One of the various beaches in Cozumel, Mexico. Photo by Deb T.
With all of the snow falling lately it’s hard to imagine people thinking about anything other than how long it will take to clean off the car and shovel the driveway but there are those already dreaming of warmer climates. Students in particular start to consider travel plans in February because one week in March means no classes and no alarm clocks – Spring Break.
Spring Break means different things to different people. To some it means travelling down to warmer climates to get a jump-start on a summer tan or flirt with various persons of affection. To others it means piling into someone’s car and road-tripping across the country for the week. Some just like having a chance to get home and relax and hopefully have someone else do the laundry.
An alternate view of the same Cozumel beach. Photo by Deb T.
A lot of college students jet down to warmer weather for Spring Break. Whether it’s to Disney World, Miami, the Keys or Panama City the state of Florida is crawling with college students for the month of March. If the desire is warmer weather, there are other places to go besides Florida. Mexico is also a frequent destination. Many a Spring Break memory has been made – or forgotten – on the beaches of Cancun and Cozumel. Not to mention Louisiana, Texas, Arizona (Spring Training Sox fans), New Mexico, California, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia all have reasonable weather in the month of March.
For the adrenaline junkie, skip the beaches and head to the roller coasters. There are plenty of parks open year-round in this country (and others) to visit during Spring Break including Extreme World in Wisconsin Dells. Extreme World offers a bungee jump, skycoaster, ejection seat and more. All park hours are weather permitting and the park requests guests call first before travelling long distances to visit. Go to SixFlags.com and find a park you’ve never been to and go with friends. When travelling on Spring Break, always bring a friend or two never go alone. Not just for safety sake, but without a friend around there’s no one to take pictures with, no one to document with and no one to take pictures of you in front of or with things.
Visit family members you haven’t seen for a while in other cities. If it’s a city you’ve never been to, a family member or friend is a great way to get a local versus tourist perspective. Go home with a roommate or friend from the residence hall floor. College is full of people from different states and cities and with the current economy travel funds are often low or non-existent. Going home with a friend is a great way to get a vacation at a decent cost.
Those travelling on a budget should also check out CouchSurfing. It is a non-profit network that connects people from all over the world with other people looking for a place to stay while they travel. Basically, it’s a network of people willing to let others sleep on their couches during their travels. I have never tried it, but I have had a few friends open their couches to surfers and surfed on others’ couches and have had positive experiences. CouchSurfing boasts of having a 99.7 percent rating of positive experiences since 2004. The network was launched in 2003.
Enjoy Spring Break in whatever way you have planned this year but don’t forget to make sure someone knows where you’re going and where you’re staying. Beach bums: don’t forget the sunscreen. Road-trippers: bring enough gas money, pay attention to “Check Engine” lights and have up-to-date insurance information. Couch Surfers and those going home with friends: respect the house(s) you’re staying in and the people that live there. Those going home: don’t expect Mom and Dad to do everything.
For more travel info: Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Priceline, Hotwire, Amtrak, Greyhound, Mapquest, Google Maps.
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