So having chosen the number of days you will be spending at Purdue in my earlier post Plan Your Itinerary, we can move on to thinking about booking your travel dates. However, you need to be careful when choosing your flights. In order to come to the right choice, you need to:
1. Choose which airport you will land into
Purdue’s nearest airports are
– Chicago with two airports- O’Hare (ORD) and Midway (MID) with a travel time by road of around 3-4 hrs.
– Indianapolis (with only airport with code IND). The ride from IND to Purdue is approx 1 -2 hrs.
Most will find ORD the most convenient with the largest number of flight options, but IND is often wrongly overlooked. In winter, when your kid may be flying back, Chicago flights are more likely to be affected by bad weather than those of Indianapolis. See what options you have to fly into both cities.
2. Decide if you are going to be flying to Purdue or renting a self-drive car:
a) Taking a connecting flight to Purdue: A new service from ORD airport to Purdue University Airport (LAF) has started mid-2024 with up to 4 flights daily. Starting at $99 one-way, a flight to the Purdue University Airport is the fastest way to get there from Chicago but check if it works for your travel plans. Seats are limited during peak university travel times, so book your flight early using this link. Ensure you buy an appropriate fare that will allow you to check in all the bags that you will be carrying. If you plan on taking this, you can book any flight that arrives into ORD at least 4 hrs before your flight to Purdue, to give you time for immigration and customs before checking in to the local flight.
b) Renting a self-drive car: By far the most convenient option, you can book to pick up a car from the Airport, drive yourself to Purdue and after finishing your trip drive yourself back to the airport for the return trip home. I did this and it was incredibly useful. You also get the use of the car locally at Purdue while out shopping for dorm stuff, eating out etc.
If you chose to rent a car you can plan to fly into any of ORD, MID or IND as they all have car rental pickup at the airport. You can land at ORD anytime as the car rentals places are open 24hrs a day. If landing at IND or MID, land by 10 pm as the car rental companies there close around 12-1am, in order to give you enough time to clear customs and immigration and still be in time to pick up your car.
Tips on renting a car:
You only need a passport, credit card, and a driving licence (must be written in English) with a photo to rent a car at all these airports. If you have experience in driving internationally (remember Americans drive on the wrong side of the road for many of us international parents!), you should be fine. In case the student is driving, note that only a few rental car companies (like Thrifty at ORD) will rent to under-21’s, and that too, with a surcharge.
US Medical and 3rd Party Liability means you must rent only with all the insurances included. If you book from the US websites of the car rental agencies or OTAs like Kayak, these insurances will often not be included, as American drivers have the insurance already included via their credit card or car insurances. You should only book via non-US versions of these websites – preferably the European ones as then these insurances are automatically included in the quote. I use holidayautos.com, rentingcarz.com & kayak.co.uk as well as the individual car rental agencies like Hertz/Avis etc on their non-US websites.
Car Rental Insurance
The insurances are often given different names but these are the ones I recommend you get included:
Damage Waiver (DW also known as CDW or LDW or LW) – CDW/LDW waives damage costs with zero deductible. LDW is CDW + Theft Protection. I recommend you take this from the rental company with ZERO ($0) liability for your. Although it is costly, you should take it as you will be protected from any loss/damage/ theft to the car. You may leave this if you are covered through your other insurances. However, note that the other insurances may not be cashless i.e. you will have to pay the rental company from your pocket and then claim that back from your other insurer. Just ensure you have the resources. if you car is stolen/ complete write off, you may have to pay for the whole car ie $35-40,000 upfront!
Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI or LIS) SLI tops up the mandatory minimum liability insurance set to $1m-$2m. Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI) protects you against injuries you may cause to other drivers and damage to their vehicles. In some countries this “third party” protection is compulsorily provided by the vehicle owner, i.e. the rental companies. However in the US, rental cars have minimal third-party liability, meaning the driver is potentially liable for injuries to other people and their property. I would recommend strongly that you take this.
