Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and students will be rushing around soon to find last minute tickets home. Aside from being an expensive task in some cases, finding a way home can also be confusing when comparing different ways to travel.
According to a survey of 100 students conducted by The Northeastern News, the top three ways to get home are by bus, airplane and car.
Carpooling may be the easiest way of getting home, but according to the survey only 18% of students are able to take a car. Although, this is not the answer for all.
The most obvious form of transportation, airplane, would be the quickest but also the most expensive. However, there are many different places where a student can search to find the best deal on tickets.
Cheaptickets.com, Priceline.com and Expedia.com allow people to search around for the best deal.
“I live in upstate New York and I usually look around on the web to find my airline tickets home. For this coming break I searched on Cheaptickets.com and Priceline.com and found that a ticket from Boston to Buffalo, N.Y. on Cheaptickets.com cost $184 whereas on Expedia.com the cheapest ticket they find is $322,” said Leslie Morden, a freshmen criminal justice major. “People really need to learn to explore all the different options.”
There are other methods students can explore if they do not have the money to spend on a plane ticket. Buses and Amtrak trains to most major cities throughout the United States.
“More than 24 million passengers traveled on Amtrak in fiscal year ’03 [ending September 30], the highest annual ridership ever experienced by the nation’s inter-city passenger rail service in its 32-year history,” the Amtrak Web site (www.amtrak.com) states. An Amtrak ticket to Buffalo, for example, would cost a student $152.
No matter what type of transportation students decide on, getting home for the holidays can be an expensive adventure. But, the poll indicated that busing it home is the most popular transportation method.
“I take a bus home to Connecticut because it is easier than making my parents pick me up and much cheaper than any other transportation,” said Shayna Boberek, a sophomore English major.
The major bus lines offer students easy transportation home. A bus ticket to Buffalo would cost a student $134, making it also the cheapest method of transportation.
Most transportation companies do not offer special saving programs for students. The most they offer is allowing students to use their Student Advantage Card to get some percentage taken off of the cost, varying on the method of travel chosen.
“Student Advantage Card holders receive up to 15 percent off the price of a Greyhound unrestricted ticket,” said Kerri Lynder, a Greyhound representative.
As the holidays approach be on the lookout for the best way for you to get home in time for the celebrations. There are a variety of different options, making it easier for students to find an affordable and accommodating means to travel.
Going Home
How students travel Bus- 45% Airplane- 21% Car- 18% Commuter Rail- 10% Amtrak- 6%
