How often do you travel home?

[Aloe paleo]

Hey med students! I was just accepted and will start med school in a few months. Just wondering if it is possible to travel and visit home and family and friends like once a month ? How long is your commute/flight? How often do you make the trip?

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[Whysoez]

Congratz! I was wondering where has the anxious Mr.Bean been since I haven't seen him starting new threads lately lol. Which school did you get the A from if you do not mind sharing?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I usually go home once every month to 2 months. It's about a 3 hour flight for me. It's definitely possible if you're willing to spend the money, obviously. It's a priority for me so it's something I make sure to budget for. Also, I know I won't really be able to go home much (if at all...) during third year, so I've taken advantage of the relatively lax schedule the first 2 years-- my school doesn't have mandatory attendance.

 

[Schwifty]

Ive been home twice since starting in late July, its about 3 hr if I fly direct but I usually have connections so its more like 5-6hr. I don't really travel home more than that cause if I go on the weekend I would only b home for like 2 days, and 12 hr of travel plus $250-400 in flights isn't really worth it too me, but I do talk with my family a lot.

 

[DO2015CA]

I went to med school on an opposite coast so I went home twice a year but the flight was 6 hours and $400+

 

[deleted859689]

I will also be starting in a few months. Current school I am in the process of matriculating to is only 4 hour drive from my parents, so I might visit. They are retired actually so they should come visit me

 

[DO2015CA]

I will also be starting in a few months. Current school I am in the process of matriculating to is only 4 hour drive from my parents, so I might visit. They are retired actually so they should come visit me

If you have a train or bus system like greyhound you should be fine. Can study on the travel

 

[sparkysparkyboomman]

I’m an hour and a half car ride from home thankfully.


So I go home every 2-3 weeks for a weekend.

 

[ciestar]

My parents are 2.5 hours away by car... but rarely do i go home

 

[Alkaidius]

I keep away for my own sanity, but if I waaaaanted to it’s certainly possible after exams during your “recuperating period”...assuming cost isn’t a concern. A week between blocks is also good, but more than I could handle lol.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

I was about 8 hours from my parents. Other than holidays I didn’t go back. And even some holidays were missed due to class situation.

 

[greenvsblack3]

I think it depends how far you are away from home/how much it costs. My parents are in the mid-atlantic but im in the SW. I've only gone home once since school started which was for Winter break. tickets for me are $400 round trip on a good day and it takes 2 flights for a total of about 7 hours or so. I might go home once during the spring semester but it'll be for a conference for 2 days, not to actually see my friends and family. Otherwise, I probably won't go until I finish a summer program, so I'll only be going for a week, if i do go home. If i had gone to school closer to home, I'd be going much more often.

Congrats on your acceptance!

 

[Aloe paleo]

Congratz! I was wondering where has the anxious Mr.Bean been since I haven't seen him starting new threads lately lol. Which school did you get the A from if you do not mind sharing?

LOL so that's what I'm known as hahaah... but I deserve it
AZCOM!

 

[Aloe paleo]

I usually go home once every month to 2 months. It's about a 3 hour flight for me. It's definitely possible if you're willing to spend the money, obviously. It's a priority for me so it's something I make sure to budget for. Also, I know I won't really be able to go home much (if at all...) during third year, so I've taken advantage of the relatively lax schedule the first 2 years-- my school doesn't have mandatory attendance.

You give me hope! I also will be about a 3-4 hour flighht away and knowing that you were able to go home every 1-2 months is awesome!

 

[Aloe paleo]

I’m an hour and a half car ride from home thankfully.


So I go home every 2-3 weeks for a weekend.

I'm jealous!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

You give me hope! I also will be about a 3-4 hour flighht away and knowing that you were able to go home every 1-2 months is awesome!

Yeah, it kind of just works out that way with breaks! We get Friday and Monday of Labor Day off, so that's usually my first trip home about a month after school starts. This year, my school gave us a Fall Break at the end of October, so I went home for that (2 months later). Then I went home for Thanksgiving a month later, and then winter break was a few weeks after that. I know I could be doing other things with my breaks and a lot of people just stay at school or go on local trips to decompress, but I'm really close with my family and love going home so that's how I choose to spend my time. Definitely doable if it's what you want to do

 

[GwBXtRTrVktW9E]

.