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) Personal Accident Insurance compensates you for personal injuries (including passengers). Generally I dont recommend you pay for this. If you and your family are covered by your international travel and medical insurance from your home country then this would be just paying double for the same coverage.
Personal Effects Coverage This additional coverage option protects your personal items like electronics, luggage and clothing. I dont recommend taking this especially if you have a homeowners or renters insurance policy, it will cover personal items stolen from a rental car as well Or if you have a travel insurance as that policy may also cover the loss.
Tolls
If you hire a rental car from a multinational like Hertz/Avis etc, they have a pre-installed E-Z pass transponder that will pay all highway tolls automatically. There maybe upto three options for you to pay for tolls:
1) Some of the rental companies offer an unlimited number of tolls for a flat fee for eg Hertz offers a “Plate Pass”. Generally these are poor value for money as you will never reach the amount they will charge you upfront. I would skip this option and go for either of the two below
2) If you decide to pay via the car rental company (but without taking the above option) then they will charge you all the tolls you actually incur + an admin charge per day for each day you cross a toll. The Hertz admin fee is a flat $10 a day. Avis is also similar but has a monthly cap of around $25 or so for admin charges.Generally from ORD to West Lafayette- you will pay under $10 oneway, so I would expect the total tolls and admin fee not to exceed $50 for your trip for a typical visit. There are no tolls inside West Lafayette (at least I did not incur any). This is the most convenient option especially for a first-time or infrequent car renter.
3) The last option would be self paying the tolls on the internet by logging into the web site for paying tolls, registering your rental car number plate you hired and paying tolls online directly to the toll company. However, if you do so, you need to ensure the rental company’s own transponder is deactivated by the rental car company at pickup (which some rental companies may not allow). This is suitable for frequent car renters who are familiar with the process and it saves you the admin fee that the rental company will charge you in option 2 above.
Fuel
A common scam is to give you a full tank that you pay for upfront “Full to Empty”. You’re then told to return the car empty as you’ll receive no refund for unused fuel. If you’re not travelling far or renting a car for long, this is a huge waste of money. It’s also likely you’ll pay a lot more than you would at a gas station. Another name for this is “Prepaid fuel”.
When you get to outside ORD you will have maybe half or quarter a tank left so go for a ”Full to Full’ tank option and return the car with a full tank of gas. Fill up at a gas station outside ORD on your way back to returning the car. Never prepay fuel ever. Its a con.
Pack your own GPS
GPS charges can be expensive. The Rental company may charge $10-15 for GPS per day. Avoid this by packing or buying your own GPS unit. I bought mine refurbished on Amazon for about $80 on my first trip in 2017 and have been using it ever since. Its saved me hundreds! Alternatively you can use Google maps on your phone (ensure you have an adequate US data package). However, in certain areas, where there is spotty cellular coverage, you may not be able to use your phone- so getting your own GPS unit may be a better option.
Photograph the car and note all damage
Before you leave the car park, take a slow walk around the car and take note of any scratch, mark, bump or knock. Check there is no damage to the wheels, make sure the spare wheel is also there and inflated, and record the mileage.
You should also take photos for back up and get someone at the rental desk to acknowledge the damage by signing the sheet.
You should also photograph the car on return. Take photos of each panel, the wheels and the mileage. In the past, car companies have charged customers for damage they did not commit, which is why it’s crucial you have as much evidence as possible. All of this could save you from having to pay for any damage you weren’t responsible for.
Hidden charges
There are several hidden fees that can be applied to the total cost of the bill you should be aware of. Some of these fees and add-ons include:
- Additional driver fee: Many hire companies including AVIS and Hertz charge you per day for additional drivers. They can be particularly high if the additional driver is under 21. Unless you’re planning on taking a long road trip where you’d need to take turns, it’s best to stick to one driver.
