<p>My d may be attending the University of South Carolina in the fall. I am a little concerned about how far away from home she will be. I was interested in hearing from students from Northern VA to see how they get home for breaks and holidays. Do you take a flight? If so, what airport do you use. Any information would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I have checked myself and I am in NY. speaking from a NY point of view I was told the Carolinashuttle service offers USC students transportation to Charlotte airport about 90 minutes away for $45.00. From there flights are much cheaper and more frequent. That appears to be the way to go. For those who like trains, there is always Amtrak if you lile long train rides…</p>
<p>My roommate is from Northern Virginia. You’d be surprised (or maybe not) at the ridiculous amount of people from that area who attend USC. There were actually 4 girls on my floor from there, and they carpool up every break. It’s easy to find other people from your area to carpool with and it is a lot cheaper than flying. I know one person who took the Greyhound bus, but I wouldn’t recommend it.</p>
<p>While it does seem SC is far away sometimes, our daughter really loved it. We used to go down in August and May to help haul all her stuff. Her car wasn’t large enough for all her stuff!</p>
<p>During the longer breaks (Christmas and Spring), she just drove herself home. She never wanted to fool with carpooling because she wanted her car while she was at home. </p>
<p>The shorter breaks (Thanksgiving), she flew. She found it much easier to drive to Greenville and take a direct flight to Dulles. The airport is much smaller and parking etc were just easier. It’s only about an hour and 15 minutes and was cheaper. Charlotte is another option but just so busy. Columbia didn’t have direct flights and/or the cost was much higher.</p>
<p>While it is a long drive and I fully appreciate worrying about safety, they are adults. We did have a “deal” that every time she stopped for gas, she’d call/text us so we knew her progress (and whether to worry).</p>
<p>Good luck; it’s a great school!</p>
<p>There are USAir direct flights between Reagan National Airport (DCA) and Columbia, SC (CAE) that daughter has used at Thanksgiving. Usually she just drives herself up I-95 to the N. VA area. I agree with the above posters…there are many USC students from our area, so shared travel can be arranged.</p>
<p>We are in a similar situation, but way up here in Ohio. We did fly into/out of Greenville when we visited and the flights were far more affordable. Kind of struggling with her going that far away, but it seems to be where she really wants to go, and with great opportunities, so there you have it.</p>