How to Travel to Nearby Cities on a Budget

Since I started school at UC, I have been traveling to many places; some close to home and some far away. I have tried many modes of transport inside the city and to visit places further away. Some of the cities I have visited are Covington, Columbus, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Toronto. If you’re thinking of traveling to different places while you’re in the United States, there are many great ways to get around.

Traveling in Cincinnati

The very first mode of transport I tried was Zip Car with my friends who had a state license. It was so quick and accessible for moving from place to place. We also traveled to the outskirts of the city for fun and shopping with the rental car. The best feature about the zip car is its affordable rate which is charged by the hour.

I started UC in the spring semester and then I took a full credit summer course, during which I had to travel to the Blue Ash campus. I commuted to blue ash by the city metro bus system which is cheap (additional discount with student pass), but it takes up a lot of time. That was okay for me since it was summertime and less busy.

Traveling To Nearby Cities

I have extensively used the Greyhound bus system for the inter-city travel. Coming from India, I was used to travelling on trains between cities, but there are not many trains in the States. Therefore, I chose to ride the Greyhound bus, which has flexible schedules and buses to major cities with small city stops in-between. I have taken long trips (up to 15 hours) to Toronto as well. I must admit that the experience was quite unique. I got to see many beautiful landscape scenarios and I visited many cities that I could not have had I chosen air travel!

One of the best tips I can give is to book the tickets for flights/buses as early as possible. This can get you cheaper tickets and many options will be available at that time.

Cost Breakdown of my Greyhound Bus Trips

Cincinnati to Toronto cost around $140 (76 + $64)
Cincinnati to Pittsburgh cost around $70 ($35 + $35)
Cincinnati to Columbus cost around $30 ($15 + $15)
Cincinnati to Cleveland cost about $60 ($33 + $27)

It generally took about 4 hours for us to travel around Cincinnati for shopping which would cost about $44 in zip car. We would also enjoy some food which would cost around $10 more.

The cheaper flights from Cincinnati to Toronto would cost around $270, if booked a bit early.

When travelling on the Greyhound, I saw vast fields of farms and pure greenery. It was actually cool to see the full horizon without the any buildings in sight. Upon reaching Pittsburgh, I took a ferry ride on the river and saw the entire downtown and the Steelers stadium. In Toronto, the strikingly huge downtown and the C.N. tower gave me chills. I’ve really enjoyed how many things there are to see close to Cincinnati!