For most students, the end of final exams means at least a few weeks of relaxation before summer jobs and internships start. But for Sirui Shao, the end of final exams is only a small step in the process of getting home for the summer. She must first complete 20 or more hours of traveling to get to her home in the Heilonjiang province of China.

The process of getting home for students like Shao, a junior majoring in finance, can sometimes be just as stressful as the week of finals. Out-of-state students are forced to choose between driving long hours with all of their belongings or finding a place to store their things for the summer months.

(See also “60 percent of freshmen out-of-state“)

This will be Shao’s first time home in a year. She is only able to travel home once a year because the cost of a flight to China can range anywhere from $1200 to $2220. Because she travels home so infrequently, Shao will only bring what she needs for the three months she is home for the summer.

“I live off campus, so I have my own apartment, and so I just leave my stuff in my apartment,” she said.

Flying home is the preference of many students who live more than 12 hours away by car. The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport services more passengers during the month of May, after schools gets out, than any other month of the year. There is a marked increase of approximately 30,000 more passengers in May than in April or June, according to Birmingham International Airport monthly passenger report.

Abigail Ratliff, a freshman majoring in marketing, is a native of Washington and the choice to fly was an easy one. Ratliff’s home is over 2,500 miles away, and driving would take close to 45 hours. This is Ratliff’s first trip home for the summer and she said she is unsure what she will do with all of her things when she leaves because most things were bought when she arrived last fall.

“So I haven’t quite figured out what to do with everything yet,” she said. “But I may just end up stashing it at one of my friend’s that lives locally’s house or something.”

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Other students with long trips home opt to drive in order to bring their possessions with them. Lauren Nilsen, a senior majoring in English, said she plans to pack up her Ford Fusion and make 12-and-a-half-hour trip back to her home near Annapolis, Md.

“I just load it all up,” she said. “In the front and the back seat, it’s everywhere.”

Because the drive is so long, Nilsen only drives home at the beginning of each summer.

Other students have the benefit of living only a few hours from Tuscaloosa. With rising gas prices and expensive airfare, getting home can be half the challenge with the end of school. Amtrak offers inexpensive train tickets for students who live in surrounding states and are searching for alternative ways to get home on a budget.

A non-stop ticket to New Orleans, La., can be purchased for only $47.

Storage units exist throughout Tuscaloosa that students can rent for the summer months to avoid moving their belongings home with them. According to the American Self Storage website, storage units can range in price from $55 for a small unit to $330 for a large unit capable of storing furniture.

(See also “UA grads starting families, careers in and out of state“)