There are roughly 16 weekends in a semester, and although Boston holds endless opportunities for weekend adventures, being in the North East provides a plethora of options to get out of town for a mini vacation.
I’m originally from Florida, the land where you need to own a car to get around, so I never really took the initiative to travel by myself. However, thanks to Boston’s proximity to other major cities in the United States, it’s easy to hop on a bus for a weekend getaway to New York City.
Here are a few easy ways to book your transportation to visit family, friends or even a whole new city:
1a. Commuter rails
Boston has several commuter rails that you can take to travel to a new part of Massachusetts or even other states. Personally, I have only taken the commuter rail to go to Providence, Rhode Island (an amazing city btw), but I have several friends that take it to visit Salem or just to go apple picking. So whether you have a friend that goes to Brown or you want a more suburban adventure, the commuter rail is fast and the fare ranges from $2.10-$11.50.
1b. Other commuter rails
These cheaper trains are found in more than just Boston. For example, this past weekend I took the Marc train from Washington, DC to Baltimore to get dinner with my brother while I was visiting a friend in DC. These trains can make your weekend trip kill two birds with one stone (or train) so check the local train schedules and see if there are any commuter trains that can take you from State A to State B.
2. Bus
There are several bus companies that pick up at South Station and can take you all across the east coast. Personally, I always stick with Megabus because they’re reliable and have outlets and wifi on board. This is the most frugal way to get to nearby cities like New York and prices general start at $5. I suggest traveling with a friend the first time you go by bus, but once you get the hang of the bus system it’s easy to take weekend getaways by yourself. The 4 hour drive is worth it to save yourself from a $100 plane ticket.
3. Plane
Now planes are generally more expensive, but it’s sometimes worth it to spring an extra $50 and save yourself a 10 hour bus ride. If you’re out-of-state like I am, you probably fly to and from Boston quite frequently throughout the school year. I found that flight companies like Southwest and Jetblue have great point systems that reward you the more you fly. So if you’ve saved up your points, a flight to Washington can cost you nothing (unless you’re traveling on a holiday, which in that case take the bus- unless you have 30,000 points saved up).
Don’t be afraid to venture outside the borders of Massachusetts! Besides, your best friend at NYU misses you and you deserve to treat yourself to a Broadway show every now and then. Look how happy my best friend was when I visited her for Georgetown’s Homecoming weekend: 
