by Althea

Created on: September 19, 2007   Last Updated: December 08, 2008

South Beach offers a variety of entertainment choices from clubs, restaurants, shopping and of course the beach. Being that this is a vacation for a college student this has to be done cheaply, a word that does not fit well in South Beach. So how can you enjoy South Beach without completely blowing all your student loans? It is not easy but it is doable. The most important thing is to start early in searching for airline, hotels, rental cars, especially if you are going during a busy time like Spring Break. It also would not hurt to pick up a Spanish phrase book and learn a line or two. Another great idea is to get some buddies to share in expenses with so lodging, cabs, rental cars and so on are divided.

First we have to look at how you want to get there: plane, train, automobile? If you are flying, start looking for cheap tickets early, Miami International is a huge airport so a lot of deals will pop up, especially last minute deals. Try signing up for email alerts with different airlines and also look for student fares. Many airlines offer dirt cheap student fares through standby programs that go for as low as $69. Once you arrive you can either rent a car or get a $32 flat fee cab ride over to where you are staying. Keep in mind though that you have to pay for parking nearly everywhere. Hotels in South Beach are expensive and crappy as a rule, so your best bet is to go for the newest and cheapest hotel you can find and look up reviews other people have written on the internet. Another option is to look on networking sites like craigs list for one week rentals of a room or better yet, try a housing swap. A housing swap is simply when an individual in the destination you want to go to also wants to go to your area so you switch places. This could work if you are in a large or tourist like city and it is even worth a shot if you are in a small college town since friends or family may want to come and visit. This could be the cheapest way to travel of all, but of course it does come with some risks.
So now you are in Miami and in your lodging, whatever it maybe, and now you are ready to do something. First thing you will probably want to do is eat. South Beach has a variety of great, expensive restaurants but you should only go to these once or twice and keep your everyday food as cheap as possible. If you travel just a little bit away from to Little Havana you will find wonderful Cuban food like medianoche sandwiches, beans and rice, guava pastries and cafe

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