Hi everyone!

I know it’s a bit early to be thinking about the holidays, but you can blame this very early post on the senior-itis that’s currently hitting me! I promise, though, there’s more to this post than my hopes of a sooner winter break.

As an ambassador for the Admissions office, a tour guide, and an Experience Iowa blogger, I get a lot of questions about travel. Since I’m an out-of-state student from New York, a lot of prospective students and families ask me how I get home for the holidays. So, for this post, I thought I’d share some information on how the university helps its out-of-state students with cool resources that make traveling so much easier!

First off, the closest airport to Iowa City is the Cedar Rapids International Airport (CID) which is a thirty-minute drive from the university. Not bad, right? This makes it so much easier for families to visit their out-of-state students or for students who are looking to go home for the holidays (Thanksgiving break, winter break, returning from winter break, etc.). For students who need transportation to the airport, the university provides a low-cost shuttle system.

The shuttle system is the BEST resource that the university provides its out-of-state students. All you have to do is fill out a form or two to confirm you’re a registered student, provide your flight information, and when/where you’d like the shuttle to pick you up (typically, they’ll provide a few locations you can choose from).

Once you’ve filled everything out, the shuttle service will charge you, but luckily, the cost is $20!!! This totally beats paying for a $50 Uber and I know for me, this shuttle system has helped me out time and time again when I’ve been unable to gets rides from my friends. If you’re a prospective student worried about traveling to the airport, have no fear, because the shuttle service will make sure that everyone will get to where they need to be!

Another common misconception with the Cedar Rapids airport is the wait time. However, it usually takes fifteen minutes to check your bag, get through security, and find your gate because the airport is so small! Just make sure you don’t have any liquids over 32 oz (this has happened to me multiple times and my hygiene products have been thrown out, so don’t make the same mistakes I did!)

Once you’re inside the airport, there are only seven gates (see what I mean? It’s so tiny!) so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding your gate and relaxing. The airport also has a few dining locations inside for snacks and drinks to tie you over before your long plane ride.

I hope this post de-mystifies how out-of-state traveling can look for prospective students! I know for myself and my family, the Cedar Rapids airport and the university shuttle system have been so helpful, so please take advantage of it while you can!

Thank you guys for reading my blog and keep your eyes peeled for the next one!