My older brother is in South Africa for the World Cup. My little brother is about to go to the Dominican Republic. One of my friends is headed to Spain next week, and another just got back from China.

So you might think I’d be a little bit jealous that I will spend 100 percent of my summer living in my parents’ house in Kansas. Nonsense. An empty bank account is no reason to limit oneself to the boring confines of suburbia for a whole summer. There are plenty of ways I’ve found to have an international experience with a part-time, minimum wage budget.

For example, it’d be great to visit an authentic South American pueblo (I’m a Spanish major, don’t worry about it…), but it’s also expensive. But put on a sombrero, make a quick Taco Bell run, and flip on a Telemundo soap opera and it’ll feel like a fiesta in your own living room.

While Kansas might be short on exotic natural destinations, a little creativity can go a long way. Grab a couple of blow-up rafts from the kids section of any department store and head to any of Kansas’ many creeks during an intense Midwest thunderstorm. After about 20 minutes it’ll feel just like the Amazon rainforest during monsoon season, at least until the clouds clear up and you start hearing little girls ringing their bicycle bells just beyond the trees (which is a total buzzkill).

Even your own bedroom can be turned into an expensive vacation. Just set the air conditioning about 85 degrees like my parents insist on doing, set up a mosquito net above your bed, and every morning feels like waking up in a hut somewhere along the equator. Thanks, mom.