Helping Your Wallet When Heading Home
By Michael Clites
The fall semester of college is always one of the more expensive semesters for students nationwide. Mostly because students that aren’t close to home have to pay their way back. For some, their home isn’t that far from campus and could rely on driving back for Thanksgiving and or Christmas. But for those who have to hop on a plane and fly back for the winter, the trip back could get a little pricey.
A round-trip plane ticket to say, Canada, could cost nearly up to eight-hundred dollars. Why in the world would anyone need a plane ticket to Canada? Well, there are over fifteen Taft College student athletes who are Canadian and head home almost every winter. Having to head home for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas twice a semester at around eight-hundred dollars isn’t exactly therapeutic to a college student.
One way to help save your wallet for the trip home would be to purchase a plane ticket as early as possible. Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are annual and have the same week dedicated to them. So, if students knows that they will be going home for the holidays, they should just buy their plane tickets far in advance.
As compared to the eight-hundred dollar round trip bought the week before departure, a ticket bought a year before could be as little as three-hundred dollars (depending on where one is going). This is more than fifty percent off the last minute purchase others choose to do.
Another smart way around the country is signing up for a “frequent flyer” membership with an airline. Airlines across the nation offer this membership to help flyers save money when flying back home. The requirements are simple: the more you fly, the more you save.
So, whether you plan on flying or driving, one thing is for certain. Always plan ahead, and budget your finances accordingly because it is no mystery that the holiday season is the most devastating to your wallet.