As someone who lives far enough away from school that it is considered flying distance, I have tried all different forms of transportation to get between home and school, which for me is between Boston and Philadelphia. They all have different positives and negatives, but I have discovered my personal favorite method of transportation.

1. Plane

This may be biased as I am currently stuck on my plane and have been waiting for an hour already in line in the runway, but I will try my best to be objective here. Traveling by air can be frustrating in times like these, and you must worry about getting through security and making sure you get there with enough time before your flight. I also am not someone that enjoys turbulence, which is a common occurrence while traveling by plane. Flying is also expensive, although it can be a lot cheaper if you buy your plane tickets far enough in advance.

The great part about flying, however, is the flexibility on times to travel. I travel from Boston to Philadelphia, so there are a lot of flights back and forth. It is much easier to find flights that take off after my classes. Overall, I don’t mind flying, but it is not my first choice when looking for travel options.

2. Car

I have only been driven to school once (when I moved in) but this is not by choice. Neither of my parents are willing to commit to around 10 hours round trip to come and get me just for a school break. Driving is very convenient, for you don’t have to worry about checking a bag or missing your plane/train, and it can be some good quality time with the parent that makes the drive for you. Driving is the cheapest option for you only need to pay for gas and then toll booth expenses.

Driving can come with some challenges, such as getting stuck in traffic. Especially from the drive between Philadelphia and Boston, there are a lot of different opportunities to get stuck in heavy traffic. It also doesn’t help that people from both New York and Massachusetts (states I must drive through) aren’t exactly known for their driving. Despite not getting to experience the driving form of transportation often, I still do think it is a good method, but still not my favorite.

3. Train

This is my favorite form of transportation. Although it takes a lot longer than flying, I have found that the benefits of traveling by train outweigh this. On a train, you do not need to check a bag and there is no one monitoring how many bags you are traveling with. This allows for greater flexibility, and not having to worry about bringing liquids onto the train.

The train also generally tends to be more spacious, which allows for an easier trip to fall asleep on. You also do not need to worry about getting to the train station that far in advance, for there is no check-in process or security line. Train tickets are usually less expensive than flying, and there are no designated seats, so you are able to find a good seat without paying extra money for it. There are also usually convenient times that the train ones, not as good as flying, but close to it.

I’m sure everyone has their own favorite form of transportation, but my favorite has to be travelling by train. It makes for the most convenient and relaxed ride, so that’s usually the way I choose to travel.