By Samantha Britland
Daily Forty-Niner
The holidays for students do not only mean finals, many students are traveling home to spend the break with family.
In a random poll of Cal State Long Beach students, 43 percent of will be traveling somewhere during the time off. Of those students taking off for the break, 58 percent said they will be driving to their destinations, and 42 percent said they will be flying.
Tina Lee, interior design major, is flying to New York to visit her dad.
Marine biology major Julie is flying to Florida with her family. Her family lives in the Bay area, and they all decided to go away together this year.
Some students aren’t flying quite so far. Business major, Arianne Lyons’ home is in Seattle, and marketing major Nycole Clark is going home to Arizona.
There are a number of students that just want to get away. They want to go skiing or snowboarding to get away from school for a few weeks.
Big Bear, Mammoth, Lake Tahoe and Glamis are popular winter vacation getaways for students such as computer science major, Tenny Grigorian, and business major Christine Vinovich.
Holiday traveling, more than any other time of year puts more people on the roads, on buses and trains and in the airports.
According to a 2001 report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, most long-distance holiday travel is by car, with only 5 to 6 percent traveling by air, and 2 to 3 percent by bus, train, or other mode. The average trip is about 275 miles over the Christmas and New Year holiday, with the majority of the trips 50 to 99 miles away.
Christmas is one of the busiest times of year for Greyhound buses, according to Kim Plaskett, senior manager, corporate communications of Greyhound Lines, Inc. Greyhound’s holiday travel period stretches from Dec. 17 to Jan. 4 this year.
“Generally the busiest days are the weekend before Christmas due to most people taking the week of Christmas off,” Plaskett said.
Most bus riders do not purchase tickets in advance, like people do with airline reservations.
“Most of our customers purchase their tickets within two hours of departure,” Plaskett said.
Plaskett went on to say that the amount of riders this year is expected to be about the same as last. Greyhound projects approximately 1.3 million people will ride during the holiday timeframe.
“In general, rider-ship has been on the decline ever since Sept. 11. People aren’t traveling, and if they do, they are staying closer to home and taking their cars. It’s a trend that has not reversed in the last two years,” Plaskett said.
Whatever means of travel you choose, there are safety precautions and travel tips that will help make your trip a success.
If you are flying between daily peak travel times of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m, or 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m, airlines at Los Angeles airport suggest that you arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to departure times.
The Los Angeles World Airports have travel recommendations for travelers prior to arriving at the airport, to ensure a smooth trip.
o Do not pack wrapped gifts. They may be opened for inspection
o Avoid wearing any clothing with metal, jewelry or accessories
o Carry undeveloped film with you by hand, or in your carry-on luggage
o Verify your airlines baggage policy
o Tag all your bags with your identification
o Call to confirm your flight
The Transportation Security Administration has compiled a complete list of what you can or cannot take on an airline, since Sept. 11 policies have gotten stricter. The list can be found at www.tsa.gov/public under travel tips, then permitted and prohibited items. The list details what items may not be allowed in a carry-on bag, but are OK in a checked bag.
Not only have screening procedures changed at the airports, but most airlines are limiting the weight allowed for individual bags. Be sure to call ahead and verify.
