About




Welcome to Shoestring Student! I'm Frankie, a 21 year old university student from Melbourne studying sociology and gender studies. At the moment I'm planning on travelling to Laos so my posts will be featuring a lot of research surrounding travelling to Laos. Laos is nestled between China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a mountainous landlocked region with 49 different ethnic groups and 4 main languages. With gorgeous scenery, temples and the traditions that are rooted in the strong Buddhist culture of Laos, it's an interesting and diverse place to visit.

When you're a student is the perfect time to travel! You've got far more time, less obligations and a huge amount of energy ready to spend on discovering the world-  and discovering yourself. As Pico Iyer says "Travel, then, is a voyage into that famously subjective zone, the imagination, and what the traveler brings back is — and has to be — an ineffable compound of himself and the place, what’s really there and what’s only in him". Travel can be an eye opening experience, not just in how it can change your views of the world but also of your own internal world of beliefs, ideas and identity.

The only problem is travelling can be super expensive! As a 21 year old uni student myself, I get it. I am so excited to travel abroad and learn as much as I can but I don't have a huge amount of money to do it with. This blog is aimed at examining Laos through a student's eye by exploring its history and culture while also focusing on trying to make travel affordable! Some of the best travel experiences can be found on a budget when as a traveller you're forced to think creatively and try options you might avoid if money wasn't a factor.

Stay curious, open minded and of course thrifty!

Yours truly,

Frankie ❤️

A young baby Frankie travelling in Venice and discovering a beautiful lil' second hand bookshop

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