Student Budget Trip: Austin

Great food, great fun, and great prices...Austin is one of the best U.S cities your group can vacation in this season when it comes to budget travel, and for several different reasons!

This inland Texas city serves as the state capitol, home of the University of Texas, and a well-known venue for the current live music scene. There are plenty of parks, lakes, performing arts venues, and, of course, really fun attractions all throughout the city. Not only will your student group have plenty of entertaining things to do during their visit, but they will also have plenty of educational and culturally insightful things to do along the way, from the handful of free historical homes to tour to the multitude of unique art galleries to visit.

Of course, the thing we like most about Austin is the budget-friendly aspect, which our agents here at AST know all about! Give us a call and let us help you plan your next big Austin adventure, using this handy budget-friendly guide all along the way!

Lodging

There are definitely plenty of options when it comes to lodging in Austin, depending on the location in the city you want, the price range you want, and the amenities you want. Here's a quick overview of some of the most popular options throughout the city. ($ = $50-75, $$ = $100-150, $$$ = $150 and up)

Campground: Windy Point Park - One of the most beloved local campgrounds, with plenty of lakeside activities around Travis Lake and multiple showers, restroom, and picnic amenities throughout!
Hotel: Courtyard by Marriot Austin Pflugerville - We love this choice because it is even ground for most visitors, not expensive enough to break the bank but also not cheap enough to be considered under a 3-star hotel. $$
Best Western Plus Buda Austin Inn - Hot breakfast, clean rooms, and low prices! $
Motel: Motel 6 Midtown - Completely reasonable prices, great for bigger groups looking for some budget slack. $
Resort: Four Seasons Hotel Austin - This is certainly one of the more pricey lodging options in Austin, but with lake views, upscale service and rooms, and a convenient downtown location, it's hard to pass this one up! $$$

Transportation

Austin provides one of the most accessible and affordable public service transit systems, the CapMetro. There are several different modes of transportation available through this system, such as the following:

MetroRail
MetroBus
MetroRapid
MetroExpress

A day pass for any of the above runs right around $2.50, and 7-days will run around $11.25. This provides an excellent, budget-friendly transportation option for all guests!

Admission Charging Attractions

While we realize that you probably don't want to spend a ton of money on attractions alone while visiting, the options listed below offer extremely affordable admission prices, plus of course, tons of fun! ($ = $20 and under, $$ = $20-30, $$$ = $30 and up)