Travel with me to Chicago on a Budget

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bowling Green chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

At some point in their lives, every college student yearns to leave their small town and travel to the big city. Whether it be New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, or Houston, it’s bound to happen. And as big a life goal this may be, some people can not afford to just up and leave for a few days, let alone do more than stay in a hotel room their whole trip. Which is exactly why I am so precise when I plan out my personal trips, from the time we leave to the activities we do daily.

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to have the chance to spend four nights and five days in Chicago, which is such a beautiful and unique city. Along my way, I made sure to document everything I did, as well as how much I spent, to show students how accessible travel really can be as long as you are smart about it.

I do want to note that I am very fortunate to have a good-paying job as well as the ability to travel. I do understand that for some people, this is not doable, and I am in no way, shape, or form trying to brag. I am solely sharing my personal experience.

Accommodations

Going into this trip, one of the biggest things my travel partner, Annabelle, and I needed to figure out was where we would be staying. Chicago is a massive city, with hundreds of hotels to choose from, all of which vary in price and location. There are several different subdivisions within the city as well, and we wanted to try to stay within the main area we would be exploring, which was Downtown Chicago. So, we limited our search to that and only looked at hotels within our price range. (Which between two people, we were willing to spend $100 a night, which some people may find extremely low.)

Despite how strict we were with our budget, we managed to find a place to stay that came out to $86 a night, plus a $25 deposit. The hotel we chose, which I will not be naming just to play it safe, also offered free breakfast every morning and was right next to several pickup locations for the public transportation available within the city. We definitely lucked out when it came to our accommodations as well, as we stayed in the city while there were several major sports games and concerts going on.

We did book the hotel via the official website to prevent being scammed.

Transportation

Chicago is one of the top cities in the United States when it comes to public transportation. Subways, buses, trains, and carpooling are just a few of the options, and they are extremely affordable. My travel partner and I personally purchased passes for the Chicago Transit Authority system. Our passes covered the five days we would be exploring the city, and we each spent $20 on them. In comparison to how much we would have spent on things such as Ubers/Lyfts, we saved close to $100. The train and bus systems are extremely easy to navigate as long as you can read a map, and in my personal experience, they are so worth it. Not once did we come across any sort of issues or delays, and everything ran smoothly.

I would also like to note that the city is extremely walkable. There were a number of times when we decided to just walk around for fun and see what we could come across. And one night, we stumbled into a street festival that occurs every Sunday, which allows local stores and restaurants to advertise their businesses as the sun sets.

As for getting to Chicago from Ohio, my travel partner and I weighed our options. In the past, we have taken the Amtrak system to Newark, New Jersey. And although that trip was absolutely worth it and didn’t break the budget, we ultimately decided to road trip to Chicago. One of the main factors that went into this was the timeline of how long it would take. Amtrak, give or take, would have taken us 6 1/2 hours to get to the city from Toledo, while driving only took us 4 hours in total. (Plus 30 minutes of being stuck in dead-stopped traffic in Chicago.)

Activities

There are thousands of different things to do in Chicago, meaning there is something for everyone to do, regardless of your budget. Going into the trip, we originally planed it around two NHL games, so we had a strict schedule to follow on Friday and Saturday. We made it a point to hit all of the big tourist spots sush as The Bean, Chinatown, and The Magnificent Mile. All of which were free, aside from a little river taxi we took to Chinatown, that costed each of us $10. We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is one of the only free zoos in the country, and has a large variety of animals, year round.

And of course, we had to try some of the local foods. One of our favorite locations was Amorino, which specializes in authentic gelato. However, we also tried a few different ice cream shops, a local pizza place, and even a Chicago style hotdog. (Which apparently comes with a pickle on top, that I was stunned by.)

SOUVENIRS

Every trip I go on, I have a personal goal to collect at least one hat and tote bag from wherever I go. And thankfully, in Chicago, I really hit the jackpot. For starters, I got a beanie for the Blackhawks official store, and also scored a baseball hat for $5. But, neither of these purcahses were planned, as Annabelle and I fell in love with Alice and Wonder, one of the local tourist shops. I briefly saw some videos about it on social media, and made it a priority to stop there. The shop has a number of items, but they specialize in custom baseball hats. So of course, I had to get one with a hot dog patch on it. But what I didn’t know? With every purchase, the store gives you a free tote bag. My jaw hit the floor when the cashier handed it to me, and I had to triple check that it was genuinely free and I was not getting scammed.

Overall, I had a fantastic time in the city, and spent well under what I originally budgeted. Going into this trip, I was terrified for my bank account. But, along the way, I realized how easy it is to have a cheap trip as long as you do your research, and check out all your options in advance.