Travelling to and from your university, and the city it is in, could become tedious and a chore. However, you can make this journey time painless and even useful with planning, entertainment and a little good judgement. Here are some of tips I would recommend to help make the journey to university easier.
Walking
This applies to students who do not live on campus but are slightly farther afield. To get from my student home to the centre of university takes about fifteen minutes walking. Twice per day, five days a week, that is two and a half hours per week to be used productively if possible. To try and maximise the use of this time I listen to podcasts or send emails while I am walking. However, my all time favourite way to pass the time travelling is to call a family member and catch up!
Train travel
Because Lincoln is one of the smaller UK cities, travelling to the University from your hometown can sometimes be an issue. For example, from my home just outside Birmingham to Lincoln by car takes roughly two hours, but on the train it can take upwards of four hours. Here are some tips on making these long journeys more bearable.
- Take a book for pleasure and a book for academia – if you get bored of either, you are not stuck just reading the one. You can switch it up!
- Download an electronic ticket from the Trainline app. This allows you to be less concerned about losing your ticket, and the app provides info on the best prices and discounts available.
- Get yourself a portable charger (around £20 on Amazon) so you are not worried about your phone running out of battery, especially useful if you have followed the previous tip!
- Download the Microsoft Word app to your phone for essay writing on the go. This allows you to take up minimal space on the train and still get on with your work!
- Take a drink and some food – train station food can be very expensive.
A difficult aspect of train travel for me have been the large crowds and packed carriages that you can run into if you are not careful. Although you may not have a wide scope as to when you travel by train there are certain steps to prevent running into this problem. You should attempt to time your travel to avoid peak times – Monday morning, Friday evening, and periods between 15:30 and 18:00 are phases that I have found particularly busy.
Driving
Get yourself a good playlist, explore the short cuts, avoid rush hour.
After asking some commuter friends and friends that travel from their university city to their hometown regularly in a car, these are the tips that have continually cropped up. Working out when it is rush hour is key to keep the journey time down, while music that you enjoy will make it seem to go faster. Short cuts can help you avoid traffic and reduce journey time too.
Please note: This content was created prior to Coronavirus, and some things might be different due to current laws and restrictions. Please refer to Government advice and the University of Lincoln for the latest information.
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