<p>My daughter has been accepted to UA with a great scholarship. We live in northern NJ and after reading all about the university on this forum, I feel we have to plan a visit. What is the best way to get there? I’ve looked at flights and feel a bit discouraged. Jet Blue doesn’t even go to Alabama ( and of course I have tons of points!) and most other airlines seem to be expensive with a layover.<br>
I know there are many students from our area attending UA. Does anyone have suggestions for the best way to travel? Which airline? Flying into Birmingham? </p>
<p>cerj002 - We live in the Hershey, PA area, and my son flies Southwest from Baltimore to Birmingham. I took the advice of another CC Mom and got a Southwest credit card and earn enough points that rarely do we have to purchase plane tickets. That said, he doesn’t come home often… Thinks he IS home at UA! </p>
<p>When we have purchased tickets (through Southwest), we have paid about $350 for his ticket… Since we haven’t bought them often (maybe even only once?), that didn’t seem too bad. :)</p>
<p>Driving takes us about 12.5 hours. It is a fairly easy drive. We have driven in one day, but usually break it up in to two days.</p>
<p>Good luck with your visit! I am sure you will love it! My son is a sophomore at UA and my daughter (a HS senior) will be freshman there next fall. Roll Tide! :)</p>
<p>Cerj002, when we visit, we fly into Atlanta. It is about 3.25 hours away but Birmingham is about one anyway. Flights to Atlanta are generally half the price and typically direct. Timewise it is usually a wash and a lot cheaper!</p>
<p>We live in Northern NJ and my son is a freshman. We found that we could get the best flights from philly to Birmingham either through Atlanta or Detroit on Delta for about $250 to $300 RT. Newark is about $350 to $450 and LGA is normally a little less. He just drove down as he is bringing his car this semester and it took 15.5 hours over two days. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Few students will fly into Atlanta, Huntsville, Montgomery, or Columbus, MS unless they have a car and know the area or are traveling with their family.</p>
<p>Birmingham is a nice, newly remodeled airport with lots of flights, many of which are on regional jets. Delta offers nonstop flights out of LaGuardia, Southwest of out Balitimore, and US Airways out of Philadelphia and Washington-National (Reagan). </p>
<p>Connecting flights out of BHM are plentiful and don’t add that much time over taking a nonstop. Continental Express had a nonstop flight to Newark, but that ended around 2010.</p>
<p>Many strudents will fly Southwest as it doesn’t charge for checked luggage and has free changes, but be aware that such fee waivers are subject to change and that Southwest doesn’t interline with other carriers in the event of flight delays. For example, during a mechanical delay on Delta, passengers might be rerouted onto American or United or vice versa. </p>
<p>Be aware that if flying into Atlanta, people will often drive 90-100 MPH from the Alabama line to Birmingham and 80-85 MPH in rural areas between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Midway between Atlanta and Birmingham is the Talladega Superspeedway, which is an interesting place to visit even if one isn’t a huge NASCAR fan.</p>
<p>Okay, there are several options for travel that I have utilized over the years.
Hope that this info helps.</p>
<p>Fly to New Orleans and Drive to Tuscaloosa:
This option could work if parent (s) are traveling with or without their student. It won’t work for a student alone. I fly into New Orleans, rent a car and drive to Tuscaloosa. I usually fly with JetBlue directly out of NY and if you book well in advance, the fares can be quite good. This gives us the option of a mini vacation. Yea for beignets and po’boys!</p>
<p>Fly to Atlanta and Drive to Tuscaloosa:
This also will generally not work for a student alone. However, if a student has a car on campus and parks at the airport, they might use this option for a short break. I usually fly to Atlanta with Delta. There are tons of flight options to Atlanta out of NY, as this is a Delta Hub. Prices can vary greatly but Delta’s one way fares are usually not a good value. It is generally better to book a round trip ticket. I will warn you that Delta’s new terminal at JFK is ridiculously big and the walk to your gate can be really L O N G.</p>
<p>Amtrak to Tuscaloosa:
I have traveled from New York’s Penn Station to Tuscaloosa and also from Tuscaloosa back to NY via Amtrak. The train is comfortable, clean and a good value. It will take 24 hours to travel one way but once you are onboard, just sit back and relax…you’re not driving. There is a full serve restaurant and a snack bar but you can bring a small cooler with snacks and drinks to save money. Your seat will be equipped with outlets so you charge electronics. You could consider watching videos (headphones or earbuds only) to pass the time. Seats are equipped with a foot rest to facilitate sleeping.</p>
<p>Fly to Birmingham and use UA shuttle or private shuttle to campus:
Choose your own airline, use whichever one gives you the best price. I have found that Southwest has been very reliable. I also find that one way tickets are the best option when flying Southwest. There is no price difference when booking two one ways versus a R/T ticket on SWA and it will be much easier to rebook a one way ticket if the need arises. Be aware that Southwest has been good about rebooking tickets in the past when there have been weather difficulties, but expect delays when this happens. There aren’t many direct options to Birmingham from NY and not only will you have a stop but you will probably have a layover with a plane change as well. Your student will soon become a very adept traveler. The UA shuttle runs during scheduled breaks only. Other times you will have to use a private service.</p>
<p>Driving to The University of Alabama from the New York Area:
Whether you drive your own vehicle or rent a car is a personal choice…you know your car best. I have traveled one way in as little as 19 hours to as long as 24 hours when driving. Weather, road conditions, traffic and the number of drivers are just some of the variables that you need to take into account when choosing this option. You could also consider breaking the drive into a multi-day trip to make it easier. We have done this primarily on the return trips. Usually when traveling to the university we do not stay overnight anywhere. Having said this, if you decide to drive plan on being flexible. You will always have to consider safety first especially if you hit bad weather.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the suggestions! It seems that I spend much more time on this board with D2 going off to college in the fall. D1 didn’t want as much input. There are so many helpful and knowledgeable parents here. I never thought that she would be looking to go south but she wants a change and hates the weather here (can’t blame her for that!).
