Nothing beats the feeling of traveling home after being away for a period of time. When you enter your house for the first time in a while, you feel a much stronger appreciation for it. That is why you may be inclined to leave campus often, especially for first-year students.
Unfortunately, many students, like myself, do not have that luxury. If you choose to travel back home, you may want to ask yourself: is it worth the hassle?
Time and money are valuable resources in college, and you need to make sure you use them wisely. Finding cheap and efficient ways of travel are key when you are on a time crunch.
If you are a student from the Milwaukee area, the bus is a cost-effective option you can utilize. It may take longer to get to your destination, but it is worth it to save a little money. The Amtrak is also an affordable and convenient option as the Milwaukee Intermodal Station is less than a mile from Marquette.
You may also want to consider bringing up a car for when you want to go home. It is a useful method of transportation for breaks and the occasional weekend, but with the price of gas, it may be best to only use it when necessary. If you are an international student or just live too far away to drive, you may have to fly home, which comes with its own complications.
Nowadays, airline tickets prices are alarmingly high. According to the website StudentUniverse, travelers aged 18-25 receive a 5% fare reduction to destinations within the US. International passengers receive up to an additional 8% reduction for flights between the US and certain destinations in Asia such as China and Taiwan.
Even with these discounts, the cost is still a large barrier for many students. If possible, make sure to limit flying to longer breaks is important for maintaining a low travel budget when you live far away.
An international student has all sorts of obstacles when returning home. For them, being homesick is especially tough, as they may feel isolated from friends and family far away. While other students can go home on breaks and weekends, international students face long, expensive travel that can be hard to fit into their busy academic schedules.
No matter your situation or how confident you feel about living on your own at college, you will likely encounter some amount of homesickness. It is a common first year experience and you will surely feel a string pulling you back to your hometown.
However, you may slowly realize it is not a good idea to go home every weekend. One may think that leaving college will cure your homesickness, but it is only a short-term solution. You want to make sure you focus on making your school a second home.
There are many strategies to help students struggling with this. You can call and text friends and family more often. You can create a more comfortable environment within your dorm full of sentimental objects from home. By preserving the connection you have with your hometown, you may not feel so far away.
There are many weekends family and friends are encouraged to visit, and students can look forward to breaks to be back with loved ones, eat good meals and be in a comforting environment. It is not practical for students to travel home very often, so if you are struggling with homesickness, avoid the hassle and find comfort within your campus.
This story was written by Katie Mancini. She can be reached at [email protected]
