Spring Break: Don't let the Experience Pass you By!
Mar 03 '03 (Updated Jan 28 '06)
The Bottom Line Try to plan your spring break early and learn how to stretch your dollars. Whatever you do, don't let the experience pass you by! You're only a student once.
College life is full of new challenges and new experiences. Classroom studies often present new opportunities for academic knowledge to expand and grow. New and often interesting experiences are part of the daily routine, in both academic circles and in personal activities.
Besides academics, the other important aspect of higher education is, of course, the social scene. Most all universities have at least a small number of social outlets to help the young students grow on a personal level. And even if a particular university doesn’t offer many social activities, there’s one rite of passage that most any student can participate, each year late March. I’m talking about Spring Break, an annual vacation excursion that’s as much a part of the college experience as any other.
Planning Your Trip:
The place to begin your Spring Break planning can be found right at your local university. Look around the student union and other places where advertisements are commonly placed. Starting in late January, and continuing all the way through March (or whenever your school’s Spring Break takes place), you will likely see ads placed on the walls inviting students to purchase a Spring Break package to a popular destination. Often, these packaged offers present some pretty good deals and they almost always include transportation and lodging.
If you don’t see any ads, then you will need to be resourceful and plan your own trip. You can start by logging onto the internet and looking up some possible itineraries. You can either use a general travel service (travelocity.com, expedia.com, etc.) or a specialized on- line service designed specifically for Spring Break, like studentcity.com.
Places to Go:
First and foremost, you need to decide where you would like to go. If your university offers standard, packaged plans, then your destination will likely already be chosen for you. Most universities offer only one or two standardized plans, so you have to be willing to accept whatever destination is offered.
If your plans are more flexible and/or you would rather design your own trip, then you will need to decide where to travel. Money, weather conditions, and proximity will all play a part in your final decision. Here’s a list of popular travel sites for Spring Break, along with the normal high/low temperature for late March:
1. Panama City, Florida…......Normal High: 72, Normal Low: 49
2. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina….Normal High: 70, Normal Low: 46
3. South Padre Island, Texas…………Normal High: 76, Normal Low: 64
4. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida…….Normal High: 82, Normal Low: 65
5. Dayton Beach, Florida…………….Normal High: 77, Normal Low: 55
International Destinations:
1. Cancun, Mexico…………………Normal High: 84, Normal Low: 72
2. Nassau, Bahamas………………..Normal High: 80, Normal Low: 64
3. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico…....Normal High: 83, Normal Low: 56
4. Acapulco, Mexico…………….Normal High: 88, Normal Low: 70
The reason I wanted to point out the temperatures is because many students plan trips to these destinations assuming that the weather will be very warm. As you can see, some of them are quite warm, with average highs above 80 degrees. But others, including the immensely popular Panama City, Florida, have an average high that barely exceeds 70, and a normal low in the high 40’s. These temperatures often surprise students who visit Panama City for the first time. They come here expecting balmy, 80+ temperatures every day and what they get is weather that’s often barely warm enough for swimming.
Transportation:
Unless you plan to purchase a package deal that includes bus transportation from your school, you will have to decide on how to get to your desired vacation spot. The majority of students opt for driving, because of financial limitations. This is understandable, but one should also consider the distance that driving will require. If your destination is extremely far away, you could end up losing 2 or 3 days of potential vacation because of the necessary time that driving requires and because of the rest you will need, once you arrive. Flying is more costly, but it might be the best choice (if your wallet permits it) if your destination is 1,000 miles or more away.
Things to Take Along:
Spring Break vacations are normally one week in duration, and most of the destinations that students choose are warm. For this reason, you need to bring only a medium- size bag of light clothes and the other essentials you feel you need to get through one week from home. If you plan to purchase some souvenir t-shirts or other clothing while on your trip, you could lighten your suitcase a little bit and just wear what you buy on some of the days.
Expenditures:
The amount that you will spend varies considerably from place to place. Your greatest personal expense (possibly your only expense) will be food and drink. If your destination resort is more secluded, with few available options for food, then you can expect to pay a little more for basic sustenance items due to lack of competition. But if you are heading to an area that’s loaded with resorts, restaurants, stores, and bars, then there should be enough competition to keep prices low.
