Traveling can be viewed as a distant luxury, especially being a college student. Planning a trip can initially be thought of as expensive, but can actually be the opposite if the right tools and tips are used.

The first destination to search cheap flights is Skyscanner.com or the Skyscanner app. The website and app allows flights to be filtered by airline, dates, and times. There are options to select specific dates by looking at a calendar or look at a chart to view the dates. The chart represents how expensive or cheap flights are for various dates.

Skyscanner makes it easy to compare airlines to find the cheapest one. Once a flight is selected, Skyscanner redirects to the airlines official webpage to complete the booking.

Gasbuddy is useful if a desired trip is drivable, and does not require a flight. The website has a fuel calculator to determine how much it would cost to drive to a selected destination.

Planning a place to stay is the second major part of a trip. Hotels.com and Airbnb give a range of options.

Hotels.com is an online accommodation booking website. The site gives various filter options to select prices, destinations, and dates. Hotel prices are generally low through the site compared to booking directly with hotels. The site also has daily deals, which gives cheaper hotel rates on pre-selected properties.

Airbnb is a marketplace where ordinary people list their homes for travelers to book. Their website and app allows travelers to filter through properties based on location. Each property has profiles that include a bio section of the owners, and reviews from people who previously stayed on the property.

Whether a trip is a long car ride up north to San Francisco or a plane ride to New York, traveling is within reach.