Still got the travel bug?! Great! Well then, here it is, folks! The next installment in the fashionable backpacker series! This post is mostly for students and teachers who plan on backpacking somewhere this summer! Aside from your passport, visa, and Eurail pass, I’ve got a whole other load of great travel docs for you. The best thing though is that THESE help you get around town easier and save money! 🙂

1. ISIC Card

For you students out there, the International Student ID Card (ISIC) will save you TONS of cash! Not only will you get special discount rates on flights, but you will also get super savings on hostel and hotel stays, nights out, dining, entertainment, and tourist sites! You just have to be cognizant of which places (both online and off) take the ISIC card. You also get a 30% discount on lonely planet guides! (The best traveler’s guides out there.)The ISIC is offered in over 120 countries, beneficial in over 126,000 locations, and can save you tons of cash. Check it out before you do anything else (including book your plane tickets)! MY COST: $25.00

IF YOU’RE NOT A STUDENT, but you’re under 26, you can get the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC), which will afford you the same benefits as the ISIC.
IF YOU’RE NOT A STUDENT, but you’re a FULL-TIME TEACHER OR PROFESSOR, you can also get discounts through the International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC), which will afford you the same benefits as the ISIC.

2. Lonely Planet Guide!

Whether you travel for a week, for months, or even years, I’d be remiss if I didn’t strongly encourage you to get a guide. But if you can afford a buff, oiled-down local Fabio, then Lonely Planet will give you all that you need to see the most beautiful sides of the country! Sans the muscles, unfortunately, but I digress! Lonely Planet has a guide for any place you want to go on the planet and they are super comprehensive. I’m surprised they haven’t come out with a “men’s guide to the female orgasm” edition yet; THAT’S how many guides there are, lol! ::ahem:: Anyway, I digress! Wherever you plan on going this summer, make sure to take a Lonely Planet with you! It comes in ebook and paperback format, and for those of you going “writer-tech” this summer, download it for your Kindle or Kindle app! 😉 Either way, with your ISIC / ITIC / ITYC card, you get a whopping 30% off the Lonely Planet guides!

MY COST: $20.00 (paperback)

MY COST: $17.00 (Kindle)

3. Official IDs and Credit Cards

Okay so I had to throw this in here, but it’s for your own good. Aside from all the other docs that I’ve thrown at you thus far, you STILL need to have your official IDs with you, including a State ID or Driver’s License from your home country, a student or teacher ID from the university you attend or teach at, and of course, your plastic ducats: your credit card. Now, you might be concerned (and rightfully so) that if you bring all of those things with you that it’s possible you might lose them, get pickpocketed, or robbed. Well, yes, that is always a danger, but the same danger exists in your hometown, doesn’t it? And you still decide it’s a better idea to go out with your cards, right? So you should do the same thing when you’re abroad. There are ways, however, that you can carry your important docs around without the worry of pickpocketing, and that is by wearing an underclothes money belt. We’ll talk WAY more about the money belt in our future posts on what items to pack and buy for your trip.

Have fun exploring the great opportunities and discounts that your travel documents will afford you on your trip! What about you, though? What other kinds of docs, cards, and discounts have you been able to use while traveling abroad? Share your thoughts below! 🙂

In the meantime, keep it indie,
<3 Colby