Student Travel Tips: Inspiring The Next Generation

by Alfie Laurence in Brighton, England, United Kingdom

We did it
On 29th September 2020 we successfully raised £11,451 with 411 supporters in 27 days

To inspire & support students living, studying and working abroad. No more time-wasted on scouring the internet for the right information.

by Alfie Laurence in Brighton, England, United Kingdom

1st place in the Santander Universities Emerging Entrepreneurs Challenge

 New stretch target


Check out our website Student Travel Tips.

By students, for students.

Our Mission:

1598380490_lily_eat.png1598380589_de2b1390-eb4d-472f-a1c5-461b27f348ed.jpg1598380660_whatsapp+image+2020-07-28+at+20.13.42.jpeg

We support students living, studying and working abroad. By providing detailed guides compiled of tried and tested tips, we make sure that every student is equipped with the best advice. That's accommodation, activities, nightlife, settling in, culture shock, getting around, mental health, money advice, local contacts, sustainable travel, safety and everything else in between. We provide all of this accurate, up-to-date information under one roof – no more time wasted on scouring the internet for the right information.

Moving to a foreign country presents new challenges, but hearing from someone who has done it themselves helps to calm the initial anxieties. Student Travel Tips has a large pool of first-hand blogs with everything a student needs before and during their adventure abroad.

Our story:

1598875638_screenshot_2020-08-31_at_13.07.11.png1598874556_img_1476.jpg1598542066_alf_chapada.jpg

My name is Alfie Laurence and I studied Spanish & Portuguese at the University of Bristol. As part of my degree, I went on a year abroad where I studied in Valencia and worked in São Paulo, Brazil. When I arrived in Brazil, I spent ages surfing websites, using up my time and mobile data looking for ideas and advice. I wished for a website that would inspire me and give me resources and tips. I was surprised not to find an up-to-date website that shared the experiences of year abroad students, and so, in a sixty bedroom hostel, I came up with the idea for Student Travel Tips.

Over the past year, we've built a great community of student travellers, sharing their experiences – good and bad – and giving invaluable advice to others.

Why now? Why us?

1598874748_img_1170.jpg1598874770_f50793e1-8017-431b-9cf9-0d2658848111.jpg1598874506_daniel.jpg

By choosing to pledge in Student Travel Tips, you will become a part of this adventure, this story, this dream of mine. We believe in a better future for young people and we want you to believe in us.

Over the last six months, we have seen huge amounts of uncertainty: the struggle to find a job, the confusion of exams, from home, the algorithm used to grade them. We believe that travel is the best form of education and it has never been more important to promote the discovery of new cultures. There is a whole new world to explore, and we want to support the new generation of students as they do so.

As lockdown measures ease, it will take a lot of courage to go out and see the world. But Student Travel Tips is here to encourage and help young people on that journey.

Living abroad is a great way of equipping yourself with the skills and experience that are bound to impress future employers and motivate and mature you as a person. We aren't promoting reckless travel, partying in Thailand or voluntourism. We want young people to open their minds to what the world has to offer, to experience life away from the comfort zone of home and live life like a local abroad. 

What will your money go towards?

  • Fund New Website Design and Development – We are currently in the design process of building our new website, which will allow for many more capabilities of what we want to achieve. Squarespace is now limiting our growth and after being the web designer since the start, I want to pass it onto the experts!
  • Collect data and market research – I’d like to approach university ambassadors who can highlight the brand through societies and student fairs. This will be a great service to people going on a year abroad and will widen our audience and engagement.
  • Employ staff to manage content – I’d like the opportunity to pay my editor-in-chief, Lily Donnelly, and myself for the hard work we have put into this. I would also like to employ a digital marketing expert to accompany us through the next stage of growth at Student Travel Tips.
  • Increase traffic to our website and social media pages – I will launch Facebook Ad campaigns to boost the flow of traffic to the website targeting specific demographics. A simple search on Google for ‘student travel advice’ and ‘travel advice for students’ brings Student Travel Tips above STA Travel, Student Universe and other competitors. We want to ensure this stays like this.
  • Affiliate Advertising – building partnerships with organisations will be a priority. For instance, travel and medical insurance companies, airlines offering discounted flights and local hotels and tour operators. This will be our main avenues for monetisation.

