For most students, Thanksgiving is about spending time with their families, but this year some have found it a little harder to get home.
The current state of the economy has put pressure on some students to find cheaper transportation, and many options exist to assist them. Whether by bus, train or airplane, cheap transportation is a possibility for students, especially if they know where to look.
Marc Magliari, Amtrak Government Affairs & Communication media relations manager, said students who have a Student Advantage membership can receive 30 percent off tickets if they purchase them three days prior to the trip.
“Generally speaking, the lowest fares have sold out for Thanksgiving,” Magliari said. “But if people are patient and flexible, they can still find low fares.”
While Amtrak has seen slight declines in ticket purchases this year — mostly because of the economic decline — these numbers are expected to improve during the holidays, Magliari said.
Badger Coaches, a bus service company, adds additional buses the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, said Scott Kreisler, a Badger Coaches route scheduler.
“The normal Minneapolis service is a weekend service, and it will run for the Thanksgiving service next week,” Kreisler said. “We’ve added a stop to pick up students at (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) also.”
While Badger Coaches currently only offers service to Milwaukee, Madison and Minneapolis, Kreisler said if enough customers request service to another city, the company will look into it.
“We are looking into adding service to different areas of Wisconsin,” Kreisler said. “More and more people are willing to travel on the bus because it is not as convenient to have their own car. Having a car has become expensive with paying for parking and gas.”
Other options for students looking for deals are Web sites like Student Universe, a site that offers students discounted tickets for all types of transportation, and Megabus, a bus service that goes to most large cities in the Midwest and offers low rates to those who purchase tickets far in advance.
The Department of Public Safety offers students traveling home for Thanksgiving free shuttle rides to the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, 433 W. St. Paul Ave., the Tuesday before break, leaving hourly from the 16th Street parking structure.
For students without the option to travel home for Thanksgiving, all residence halls and one dining hall will remain open, said Jim McMahon, assistant vice president of Residence Life.
“We don’t ask students to tell us if they are staying so we don’t generally know how many do,” McMahon said. “It’s generally a small percentage.”
Campus Ministry hosts a Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by Sodexo and Residence Life.
The dinner is free for students and open to the community, said Megan Miller, a senior in the College of Health Sciences and employee of Campus Ministry.
“Primarily, students who attend the dinner are international students,” Miller said. “We usually expect around 200 students. Staff members volunteer to serve the food.”
Students attending the dinner are asked to pick up tickets for the dinner in the Campus Ministry office by Friday.
