exist

i m an international freshman going to travel for the first time anywhere inside USA. MD to CT with 2 suitcases of 20+ kg each. Is flight the best option or will it be fine if i take a bus or train? I dont have a car and nobody is going to drop me to my college.

leah377

take a train (amtrak) & then a taxi to your university (or fly if you can find a cheap flight). you can find amtrak stops in most cities. check out its website; it's a government-funded public transportation system.

redwingshockey

amtrak is pretty expensive honestly i usually just take greyhound places because it is cheaper -- but their buses are TERRIBLE and their customer service is even worse -- if you can afford it, go amtrak...also, look at getting a Student Advantage card, they really come in handy and get you like 15% off

PlattsburghLoser

Try Southwest Airlines. I've found a number of absurdly cheap fairs from Maryland to New York (One round-way ticket was once $45 - I usually pay between $40 to $60 with them). The further you book in advanced, the cheaper the ticket will likely be.

I believe Amtrak (for me with my Student Advantage from Maryland to upstate New York) was $150 one-way.

RacinReaver

Yeah, I had to fly to Boston from Philadelphia once, and found I could get a round-trip flight for less money than one-way with Amtrak. Southwest is really the best if you can get to/from the airports.

ASC

Depending on your budget, either take a greyhound bus or go with Amtrak. They're both REALLY cheap, but only if you book at least 2 weeks in advance. For example, my Dad and I went from Alamosa, Colorado to Murfreesborough (*sp), Tenessee through greyhound for $77 total! For both of us!

(I must say that it was the most chaotic thing I've ever experienced [lost my luggage for the entire duration of my trip, folks got arrested twice, one driver wouldn't let folks off of the bus as he went to a liquor store, Bomb threat [no one was allowed to go outside, smoke, or anything for 6 hours!!])

A few weeks ago, my Mom, my little sister, and I all went from Detroit Michigan to Appleton Wisconsin via Amtrak, and it cost us $160 without buying in advance.


However, check around; you very well might find a cheap flight!!!

chaucers_pal

Depends on where in CT.

Buses can be a good option. If you are going near Hartford, there is an airport right there, and there is an airport in Baltimore. You might get lucky and find some good flights.

Trains can be a reasonable option.

Some starting resources:
Amtrack.com, greyhound.com. Also search for "buses from <some city>" to identify local carriers


Give us the start city and where you are trying to get, and I'm sure we can help.

exist

Thanks a lot. I think i should try southwest

exist

Thanks a lot. I think i should try southwest.
@chaucers_pal from smwhre near baltimore to hartford

beanieboo

definetly dont take amtrak. VERY expensive unless you take some special offer. also takes forever too.. reigonal service from me in NJ to Boston takes about 6 hours. its less time consuming for me to take a $30 round trip from Boston to NYC and then drive home.

i would try southwest like everyone else said. ive also gotten some good deals from delta. greyhound is prob the best option for saving money. and the buses arent THAT bad.. just gets a bit tight. i would fly if you could afford it

clam_chowder

use plane..
taxi,bus - definitely NO
amtrak - depend of the price.

archrival

There's also the Apex chinatown bus from baltimore to new york city. It's cheap too. For example
https://www.apexbus.com/BuyTicket.as.../2008&ts=&tt=1

law_applicant

Also consider USAir to New Haven if you will be in that area, or Hartford.