What our viewers say:

"Student Travel Tips' blogs were the single most helpful and informal source for choosing year abroad options and that's what I needed." Daniel, 4th Year Spanish University of Manchester

"Whilst we are saturated with travel tips for backpackers passing through a place or for expats often with money, the student is often forgotten! STT is the perfect space for young people abroad who need help. Simple. It helped me so much!" Toby, recent graduate, Spanish & Portuguese University of Bristol

"I think it's such a great idea & will be useful to many students." Laura, 4th Year Spanish and Management, University of Bath

"The website was really useful when I went abroad to study. Without their tips I'd be totally overwhelmed by the Austrian bureaucracy! The bars and restaurants they suggested weren't bad either... Zak, University of London School of Advanced Study

Prize draw information: 

NEW! £2 Prize Draw: Win a Bose SoundLink Revolve Speaker.

By entering the prize draw, you could be in with a chance of winning a Bose SoundLink Revolve Speaker worth £180. Only 50 tickets available. Winner to be announced on 30/9/20 by random number generator. 1 ticket per person. Good luck!

If you’d like to enter for free, please send a signed note with your name and phone number to Quay House, River Road, Arundel, BN189DF. You can also get in touch by emailing [email protected] with your address and your entry (this could be a message of good luck or a simple ‘I would like to enter the prize draw’)

Competition starts Sunday 20th September - Tuesday 29th September. Enter by donating £2. Competition run by Alfie Laurence. The winner will be asked for a delivery address to send the prize to.

Bose SoundLink Revolve Speaker

1600611243_bose.jpeg

Water-to-Go

Pockiesling

incognito®

Chef's Farm 

For more information, please don't hesitate to email me [email protected]

Thank you so much for your all your support, please pledge whatever you can.

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£2 or more

50 of 50 claimed

£2 Prize Draw: Win Bose® SoundLink Revolve Speaker

We are running a prize draw with 50 tickets available. Donate £2 and you could win a Bose® SoundLink® Revolve Speaker. Winner to be announced on Wednesday 30th September.

£10 or more

Student Travel Tips Stickers

We will send you some stickers from our new rebranded sticker collection. Perfect to stick on your laptops, backpacks and suitcases.

£40 or more

1 of 2 claimed

1-1 Photo/Video Editing Masterclass

Learn how to edit the perfect travel shot, portrait, graphic for your business. This masterclass provides exclusive video lessons from master photographer and videographer @finnmurphymedia

£50 or more

2 of 3 claimed

Pockiesling Phone Case

With Pockiesling you have all your essentials in one place. Keep your phone at your fingertips and never leave your house without your phone, key or card.

£50 or more

2 of 5 claimed

Student Travel Tips Bucket Hats (Limited Edition)

Access to our exclusive Student Travel Tips Bucket Hat.

£125 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Barista Masterclass with Expert

Learn the skills of the barista in an afternoon with Head Barista at EDGE by the Sea Charlie Rendle. Cover how to dial-in espresso and pull tasty shots. Learn to make milk glossy and velvety and even cover the basics of the ever-elusive latte art.

£250 or more

Become A Founder Member of Student Travel Tips Ltd

You will become part of the Founders Member group of Student Travel Tips Ltd. We will write your name on our Pioneers page and you will be invited to our launch party. You will receive a membership pack, which will outline the many benefits of being a Founder Member.

£15 or more

5 of 5 claimed

Bespoke Travel Itinerary for your chosen trip.

This is an exclusive insight into what's to come here at Student Travel Tips. Claim this reward and we will build you an itinerary for your next adventure abroad, wherever that may be.

£20 or more

5 of 5 claimed

Water-to-Go 50cl Water Bottle

50cl water bottle with unique 3-in-1 filter technology that eliminates up to 99.9% of all Bacteria, Viruses, Chlorine, Fluoride and Heavy Metals leaving you with safe, healthy water.

£30 or more

1 of 1 claimed

incognito® Mosquito Repellent Spray Products

A range of products from leading mosquito repellent spray brand incognito.incognito® mosquito repellent is 100% natural and tested to be 100% effective against mosquitoes and biting insects.

£70 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Chef's Farm Organic Petworth Hamper

A seriously posh Sussex hamper, without the hamper bit. This contains local cheese, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, steaks, butter and more...delicious! Find out more www.chefsfarm.co.uk

Got an idea like this?

Over £200 million has been raised from our crowd to support the projects they love! Plus tens of millions more unlocked by our partners.