<p>^</p>
<p>I think people often underestimate travel costs if plane travel is often needed. When my son went to grad school several states away, we hadn’t really “done the math” about how much travel would cost. We’re not complaining (at all) because he has a full assistantship/stipend which pays for tuition, housing, etc…but for those who are paying for college, adding in travel costs can really add up.</p>
<p>When we moved our son into his grad school apt, the whole family went (I know, my other son didn’t need to go, but he was a big help with moving stuff into the student’s apt.). The cost for four people to travel for move-in, stay in hotels, rent a car, restaurants, etc was quite high. Even if only the student and one parent went, many of those costs would have still incurred. Then my son flew home 3 times during the school year, and then again at the end of Spring semester. Each trip incurred the cost of shuttles to and from the airport plus the airfare (high at holiday times). The cost of “to and from” shuttles can add another $100-200 per trip, depending how far the school is to the airport. </p>
<p>When I look at COAs and far too often the estimate for travel is way too low. Seems to often only estimate if the student is traveling from instate by car twice a year or one plane trip.</p>