- Additional mileage: Some rental car companies set a cap on how many kilometres or miles you can travel per day. This is more common with some smaller, local companies so be sure to read the fine print.
- Credit card surcharges: Check your credit card statement a few days after you make the payment. Make sure no extra surcharges have come out and all excess charges, including fuel, have been returned to you.
- Late pick-up: Always enter your flight details when you rent a car. This means staff know if your flight is delayed and shouldn’t rent your car to another customer. If you’re not collecting from an airport, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the depot and always inform them of any delays.
- Late return: When returning the car, many companies give you a ‘grace period’. However, many companies, including Hertz, start charging an hourly rate after 29 minutes. Most rental car companies calculate charges in 24 hour blocks so if you rent a car at 12pm, always put the return time in 24 hours multiples i.e. return at 11.50pm, even if you plan on returning the vehicle earlier. It gives you some flexibility should something delay you. You will be paying for the car anyway so why not? There is generally no early return charges for a return done on the same day.
- One-way/relocation fees: I would rent ORD to ORD return to avoid these charges. If you do a ORD to West Lafayette or vice versa or pick from one airport ORD and return to MID, then there may be relocation or one way fees.
- Refuelling fee: If you haven’t chosen a pre-paid option and don’t return the car with a full tank, you’ll be charged a premium fuel price. So better fuel it up just outside the airport before returning.
Returning after office hours
If you are returning the car outside office hours, i.e. returning when no one from your rental agency is there to receive the car- then its important for you to take a video of you parking the car, and dropping the car keys in the drop box. Take a clean video of the time on the car dashboard too. This is to protect you from any incident that may happen after you return the car and against any allegations of failing to return the car
Tip: Those looking to rent a car for the time that they’re here, I found that booking a car through hertz.co.uk was about 40% cheaper for the same car with all insurances as compared to hertz.com or any travel sites like Expedia/ Kayak… try redoing your quote on hertz.co.uk to see if you get a better deal! If you’re a Visa Infinite card holder, you get a bigger discount by using CDP 769985!
3. Or if you are going to be taking a shuttle:
There are regular bus shuttles available from ORD and IND to Purdue, but none from MID. So if you plan on taking a bus to Purdue, then landing at MID is not an option. Also, a lot of international parents make the mistake of booking the cheapest flight without realising how important it is to time the arrival of the flight right!
Regular scheduled bus services run from ORD and IND to Purdue. You need to time your arrival so that you can catch the shuttles. Arrive too early in the wee hours of the morning and you will face a long wait for the first shuttle after dawn. Arrive too late to catch the last shuttle, and you face either an expensive private cab/ Uber ($200-$350 or so one way from ORD to Purdue- if you can get one that doesn’t cancel as they dont want to ride back empty) or spending the night at a hotel near the airport (see section below on what to do if you cant help arriving outside regular shuttle hours). Any savings you may have made on your air tickets may be wiped out from these unforeseen expenses.
Not only that, if your child is travelling alone to the US, you need to be aware that most hotels in Chicago will NOT rent a room to anyone under the age of 21. In such cases, your child can opt to stay at the The Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport Hotel or the Best Western Plus O’Hare International South Hotel (in Franklin Park). These two are the only hotels near the airport that I have found that allow kids to check in alone- as long as they are over 18. A third hotel, the Best Western at O’Hare (in Rosemont) will allow you to book your child over 18 but it has to be via the parents Booking.com/ OTA account and provided you then call the front desk to request that they put in a remark on the booking allowing your kid to check in. If your child is a minor (not yet 18) and travelling alone, no hotel will allow them to check in by themselves.
If taking a bus:
- aim to land at ORD between 7am-11am (but no later than 3pm) and book a shuttle a minimum 2.5 hrs after landing
- If arriving in IND, plan to land between 7am-6pm (but no later than 8.30pm) and book a shuttle a minimum 1.5 hrs after landing.
