College student & transportation

[NbyNW]

I went to college in NYC and went home to Pittsburgh for holidays and breaks. No point owning a car in NYC. I tried every mode of transportation available to Pgh.

Mostly I flew (2 hrs. in the air plus 2 hours on the ground), and I also signed up for frequent flyer miles, so that helped alleviate a bit of the pain.

The train and bus were usually about 9 hours. Cost a lot less, and easier to buy tickets on short notice. I really liked the train -- it took a beautiful historic route through Pennsylvania, and it got me home in time for turkey.

Is there anyone else in your community who is going or has gone to the school that your daughter is interested in? What do they do? Would they be willing to carpool if your daughter were to chip in for gas?

[Owlie]

I didn't have a car in college, because there was no point--everything I needed was within walking distance, and parking is outrageously expensive. My parents picked me up for breaks (which wasn't all that often)--it was an 8-hour round trip, but we added up the costs for gas and my parking there (and time), and it made more sense to do it that way. I had friends my first year who lived in my hometown, so I carpooled with them a few times. DBF and I did take Greyhound once, but my parents (and I) weren't really comfortable sending me by myself.

Once DBF and I turned 21, we just rented a car and drove down.