As far as the exact amount to bring, well, that’s impossible to determine because it depends on how much you are willing to spend and how often you plan on going out. Which brings me to the next question that many students ask……
What if I’m on a Tight Budget?:
Most students are either poverty- stricken or just a few steps away from reliance on food stamps. For a good number of students, money is the greatest concern when planning a trip for Spring Break. Some might even be forced to forgo a trip completely, because of financial constraints. But there are a few things you can do, to stretch your travel dollars to the absolute limits and still be able to enjoy yourself.
First of all, you should definitely look for special travel deals with your university that include bus transportation for a reasonable cost. If these deals are still beyond the limits of your budget and you need to drive, then try to carpool with as many friends as possible. By sharing expenses with 3, 4, or 5 other people (if you can pack them into your car), you can reduce the cost of gasoline to a very low level. You should also do the same thing with your choice of lodging: pack the room with several friends and divide the total cost among the members of the group.
Another possible option is to choose a destination that’s not so commercialized. Places like Cancun and Miami Beach are fun places to go, but they can also prove to be very expensive. You might want to consider a lesser- known area to visit that has a large supply of rooms and limited demand. This can often result in lower prices.
With food, you should try to stick with the least costly meals available. Generally, that means eating either fast food or take- out snacks purchased from a grocery store or convenience store. It might not be the ideal way to spend a Spring Break vacation, but it’s better than no trip at all.
Final Thoughts:
Spring Break is an integral part of the college experience. It helps to break up the tedious study routine with a well- deserved vacation trip where you can hang out with hundreds and even thousands of other people of similar age and interest.
I’ve taken some Spring Break trips in my time. Back in the late 1980’s, when I was a student, the popular places to travel were Daytona Beach, South Beach in Miami, and a few others. Panama City hadn’t really caught on yet. I remember cramming 6 or 8 people into one of the rooms (I can’t even remember the exact number- that’s how bad it was!) in order to save money. Once the cost of six night’s worth of lodging was divided among this large of a number of people, the cost per person wasn’t much at all. In fact, had it not been for this, I would not have been able to go. I was too broke to afford the regular room rate- the amount you pay when you shared a room with a total of four people, which is what the rooms are designed to accommodate.
The cost of food and drink can be kept under control if you stick with things like fast- food, pizza, and snacks from a local carry- out or grocery. If possible, it’s a good idea to get a room that includes a kitchenette. That way, you can just buy and prepare food right there in the room. Of course, you need to beware of starving friends. You could very well open up the refrigerator one morning and discover that it was emptied out the night before, while you were at the beach. Eating food this way- as opposed to going out to eat every day- isn’t really as bad as it sounds. I found (and so did my friends) that eating on Spring Break seemed like more of a chore than anything else. It took away valuable time that could have been spent partying, swimming, and carousing on the beach. On some nights, it’s common for the hotel/resort to have a welcoming party that includes complimentary food and/or drink. If this situation arises, take advantage of it and go to the event! Even if you stay only a short time, the free food can help to ease the strain on your personal finances.
The weather is another important consideration, and that’s why I mentioned the average temperatures up above. Panama City Beach is probably the best example of a destination that is subject to cooler temperatures during Spring Break season. Students often arrive here expecting it to be much warmer, and are often disappointed when the mercury barely rises over 70 degrees. And remember- these are just the averages. If a cold blast hits, the temperature can easily drop 10 degrees or more, making it too cold to swim. This can turn your Spring Break vacation into an indoor event as opposed to an outdoor event. It can still be fun, yes, but you need to be prepared for the worst so that you don’t return home with a frown on your face.
Spring break is an important time of year to relax and forget about the stress and strain of being a student. Every student should try to plan some time away from the daily grind of studying. Even if your money is scarce, you should have no trouble finding a place to go if you play your cards right. Join forces with your friends, carpool, and share expenses. This week long vacation will help you revive friendships, meet new people, and rejuvenate your body, both mentally and physically. Start planning now, and make your spring break an experience to remember!
For More Educational Reading, Click on the Links Below:
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