Newly Graduated College Student affording a trip around Europe

Going into my last semester in college I had no idea that in a few months I would be living 20 minutes away from downtown Paris, France... yet here we are. The journey to get to this position was not easy... I was very low on money in college.

I was living weekend by weekend trying to get by on groceries and buying the cheapest alcohol on my college campus. But after some hard work and smart thinking, I was able to afford my stay around Europe.

To the left, you see the image of my future plan to travel to these locations, while also living in Paris for a month and a half. During my time as a college student on campus, trying to figure out how I can possibly afford this dream of mine of traveling, I got to work on creative ways to make money, save money, and budget properly to ensure that I can be successful in achieving my goal to live this life I have always wanted.

Living in Paris, France

My plan was to reside in a village outside of Paris named Saint Ouen l'Amoune for a month and a half prior to my big trip around Europe. Lucky for me my boyfriend has been living in France since January playing football. So I was able to thankfully live for free in France, to begin with. Even though this is a big leg up since I am living for free in Europe starting off, there are other creative ways to do the exact same thing. When I was in college I had the opportunity to nanny in Spain on weekdays for a few months during the summer. Searching "international nanny jobs" on Google, you will see various listings in various international locations. Most of these people want English-speaking nannies to allow their children and family to be exposed to the English language. This gives you the opportunity to live in Europe, free of cost, and may even be able to get paid on top of it. Other creative ideas include getting an internship. Internships sometimes provide housing for their workers, and on top of that, also pay for their work. Applying for internships in an area that you love, while living in a European location, is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Ways I made money for traveling

While I was a Senior in college I did not have an on-campus job, making it difficult to make reliable money. So instead I got creative on how I can make some money to live comfortably in France.

Donating Plasma

Donating Plasma, through BioLife, was the biggest way I was able to make income. There were monthly coupons where I could receive a monthly income. While I was very adamant about this process, it became the easiest way to receive a good chunk of my Europe finances. I did donate plasma quite of few times, so I did lose track of the number of times I went to donate. But donating plasma was a quick process and usually only lasted an hour and a half maximum, after the first appointment. Each time I donated plasma I would make a range of $60-$120 per appointment. This was an easy thing for me to do because while donating I would bring schoolwork to distract me and keep me busy.

Etsy Store

When I first began my Etsy store, I was not sure if anything was ever going to sell. I was scared of failure, but at the end of the day I was so happy I did this process because my business ended up being very successful! My good friend, Avory, once told me to find something I am good at (whether that is painting, crafting, etc.) and find a way to start a business with it. So Avory inspired me to start this business, and is a huge reason why I was able to afford this trip in the first place!

The talent that I found was crafting religious bracelets. Religious bracelets are very popular on Etsy, but I made a unique twist on my bracelets so that they would stand out the most! Each color of the bracelet would identify with a character from The Bible. This would allow the person wearing the bracelet to walk in the same footsteps as the character they are representing. I very much enjoyed having this Etsy shop, and it was so fun receiving more orders every day! I had so so much support and I am forever grateful for the individuals who helped me grow my business and support it (you know who you are)! Because of this support, this business ended up being pretty successful after about a month in, and I was able to make a good income for my trip to Europe! To compare how much I made from the business alone, I was able to book all of my flights, train rides, and bus rides to each destination around Europe with this money! I had some leftover money to even help me with Airbnb arrangements! I highly recommend this method!

Working

I realize this is not the most creative way to earn money, but I was fortunate enough to maintain my job back home to gather some money as well. Driving back home to work did sacrifice a few of my weekends back at college, but in the end, this was all worth it.

In Conclusion

Traveling is doable if you put in the effort too. This is an opportunity I never thought I would be fortunate enough to have, but with hard work and big support, I was able to achieve my goals! Keeping the mentality that achieving something like this is attainable, despite any situation you may currently be in, is important. You are so capable, so why not begin living a life you LOVE!