Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that the most bom-diggity thing about university life is all the free time between semesters. You study like a maniac for a measly 12 weeks and then BAM, two months off. Let’s not even talk about the break over Christmas (*cough FOUR MONTHS *cough).

So what’s the best way to spend all that hard(ly) earned leisure time? It’s not lazing about on your Mum’s couch watching Good Chef Bad Chef while you eat Tim Tams. It’s actually pooling together your dosh, booking a flight and checking out these excellent – and cheap – holiday destinations, just a stone’s throw away from our shores. 

Vietnam

I’ve got two words to say to you: Cheap. Food. Wait, here’s one more: delicious.  Vietnam is more than just pho and banh mi (although NOTHING beats loudly slurping up noodles while seated on a tiny plastic stool in a jam-packed Hanoi restaurant); there’s banh xeo, that salty crispy pancake rolled around pork and prawns; there’s ca cha, that saucy fragrant fried fish dish, served alongside rice noodles and herbs aplenty; there’s congee and hot pots and curries and bun… Mathematics majors will know that cheap airfares + cheap food = a flipping good holiday (and more cash to splash on sweet corn pudding and iced coffee).

Sri Lanka

Give up coffee for 11 days and head to the land of tea – Sri Lanka’s FULL of it. You know what else it’s full of? Pretty much everything anyone could want out of a budget break. Epic beaches, jungles aplenty, elephants just strolling around like it ain’t no thang. Add exceptional food, cheap beer, and some of the friendliest people on the planet and you’ve got yourself a winner. Sri Lanka’s seen some pretty hard times over the years (such as the Civil War and, more recently, tsunamis), which has kept travellers away. But, like the nerd in the 90s rom com, Sri Lanka’s taking off its glasses, shaking out its ponytail, and revealing itself as the beautiful babe it really is. 

Cambodia

Another country that’s seen its fair share of crumby times, Cambodia is now loudly (and proudly) stamping its feet like an impatient kid waiting to be noticed. Why? IT’S BEAUTIFUL! The people are smiley and friendly and excellent. The sights are epic; one minute you’re watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat, the next you’re commando rolling along the ground towards the next beautiful, haunting, ye olde tomb a la Lara Croft. The beaches are chill-worthy, the food yum and the vibe blissful, making it the perfect place to hang between classes.

Laos

There’s a reason Laos rhymes with wow. Where else would you find fancy French architecture, super-smiley orange-clad monks, crazy caves filled with hundred of Buddha statues, meandering rivers, delicious banana pancakes and really cheap beer? Laos is like a little undiscovered jewel in South East Asia’s glittering crown; make tracks before it’s busier than the pub during O-Week.

Borneo

Land of jungles, beaches and orang-utans: let’s do this, nature! Wake up in a treehouse, spot incredible wildlife just hangin’ out in the jungle (here’s looking at you Proboscis monkey, oh hey Borneo Pygmy Elephant), climb a mountain, take a jungle trek (at night! In the dark!) then soak up a storm in super steaming hot springs. Why study Environmental Science when you can live it? But seriously, stay in school – the world needs crusaders like you. 

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