College costs more for students attending far away from home. They pay higher tuition when they live out of state, and they must have a place to stay while they are there. Their local counterparts that live with Mom and Dad can pay for college with a lower in-state tuition and probably do not need to worry about rent or room and board. Heading home to visit friends and family for holidays or long weekends is an expensive and sometimes impractical endeavor. Being homesick, however, can spur students to find creative ways to pay for the trip or fill their weekends with other activities. If they are lucky, Mom and Dad will send money to help pay for the trip. For the unlucky ones, here are a few ideas for college students to cut travel expenses.

Drive
Taking a road trip home to visit family for the holidays, special occasions and long weekends is sometimes more affordable when driving is involved, although it is a luxury for those without a vehicle. Many universities restrict college freshmen from having a car on campus, so they go without. This makes it harder for them to get home. For all students, it opens up the reality of carpooling. Schools often have a ride board where students looking for a lift home can find others driving to a similar destination. Those seeking riders can share expenses, like gas money and food. Some students are simply looking for someone to share the driving on a long trip.

Air Travel
Flying home for the holidays is less expensive when it is done with travel coupons. Travelers can receive significant fares by using ecoupons or special coupon codes. Those taking the time to find the least expensive flight times can also fly for less. For example, a flight at 8 p.m. on a Friday night costs more than a 3 a.m. flight on a Tuesday morning. For students that live in foreign countries or on opposite coasts, air travel can be difficult to pay for when things are tight. This expense can be figured in to college costs and paid for with educational loans. Although some lending programs have restrictions on what students can do with college money, most private student loans can be used for travel, books, meals and school supplies.

Stay With Friends
During the school year, college students who cannot travel home to visit family and friends may have the option to go home on a long weekend with roommates or classmates who are in-state or relatively near for travel purposes. This lessens the boredom of being away at school the entire time, and helps to ease homesickness.