Whether you’re selecting which school to attend next year or you’re already entrenched in the college routine, I’m here to alleviate a major concern.

Although meeting people in college is about as easy as updating your Facebook status, there will be times when you just want to see your old friends.  They are the people who know you as well as anyone.  They are the people with whom you grew up and lived in the same town.  They are the people with whom you can’t wait to share your new experiences and hear about theirs. 

I have good news:  the academic calendar offers ample opportunities to travel.  Here are the top 5 weekends to visit friends during the school year:

5.  Patriots’ Day.  No, for those of you outside of New England, this is not the day when Massachusetts celebrates the success of our football team.  But this is probably the least likely weekend in which you’d like to travel.  Your friends outside of Massachusetts have classes on this day, and there’s little incentive to leave the city because the Boston Marathon is held on this day.  This is also known as Marathon Monday, and you don’t want to miss it.  Students tend to drink a special kind of drink that makes cheering on exhausted runners exhilarating.  This is unique to BU and you only get to do it four times.  But if you really need to get away and see your buddies/girls/significant other(s), you’ve got a long weekend to do it.

4.  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  In case you didn’t know, this happens in January.  Sure, you’ve just seen many of your friends over the break, but if they’ve just gone back to school now, then this is an ideal time to visit them.  There’s no work to do at the start of the semester, so what else is there for college kids to do?  Party!!!   It’s always different to see your friends in their element at their school with their college friends. 

3.  Veteran’s Day.  This one is tricky because the holiday doesn’t always fall on a Monday or a Friday.  This year it falls on a Tuesday, which means a lot of students will be skipping classes on Monday.  You can get away with it this year, but what about next year when it’s on a Wednesday?  That just does nothing to help the travel plans.  Maybe next year we’ll actually use the day for what it was intended…going to Tuesdays at T’s pub.  Ok, ok, we’ll spend all day thinking about the great sacrifices our troops have made and continue to make overseas.

2.  Columbus Day.  This one is consistent.  Columbus Day is always on a Monday.  Having a Monday off is always better than having a Friday off.  When you come back from wherever you’ve been, you know that a short week is ahead of you. Columbus Day is six weeks into the fall semester, so by this point you’re ready for a break after readjusting to the whole learning thing. 

1.  President’s Day.  Although weather can be a problem on this February weekend, it’s a hugely popular weekend to travel to other schools.  By this point, especially if you haven’t left the BU scene for a weekend all school year, you’re ready for a change from the same old rigamarole.  Plus, it’s a Monday-off-day, and I’ve already explained why this is ideal.

Provided that you have friends attending schools in New England or New York, be assured that weekend visits are only a bus or train ride away.  You can get to New York City and back for $30 on one of several bus lines.  The Fung-Wah’s reputation precedes itself and I highly recommended this company for those who enjoy upside down roller coasters at amusement parks.  If you’re lucky, it’ll be a similar experience.  If the spinning teacups are more you’re cup of tea (pun intended), take either Greyhound, Luck Star, Mega Bus, or Bolt.  You get free WiFi and outlets on the last two. Here’s a review of all these services that I used before going to the Big Apple this past July.

What about upstate New York, you ask?  Greyhound will get you there in about seven hours.  You could also take an Amtrak train and get there in a little less time.  Beware, however, of the time of year you plan your trip—weather can prolong travel time or derail the trip altogether.  I learned this the hard way when I took the Amtrak to visit friends at Ithaca College and spent 10 hours on the train because a snowstorm rerouted us.  Instead of cutting across Massachusetts to get to Albany, we rode down to New York City, up along the Hudson River to Albany, and then finally over to Syracuse.  This was in February.  Bad idea.

Greyhound will also take you to most places in New England.  I visited a friend in Burlington, Vermont (November is a MUCH better time to travel) for $80 roundtrip.  Other popular destinations include UMass (in Amherst, Mass.), UNH (in Durham, N.H.), UConn (in Storrs, Conn.), and several schools in Providence.  If you go to Providence, the MBTA’s commuter rail will take you there for about $16 roundtrip, making it a high value voyage. All of the buses or trains I’ve mentioned leave from South Station, which is about a 30-minute T ride from the BU campus.

Bearing all this in mind, don’t forget to encourage your friends to come to visit you at BU.  Ashford and Gardner streets love visitors.  Show them a good time!