We've all heard it a thousand times — you don't need to bring your car to university. There's tons of ways to get around without a car: walk, bike, bus, train.
Before I moved to Southern California for school, I drove or got a ride from my parents everywhere. Living in a small town in the Central Valley, metropolitan transit was something foreign for New Yorkers or movies. But when I parted from my little blue Honda in the fall of 2015, I learned everything there is to know about public transportation (OK, well, maybe not everything).
Planes
I had flown before moving to school, but only alongside my family. Moving about seven (car) hours away from my hometown without a car, my family decided that flying would be my way home for the holidays. The first time I was to fly home for a weekend, I wanted to be early to make sure I wouldn't miss my flight. I was lost without my dad's perfectly outlined travel itinerary. I ended up early, alright... Three hours early to be exact. Good thing I was bingewatching a show on Netflix at the time and the airport had free wifi.
Trains
Before moving to San Diego, I had never once been on a train besides the Disneyland Railroad. In late 2015, my family picked me up and took me with them to ride that railroad (and Space Mountain, of course), but when it was time for me to head back to school, they put me on the Amtrak. I was confused when they didn't check my ticket upon boarding... literally anyone could hitch a ride from one stop to the next until the dude walks by to check your ticket.
Buses
Besides the middle school yellow bus, I had never taken a bus anywhere before college either, so when I had to use the little sticker on my student ID to just go to Target, it was an experience. One, it takes forever to get somewhere, even if it's not that far from campus. This is because the bus stops every five feet (may be a slight exaggeration, but). Anyhow, we take the bus to the beach and to the nearest grocery store, so it's pretty much a necessity. My boyfriend and I also took a Greyhound bus to Anaheim for a Disneyland fix (that was pretty cray).
Ubers
Oh, Uber. You seem so convenient, and you are. Just not for a college student's bank account. I've taken Uber many a time to get to and from places, but especially the airport. Once, I paid around $65 for one trip because of a 4.1x surge charge (meaning that Uber in my area was in very high demand and therefore... well, they can wreck you). I try to avoid this one if at all possible.
Learning how to ride all different types of transport allows me to go pretty much anywhere I want now, but that definitely doesn't minimize the struggle of not having a car. Especially when the nearest Taco Bell is far and you're not trying to drop $20 on an Uber.
