Commuting to Uni this year? Check out my top tips for cheap and enjoyable travel:
Tip Number 1:
My first tip for anyone commuting by train would be to make the most of the railcard system. As someone who travelled to and from University via the train in my first year, I never really knew how much money I could save using the rail card. When I finally got one in the November of that year, I started making some really good savings.
Some banks offer students the chance to open a student bank account and as a welcome gift, they will give you a free railcard for you to use during your first year. It’s worth checking this out and saving some extra money if you can!
Tip Number 2:
Secondly, and this may sound a bit obvious, but make sure you’re giving yourself plenty of time to get places. As someone who travelled by train and by car, I can confidently say that you’ll be surprised how easy it is to think you’ve got enough time. I decided to make sure I was leaving half an hour earlier than usual. This is obviously easier when I got a car in my second year as I could leave whenever I chose to, but, it’s also really important to give yourself enough time to get to the train station.
Where possible, I would always recommend giving yourself an extra 10 minutes so that you can account for any traffic or other delays you may run into. Check out your journey on Google Maps and use a route planner if you need to. You can even do a dummy run of your journey before you start Uni to make sure you know your way there.
Tip Number 3:
Make sure you’re sleeping enough. It can be easy to think that because you are able to make your own way in to Uni that you don’t need to go to bed at a reasonable time. However, as someone who has experienced running to the train station on 4 hours sleep, I’d suggest a few early nights.
Getting enough sleep is particularly important when you’re driving as driving when overtired is so dangerous. Make sure you’re looking after yourself!
Tip Number 4:
Driving can make even the calmest of people that little bit stressed. So, of course, one of my tips to anyone commuting is to remain calm! There is nothing worse than getting yourself stressed. My advice would be to play some of your favourite music, take things as they come and drive safely. Which leads to….
Tip Number 5:
Make sure that if you are going to be driving to and from work that your car is in good working order. Checking things like your oil levels and tyre pressure regularly will help you spot anything that you need to change. Having a look at things like lights and brakes will ensure that you’re not going to cause yourself any trouble when you’re driving to and from University. Make sure you always have enough fuel for your journey as you don’t want to rush to a petrol station half way to Uni.
Of course you can’t plan for everything and some things can happen instantly or come out of nowhere. But by making sure you’re keeping on top of everything that you can, you’ll be going a long way to ensuring your journey is as safe and enjoyable as it can possibly be.
Worcester Student Life 