To avoid such problems, I recommend that you time your flight arrival so that you can be on no later than the second-last shuttle for the day. This gives you a safety margin so that in case your flights get delayed or you are held up at customs or immigration, you can rebook yourself and take the last shuttle. See section discussing bus schedules below
Two bus companies Reindeer shuttle and Lafayette Limo run their shuttles from both ORD to Purdue. These two plus a newly launched third service GoExpress run from IND to Purdue.
Although you can buy tickets on the spot if there are available seats, I strongly recommend booking your seats in advance, especially as all the students tend to arrive in the same week with shuttle demand very high. If you face trouble accessing the booking page of the shuttle from overseas, you may need to connect to a VPN and select a US server to workaround their geofencing. Both of them allow 1 free check in size bag per person. Additional baggage fees apply. Book your extra bags as soon as you know how many you will be carrying.
If you are arriving outside regular shuttle hours: you can ask Reindeer, Lafayette Limo or Rides2u for a private ride quote. See the large group section below for some idea. Otherwise Book an Uber or contact Avi Singh +1 (847) 226-2323 (a taxi operator that friends have recommended). Purdue themselves mention the following in their WOW handbook- A2B Cab: 765-807-7070 • A Magic Cab Ride: 765-490-9192 • Julian’s Cab: 765-586-2907 • Locomotives Taxi: 765-477-1234 as alternatives to the shuttle.
Carry some food/ snacks in case you face a long wait for a shuttle. Food at ORD/IND arrivals is not great, quite expensive, and with very few options if you are vegetarian/vegan.
Just as an aside- Taking the Greyhound or Amtrak from downtown Chicago is not recommended when you have many bags– A few parents who were with me said they attempted this, but the transfers with heavy bags from the airport into the Chicago Metro, then onto the bus/train was quite difficult. The ones who took this said never again!
Finally, if you are arriving in a large group together, you may find it cheaper to rent a charter as a group from Reindeer, Lafayette Limo or Rides2u rather than paying individually for the shuttle. Bret Hicks (+1 (765) 346-0050 recommended by another Purdue parent) charged $180 for a oneway from Chicago to Purdue for a group of 6 (Aug 2023 rate) with their luggage in a large van . Echo Limousine (suggested by another Purdue parent) does one-way private van transfers for 12-14 passengers and their luggage for $655.50 each way inclusive of taxes, fees, gratuity, and a 5% fuel surcharge (2023 pricing). Email them all for quotes and book in advance.
3a. Chicago to Purdue by shuttle
If you looking to arrive via ORD, I would prefer booking the Reindeer Shuttle as Lafayette Limo clearly states that their share a ride from O’Hare to Purdue does not run regularly and if there are no reservations, they do not make the trip. I am not sure if they would run if there were only 1 or 2 tickets sold, so I would stick to Reindeer who have no such disclaimers. Note that clocks in Chicago run an hour behind the time in Purdue. As at the time of writing these are the bus schedules for the two common services:
Reindeer Shuttle:
Lafayette Limo:
For the ORD to Purdue route, The central location for all pick-ups at ORD is now the “Multi-Modal Facility (MMF)”. There are no pick-ups at any terminals. You need to allow 2.5 hrs from landing, so that you can clear immigration and collect your bags and then ride the ORD ATS train from the terminal you arrive at to the MMF. If you land before 11 am, you can aim to catch the 1.15pm Reindeer shuttle. If you miss that, then you still can get on the 10.30 pm shuttle. Arriving after 3pm, you may miss the last one and have to take an Uber/ spend the night in Chicago.
3b. Indianapolis to Purdue by shuttle
From IND airport both Reindeer and Lafayette run regularly- so you can choose either one safely or the GeoExpress (which is too new to review). Their timings are as follows:
Reindeer Shuttle:
Lafayette Limo:
For the IND to Purdue Route, allow yourself at least 1.5-2 hrs, as IND is not a large airport and shuttle access is quicker after landing. If you land before 7 pm, you can catch the 8.30pm Lafayette Limo. If you miss that, then you still can get the 10.30 pm shuttle. Arriving after 8.30pm, you may find you are too late for the last one and have to take an Uber/ spend the night in Indianapolis.