 

[Roxas]

15 ish hours by car or an expensive flight with kids. We went home summers and Christmas.

 

[PapaGuava]

I've been home only once since starting in July, but I'll definitely be back for majority of the summer and possibly spring break.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

If it makes you happy, you should visit home very often, it may be something that keeps you sane during your 4 years.. if its within 1 hour, you should do it every week. if its > 2hours- then every couple of weeks.. if its a cross country flight it might not be feasible to do it more than once a month.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Once a year. Family comes out to visit about once a year as well.

 

[Osteosaur]

I am a 90 minute drive from home. Usually home home for the weekend after a big exam.

 

[Deecee2DO]

Weekly lol only live about an hour and 20 from home

 

[jurassicpark]

congrats! I think it really depends on how far your family is, and how well you're adjusting to medical school +/- what you have going on at the time ie exams, research, volunteering, excessive and horizontal physical examinations.

Didn't go home that often, maybe every other weekend which was a 120 mile commute for me, sometimes less. Good way to get laundry done, and free good food.

 

[weizhonggains]

It depends on where you live. One of my friends studies at a med school and visits his parents only twice a year.
It’s because they live on the opposite coast and the flight is like 6 hours. It would be too troublesome and expensive to do that every two months, so he has to stay here all the time.
I study at a vocational school that’s about 800 miles away from my hometown, and I go home every two months or more often (depending on the class schedule). I also can come home for some important events that I can’t miss, like my sister’s wedding. Sometimes I even have to look for accommodation near me because our house is too full of people.

 

[Dr Meow]

once every few years

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

Never. Costs too much and I don’t like my family. A lot of students from my school live at home or live a few hours away in the next state. They usually go home for Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring breaks. Sometimes for 3 day weekends. It’s not assumed that you’ll study over most breaks, though some students do anyway.

 

[abolt18]

Home was a 16hr drive away OR a 3 hr drive to the airport followed by a flight that always required a layover. During my first 2 years of med school we drove home 2x/yr.

Moved for clinical rotations to a place that was a 19hr drive or flight with a layover and then only went home once during that 2 years (between 3rd and 4th year)

Residency was at a place 24hr drive to home or a longer flight with a layover. Went home once after PGY-1 then didn't go again until my last month of residency, 3 years later.

Travel is expensive (married with 3 kids), and free time is too limited to spend all of it traveling to visit friends and family who -- in my personal experience -- aren't willing to spend the time or money to come visit me and my small family.

 

[DarkBluMage]

I flew home frequently. I would say once/twice every 2 months, or more often if there was some kind of family celebration happening that was important. I would usually fly home for the weekend to see my family. I’m also really close with my family and I have a hard time being far from everyone. Fortunately I was able to have direct flights that were less than 2hrs so I could fly after classes on Friday. The drive itself wouldn’t have been possible since it’s 13hrs, so being able to fly directly made a huge difference. Tickets were reasonably affordable due to saving and buying tickets ahead of time when looking at what weekends were best for me to visit home in regards to the testing schedule.

 

[PandaBaer]

Entirely dependent on your commute, school schedule, and study habit.
I drove 300 miles round trip every week as my sig other lived in the city, where I also had other commitments.
My school's schedule also allowed me to often leaving Thurs afternoon and return Tues night.
Travelling home is costly, time consuming, tiring, and risky, our mountain passes often suddenly close in winter due to avalanche danger, so it is not recommended. But I would say several classmates made a similar trek bi-weekly to monthly.

 

[Edmartinny]

Personally, I try to head back every couple of months. It's tough juggling school and personal life, but visiting family and friends is super important to me. Keeps me sane, ya know?

I remember the first few months of med school, I barely traveled back home. Felt kinda isolated and super stressed. Then I realized, taking a break and going home helps recharge the batteries. It's like hitting the reset button. Plus, mom's cooking is unbeatable!

One thing that helped me a lot is using tools like the db fahrplan for planning my trips. It’s a lifesaver for figuring out the best train schedules and making the whole travel process smoother. I used to just wing it and end up with crazy long trips or missed connections. Now, I feel like a travel pro!