2008 Woodie Awards
Thanksgiving travel got you down? Tips to avoid the hustle and bustle
Kasey Fielding
Issue date: 11/16/06 Section: Lifestyle
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It's mid-November and for college students, the countdown to Thanksgiving break is almost over.
A week from now, there will be excessive eating and relaxing with family and friends. Classes and homework shall remain far from our thoughts.
Before reaching that stress-free state of gluttony, however, there are still the hassles of travel and planning for going home.
There's finishing up the last midterm papers, packing bags, booking tickets and waiting in seemingly endless lines and traffic.
So how can one hold on to sanity and get home in one piece?
Jessica Labrencis of SmarterTravel.com acknowledges the many stresses that usually accompany you while traveling. She recommends booking tickets as far in advance as possible and arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare.
"It's preferable to pad the travel day with extra time rather than racing frantically to the gate five minutes before departure," Labrencis writes on the Web site.
If you're looking to save money on your tickets, she suggests tools such as Expedia.com's Fare Compare Calculator, which will help you determine the cheapest days to fly home or return to school. Other Web sites have similar comparison functions.
And although turkey and stuffing may dominate current plans, it's not too early to start planning trips home for Christmas, Hanukkah or other winter-break festivities either.
"It doesn't pay to get a last-minute flight," says SmarterTravel's executive editor Anne Bana.
For some, buying a plane ticket in advance would be too pricey for such a short holiday.
Paulina Jaeger, a freshman writing, literature and publishing major, hails from Oregon and thought flying cross-country for such a short period of time was too expensive.
Instead, Jaeger is tagging along with a friend and fellow Emerson student as he visits his family in Rhode Island.
"I didn't really have any plans, and it didn't seem too appealing to stay here," she said. "Plus, it makes Christmas better to save the visit."
A week from now, there will be excessive eating and relaxing with family and friends. Classes and homework shall remain far from our thoughts.
Before reaching that stress-free state of gluttony, however, there are still the hassles of travel and planning for going home.
There's finishing up the last midterm papers, packing bags, booking tickets and waiting in seemingly endless lines and traffic.
So how can one hold on to sanity and get home in one piece?
Jessica Labrencis of SmarterTravel.com acknowledges the many stresses that usually accompany you while traveling. She recommends booking tickets as far in advance as possible and arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare.
"It's preferable to pad the travel day with extra time rather than racing frantically to the gate five minutes before departure," Labrencis writes on the Web site.
If you're looking to save money on your tickets, she suggests tools such as Expedia.com's Fare Compare Calculator, which will help you determine the cheapest days to fly home or return to school. Other Web sites have similar comparison functions.
And although turkey and stuffing may dominate current plans, it's not too early to start planning trips home for Christmas, Hanukkah or other winter-break festivities either.
"It doesn't pay to get a last-minute flight," says SmarterTravel's executive editor Anne Bana.
For some, buying a plane ticket in advance would be too pricey for such a short holiday.
Paulina Jaeger, a freshman writing, literature and publishing major, hails from Oregon and thought flying cross-country for such a short period of time was too expensive.
Instead, Jaeger is tagging along with a friend and fellow Emerson student as he visits his family in Rhode Island.
"I didn't really have any plans, and it didn't seem too appealing to stay here," she said. "Plus, it makes Christmas better to save the visit."
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