It’s that time of year again. Students who haven’t cracked a textbook all semester now are frantically skimming the bold words. Essays are being churned out, as procrastinators alternate between Facebook, Gmail and the dreaded 3000-word submission. The countdown has begun; pretty soon, school’s out for the summer. And summer means only one thing: escaping Ames.

After a year of tuition, housing and enjoying college we all may find ourselves a little bit broke. For me, after a semester in Ireland I actually discover myself a lot a bit broke. Fortunately, though, this semester has taught me a bit about cheap travel, applicable worldwide.

God bless out-of-state students

Gas prices are sky-rocketing you may need to find some alternate forms of transportation.

For the overly extroverted, now is the time to cash in on your most fantastic out-of-state friendship.

“Hey, Jena, when are you driving home to New Mexico? Really? I’m sure it gets boring going all that way alone.”

Bam – with a little good-natured conversation you’ve snagged yourself a trip to the mountains. Nothing spells friendship like an 18-hour car ride.

Ragbrai, anyone?

However, for those of us with sly friends, mooching a ride may not come so easily. Thus, it’s time for plan B, the sixth-grade wonder: a 10-speed bike. My blue Schwinn, or “Blue Steel,” as I like to call her, holds the capacity to get me to either coast, bikini-ready after 1,779 miles. Web sites such as www.adventurecycling.org also promise to provide “the most quiet, scenic roads and bike trails in the United States.”

Cheap flights

For those of us whose glutes can’t stand a month of straight biking, last-minute flights offer an oasis of transportation. Using travelzoo.com, a roundtrip flight from Chicago to New York City for May is running as cheap as $210, taxes included. Last-minute deals like this do require some flexibility, but, as college students, we get to enjoy the brief beauty of a free summer. Unless, of course, you’re in an awesome major like journalism, which includes a mandatory internship. Fortunately, none of us travel-lovers would be crazy enough to pull a stunt like that!

Whether you’ve bummed a ride, ridden your bum or caught a cheap flight, the next step is clearly finding a place to stay.

Couch surf

For those unfamiliar with the term, couch-surfing involves throwing the good ol’ sofa in Lake LaVerne and hoping to arrive in the new world. Kidding, of course, but I really hope someone tests out whether a La-Z-Boy is a stalwart vessel.

Couch-surfing actually involves sleeping on other people’s couches, often switching nightly, hence the “surfing” portion. Having traveled Europe in this fashion, I have no problem calling up a friend’s college roommate’s sister to sleep on her futon. As long as a distant relationship exists, I’m game.

Stranger danger?

If you aren’t a champ of loose connections, fear not, this former catch-phrase now has its own Web site, CouchSurfing.com, which can aid those of us with geographic limitations in finding out-of-state buddies.

Similar to Facebook, CouchSurfing.com allows users to establish a profile, offering their sofa to anyone they deem acceptable for booking. In return, users can request to surf other user’s couches, thus obtaining a free night’s stay. “CouchSurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit,” the Web site says.

With free lodging and a cool new way to meet people, many of my fellow Irish exchange students swear by CouchSurfing.com. Being well-versed in stranger danger, however, I remain a bit wary of showing up at a mystery door and hoping for hospitality.

For me, the risk of creepers outweighs the adventure of random couch surfing, but for bold, cheap and self-defense-trained travelers, this may be the most affordable way to travel.

Souvenirs

Well, funding souvenirs is a bit tricky. I’m working on a patent solution, but in order to get the details hammered out I’ll need you to send $19.99 to Cork, Ireland. Trust me, it’ll be worth it. If my idea fails, however, I would recommend shameless extortion of anyone you can convince to mail money. Or, perhaps a job at the Daily. Happy travels.

– Julie Young is a senior in psychology from Indianola. She is studying in Cork, Ireland, this semester.