We are planning our trip for February during her presidents day break so that she doesn’t miss much school. I’ll have to look into all of your suggestions and see what works for those dates. As much as I’d like to just sit on the train, I don’t think she’ll go for the 24hrs. It’s much more complicated for us because she has a peanut allergy and I have to check the policy for all of the airlines. I saw that some don’t even serve snacks so that’s a plus. I know she’ll love Alabama once she sees it, I just didn’t realize how complicated it would be to get there.
Susan- I did get your pm but can’t reply yet (not enough posts). It’s really helpful to know that there are others so close to me. Thanks!</p>
<p>Just wanted to give a heads up that the Amtrak Crescent is not operating a full schedule in January and February due to track work. Be sure to check before making train travel plans.</p>
<p>^^^Montegut: That’s correct, I saw many “cancelled” trains on the schedule recently. At first I thought that this was weather related but it is not.</p>
<p>cerj002: Is your daughter’s peanut allergy an airborne allergy? That could make a difference. Remember that even if an airline does not serve peanuts, there may be some passengers who have peanut product(s), which they might eat onboard. </p>
<p>I believe that it is important to wear a medic alert bracelet with all allergies listed and to carry the proper medication.</p>
<p>robotbldmom,
I’ll have to check into the train schedule. It still might be our best option considering her allergy. I think on a train you could probably move away from someone eating something and bring on some food of your own.</p>
<p>We are not sure if her allergy is airborne or not as we’ve tried to avoid the situation. We’ve used only Jet Blue in the past because they were very good about creating a buffer for her and not serving nuts. It’s very true that we can’t control what other people bring on the plane with them so finding a safe way for her to travel is important. She does carry all of her medication with her and will be wearing a medic alert bracelet. </p>
<p>I don’t know if going so far away will work out for all of these reasons. I would just like to check out the school and see if they are even capable of handling her allergy. You know, room mate, dining hall, maybe single room or somewhere where she could cook her own food etc… </p>
<p>Cerj002, I travel a lot and have traveled with a co-worker who has a serious peanut allergy. Southwest is very good about accommodating these types of allergies. They will only serve pretzels and request that no one open any packages with peanuts in them. I imagine most airlines will do the same. There are so many these days with severe peanut allergies.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the info about your co-worker. It’s comforting to know that people can lead a normal life with an allergy. As much as I’d like to protect her forever, I really want her to live a full life.
I’ll check into Southwest. Thanks again.</p>
<p>My daughter has a peanut allergy and flies. Even though they do not serve peanut products, she usually gets off the plane with itchy eyes and runny nose. If you can book the first flight of the day, it will minimize the peanut contact because the plane was just cleaned. </p>
<p>She didn’t have any problems with the dorm food. She spoke with the cafeteria manager when she got there and they explained what she should do. The only problem she had was with her sorority. I don’t know if the sorority was not good about giving the correct information or if she was not diligent about finding out the ingredients. She had a reaction to hummus. We never found out if it had pine nuts in it. She tried hummus again (that definitely did not have pine nuts) and she had a reaction again so we figured she’s allergic to chickpeas too. Just so you know, if she calls 911, your daughter will have every emergency personnel on duty arriving within a couple of minutes:-)</p>
<p>About allergies:
This is not medical advice but advice from someone who has dealt with multiple allergies and asthma. Remind your students to use their daily medications when needed. I have found that the allergy season is different in Alabama vs in the Northeast, for instance the trees bloom at different times and there are different biting insects. </p>
<p>If your student uses allergy shots these can be administered at the Student Health Center. I copied the following from the Student Health Center page.
"Allergy
The Allergy Clinic administers allergy injections to students under the direction of the students’ allergists or other physician. SHC staff do not administer initial allergy tests. Immunizations required for matriculation are provided on a fee basis.</p>
<p>The Allergy Clinic accepts appointments as follows:</p>
<p>Allergy Extract Injections:</p>
<p>Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m."</p>
<p>I also know that if your student needs over the counter medications you should buy a supply before you leave them on campus or either send them with a supply. Students can not buy certain OTC medications in Alabama unless they are 19. </p>
<p>Some other advice I have is to make sure that your student wears a medic alert bracelet or some other piece of medic alert jewelry when traveling. Let companions and roommates know about their allergies and how to handle an emergency. It is easy to train roommates and others in the use of EPI-Pens for emergencies. Don’t forget to Call 911 after the use of an EPI-Pen or to go directly to an ER, often a second dose of medicine is needed. It is best to have a doctor access the situation.</p>
<p>It is certainly possible to travel safely with the right precautions. Some airlines are better than others at accommodations; as with a peanut allergy. I would contact each airline and ask questions and have them email you their policy. Be aware that there are other life threatening allergic reactions other than peanut allergies. Some airlines now allow travel with small animals in carriers which can trigger severe allergic problems for some people. It is best to ask questions and when making reservations, I always speak with a representative to make sure that all my requests are met.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, Robotbldmom! My daughter will need to receive allergy shots twice a month and I had looked in to how the student health center would handle this. </p>
<p>She also has a wheat allergy, so basically eats a gluten free diet. We did met with the director of residential food services over the summer and were pleased with how they will work with her once she is there.</p>
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