Amherst is located on the western side of Massachusetts, about 90 miles west of Boston and 150 miles northeast of New York City. There are many ways to get here.
BY AIR
The closest airport is Hartford/Bradley International Airport (BDL). From there there are several transportation companies, including Valley Transporter (see https://valleytransporter.com) and Go Green (see https://gogreencabnoho.com/). Car sharing services (Uber/Lyft) are also available.
Particularly for international flights, it may be easier to fly into Boston Logan Airport (BOS). To reach Amherst from Boston, there are bus services operated by Peter Pan Bus (see https://peterpanbus.com) . It is also possible to fly into New York and reach Amherst via Peter Pan Bus.
Since the NSF is funding the travel, the Fly America Act applies. This law requires all travelers receiving support for the conference to book their flights through a US air carrier, although the flights can be provided by partner airlines. For more details, see UMass Amherst's Fly America Policy and UMass Amherst's Fly Decision Tree. (Note the importance of a designator code for the US airline on all legs of the trip.)
BY CAR
From the east: Take I-90 E towards Boston. When you arrive in Springfield, take I-91 N (exit 45 on the left) towards Greenfield/Brattleboro. Get off at exit 25 and follow direction for state route 9 towards Hadley/Amherst. After 6 miles you'll arrive in downtown Amherst. The university is located just one mile north.
From the west: Take I-90 W towards Springfield/Albany. Take exit 63 following directions for Amherst/UMass. Take state route 181N towards Belchertown and then route 9 W towards Amherst. When you arrive in downtown Amherst, the university is located just one mile north.
From the north/south: Take I-91 . Exit in Northampton towards route 9 E (from the north exit 26, from the south exit 25). Take route 9 E towards Hadley/Amherst. After 6 miles you'll arrive in downtown Amherst. The university is located just one mile north.
There will be parking available on campus, parking details will be confirmed and shared with you before the start of the school.
OTHER METHODS OF TRANSIT
It is also possible to reach UMass by coach, train or a combination of the two.
Amtrak trains (see https://www.amtrak.com) connect from Washington DC and New York to Northampton, via New Haven, and CTrail trains (see https://www.hartfordline.com) connect from New Haven to Springfield.
Most coach schedules (see Greyhound https://www.greyhound.com or Peter Pan Bus https://peterpanbus.com) reach Springfield.
From there, PVTA local buses (see https://www.pvta.com) or car sharing services can be used to reach Amherst.
There are also few scheduled trains and coaches that directly reach Northampton (Peter Pan Bus/Greyhound/Amtrak) and Amherst (Peter Pan). Please check on the respective websites for up to date information on their timetables.
REIMBURSEMENT
If we've offered you travel support, please keep all of your travel receipts. Your receipts must include proof of purchase (so, for instance, boarding passes or confirmation e-mails that do not include proof of payment are not needed). After the summer school we will provide an online reimbursement form for you to complete to begin the travel reimbursement process.
Due to NSF grant stipulations, all travelers receiving support for the conference must book their trip using a U.S. airline carrier. For more details, see UMass Amherst's Fly America Policy and UMass Amherst's Fly Decision Tree. (Note the importance of a designator code for the US airline on all legs of the trip.)
VISAS
If you are traveling internationally and will require a visa, we recommend visiting the U.S. Department of State website to learn about the different visitor visas available and how to apply for a visa. Information on the U.S. Department of State's Visa Waiver Program can be found here.