be undertaking for example: suba diving, bungee jumping or skiing as these are likely to have higher premiums.

You'll need 24 hour worldwide assistance so you can get help as soon as you need it and it's best to get cover with a well known insurance company so you have peace of mind and ensure they have an ABTA and ATOL number for additional protection in case the company goes bust. Travel insurance for students is similar as most insurance products in that you can get a single trip, annual multi trip or extended stay as most single/ multi trip insurances only cover you for 30 days or less.

You can get a six month policy for under 75. Examples of student insurance companies are here

There are many major organisations to help students with their travel services and that includes your own college or university so that may be a great first port of call. Also speak to your fellow students to see what they have to say. The main organisation in the UK is STA Travel who specialise in student travel all around the world and offer some great deals and discounts so check them out.

Need some inspiration on where to go and what to do with your gap year or summer break? We have put together some guides on some of the most popular destinations for students so check them out below: