Whether students live close to campus, out of state or out of the country, they will likely want or need to return home at some point, so it’s important to know how to get there.

Bus services like Suburban Express, Peoria Charter, Greyhound and the Megabus travel to Chicago and Chicago suburbs. Tickets can be purchased on their websites.

For students looking to fly home, most bus services will take students to O’Hare International and Midway airports in Chicago. Willard Airport, located in Savoy, is another option for flying home.  

Driving is always an option for students who have a car or can get a ride.

There are several ways to get off of campus and go home, but how often someone goes home depends on personal preference and the distance he or she has to travel.

For some people, getting home is easier than for others. Kyle Perfect, sophomore in Engineering, is from Brookfield, Ill., around 140 miles from Champaign. Perfect went home for fall, winter and spring breaks, along with two other times last year. He used Suburban Express and rides from his parents to get home.

“I noticed that a few of the bus lines were pretty bad to ride on because people had complained to me about them,” Perfect said. “I would say you really don’t need to go home that often, but maybe two to five times throughout the year besides breaks. If you’re homesick you can always call or Skype.”

Driving is the only option for Alexandra Mallow, sophomore in AHS, to travel home to Byron, Ill., about 180 miles from Champaign.

“There are no viable methods of public transportation to get back to where I live,” Mallow said.

Mallow said she goes home about once a semester and for holidays. She does not think freshmen need to go home often.

“Freshmen should stay for the first couple months at least without taking any trips home, just so they can acclimate to the feeling of living on their own,” Mallow said.

For Joe Nelson, sophomore in Engineering, there was no problem with not going home to Edina, Minn., during spring semester.

“I was fine not going home at all during second semester, but I knew people who would go home every other weekend,” Nelson said. “Learning how to balance your time home and time away is just something that comes naturally.”

Some students are not able to return home as often as they would like. Ofelia Rodríguez, senior in Business, lives in Pasco, Wash., and goes home once or twice a semester.

“It really sucks not being able to go home when most of my friends do, but I have gotten used to it,” Rodríguez said.

When she does go home on breaks, Rodríguez usually gets a ride or takes Suburban Express to O’Hare airport. Some tips she gives for traveling out of state include minimizing what you carry, bringing snacks and dressing comfortably.

Having friends in the Chicago area is what makes traveling home to Palo Alto, Calif., easier for Dani Tene, sophomore in Engineering.

“I usually only go home for school breaks. Last year I spent Thanksgiving in Wisconsin with my boyfriend’s family. I usually get a ride with one of my friends to O’Hare and then fly to San Francisco,” Tene said. “The biggest thing that’s saved me from difficult trips back and forth from school is the generosity and hospitality of my friends from the Chicagoland area.”

For international students, the time and money needed for traveling home is not always worth it.

Chaeyeon Kim, senior in Engineering, says it usually takes her around 20 hours to arrive home in Seoul, South Korea.

Kim used to travel home twice a year, but started going home only once a year due to expensive plane tickets and short winter breaks.

“This year, I didn’t go back home at all because of costs and summer classes,” Kim said. “I would love to travel more often, but it’s too much (of a) burden to afford the travel costs.”

Xin Ye, a second-year graduate student in biochemistry, says there are not many difficulties for him traveling home to Guangzhou, China.

“I travel home around once (or twice a) year because I am busy with my lab work as a research assistant,” Ye said.

Hannah can be reached at hprokop2@dailyillini.com.