One Way and Return Travel Dates
For the family flying along, they should plan to move out of West Lafayette on the last day of the International Parents Welcome program or the day after; and then catch a return flight home.
For the student, you will need to take a decision on whether they will be returning home in December for Winter Break or not. Winter Break is around 3 weeks. Its not allowed to stay behind over Winter (unless they pay $35 for every day extra they are in residence – which works out to around $750- plus they have to arrange their own meals). Many international students fly home, or alternatively visit their relatives in the USA to spend this time.
If they are not going to be coming home for winter, you can make the return booking for a day after the end of the exam week in May. But if they are flying home for winter break, then be aware that the earliest return flight you should book is for a flight after the last day of the exam week in December. This is because they have to be at Purdue in case their exams are subsequently scheduled for the last day of the exam week; and at the time you will be making your flight bookings, the exam schedule will have not yet been released. You may want to book a flexi-ticket, so that you can change their return date to an earlier date in case their exams finish early.
Alternatively, you can book a one-way ticket for them in August and then get a new ticket for the Winter Break from the USA.
Where to book the tickets?
Buy online straight from the airline! It proves useful if you want to change dates etc, as bookings through Online Travel Agent (OTA) may expose you to additional service charges or restrictions. Airlines are more willing to help you if the booking is a direct booking.. If you opt for an Online Travel Agent (OTA); only buy from the top well known OTAs like Expedia/Orbitz/ Priceline etc. Second-tier OTAs like Gotogate etc are to be avoided.
You should also try to look if you can get any student discounts. For eg Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways definitely have a special discount for students. You can read up on more student flight discounts here.
Be wary of booking a flight via a third country, as there may be transit visa issues you may not be aware of. For e.g. if you fly via Canada, they demand certain nationalities take a transit visa even if they are only transferring between planes in a Canadian airport & not leaving the airport.
Although you should not book via them, Boilerbookings is a great website to validate your travels as it searches every single flight and shuttle (Lafayette/Reindeer) option available, then ranks all of the combos based on cost and travel time.
Global Entry- a Trusted Traveller Program
The Global Entry program, run by the US Government allows members to use expedited lanes at the U.S. airports, and when crossing international borders. No processing lines, No paperwork, and Reduced wait times for 5 years for a $100 fee. With Global Entry you are automatically enrolled onto TSA Precheck (which is for domestic flights within the US). Although the wait times for interviews after approval are 4-5 months, you can skip this wait-time by submitting you application online and then completing you enrolment interview on Arrival. Walk in (no appointment) interviews/ Enrolment are available on arrival at Chicago O’Hare at Terminal 5 (open 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Daily Booth 58). See how to apply and if you/the student are eligible to participate by answering the questions at the bottom of this page.
Unfortunately, our family does not have passports from a country that qualifies, but I can assert that the wait times are horrendous, especially around August time when all the international students are flying in. The expedited lines can save 2 hours or more of your time- so it is definitely worth considering this program.
However- a word of warning– many universities recommend you not use Global Entry or NEXUS, or an automated passport kiosk, to enter the U.S. They suggest you should speak with a Customs and Border Protection Officer and present the above documents in order to be admitted to the U.S. in the proper student status. It is very likely you will be inspected into the U.S. as a tourist when using Global Entry or NEXUS, which does not permit you to study or work in the U.S. The consequences of being inspected into the U.S. on an incorrect visa status can cause great difficulties for you and can prevent you from beginning your studies at Purdue. In extreme cases you may be required to fly home and re-enter the U.S. again to be considered in the proper status. If you do choose to use Global Entry- ensure you are being inspected as a F-1 student!
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