My road-trip to Charleston SC + tips on how to travel cheaply in the U.S.

By Saskia Perez-Cooke, North Carolina State University, United States.

2 months into my year abroad, once I had settled into my life at NC State, I set off on my first trip out-of-state to South Carolina. As an international student on a budget I was a bit worried about how expensive travel is here; you definitely won’t find £40 flights like we have in Europe. Traveling in the South is very different, a lot more expensive and heavily car-centric, but don’t let that put you off- embracing these differences is part of the experience. This is why I have compiled what I have learnt about travelling cheaply for any future students on a budget coming to study here!

I have also included my recommendations for visiting Charleston and small towns in the Carolinas.

Budget Travel- Driving

• As mentioned, the states is designed for cars, therefore the most accessible way to travel is driving. Flights across states is super expensive. For instance, my round-trip flight from Raleigh, NC to Nashville, TN worked out to be $260 for just a one hour flight. With the U.S. being so vast, road trips do definitely add hours to the trip- the same journey to Nashville would be 8 hours driving! Though driving adds time it is the easiest way to significantly reduce costs, renting a car in North Carolina can be as low as $30 a day- splitting this between friends is super handy!
• While driving in the U.S. is different- the main thing being the right-side driving, different road rules and mostly automatic cars- you do quickly get used to it. It’s a useful skill to develop and allows you to explore small towns along the way- my recent trip to Charleston would not have been as authentic if we hadn’t stopped in the small towns of Fayetteville, Lumberton and Myrtle Beach on the way.

Tips for visiting Charleston:

• Stay in Downtown- The French Quarter is super walkable, as you head further North you will need a car or Uber, adding to costs, so if possible book your accommodation in downtown.
• The Harbour- the highlight of my trip was the beautiful sunsets every night on the pier. While the harbour isn’t swimmable, nearby Folly beach offers a great option for a day at the beach
• History of Charleston- Charleston was a place of great significance during the slave trade so I would recommend visiting the nearby plantations if history is your thing.
• Visit anytime from March-November- I was apprehensive about visiting a beach town in late October as it might mean that some places would be closed and the ambience would be quiet, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Charleston to be super touristy all year round! Everything was open and it was much more lively than expected at night time. It was also around 28 degrees when we were there and won’t drop much more in temperature until Dec/Jan so you are definitely not limited by the weather!

In summary, my road trip to Charleston has been a great experience of my year abroad, I highly recommend taking a car to explore North and South Carolina on a budget if you are studying at NC State or anywhere in the South!