In a state of wanderlust: Spring break edition

After many exams and papers, we are ready to get away from the world of work for a week or so.

Heading south or north within North America seems to be a trend during spring break. A week often isn’t enough time to head abroad on a vacation to Europe or somewhere else of the sorts. Those destinations typically require a much longer flight — which eats into your vacation time — and also require a sufficient amount of time touring the destination.

Instead, shorter flights to southern destinations, like Florida and the Caribbean, for some sun and a laid-back time, or northern or western destinations for winter sports, are more common.

The vacations also tend to be a go-and-stay type of trip versus touring around countries and cities, again probably due to the fact that time is limited and most college students just want to relax.

Seeing as I go to Lehigh and live in Bethlehem during the semester, I can vouch that going home to Florida and looking forward to sitting on a warm beach always gets me through 4 o’clocks.

The thought of sunshine and relaxation is a good way to slow down the pace of my normal college life. On the opposite note, before I lived in Pennsylvania for half the year, I tended to take trips out West to go skiing and get away from the hot weather in Florida.

Many people choose to head to the tropics to soak up the much-needed sun rays after a long winter up North. College students all around the United States head to Cancun, Mexico, Key West, Florida, the Bahamas and many other tropical destinations — sometimes even on a cruise, which visits multiple. It’s a time to slow down our busy lives and relax for a week before it all starts back up again.

Others choose to head further north or go out West to ski or snowboard for a more active break. It could be the last chance to get in a few nice ski runs before all the snow begins to melt.

While spring break is an optimal time to get away, many destinations increase their rates or age of occupancy to limit the amount of spring breakers staying at their location. For cruises specifically, most liners limit the number of travelers under 21 as to decrease the amount of rowdy college students looking for a fun time. Hotels and cruise lines want to be courteous to their other guests.

Not only do hotels increase their rates, but flight prices also surge exponentially around the time of spring break. Booking a flight in advance is the best way to secure the cheapest price. Waiting to find last-minute deals is another option, although that can be a riskier choice since flights sell out quickly. One may not come along which means you may not be going anywhere.

Even though spring break depends on the schedule of individual colleges, it is one of the most expensive times of the year to travel. If you’re on a tight budget and looking to go somewhere cheap, spring break is not the time to do it. Prices begin to increase in late February into March and decrease after Easter weekend.

An alternative to spring break travel would be taking long weekends to destinations closer to campus — another option to unwind for a quick getaway without missing commitments back at school. These short excursions are less time consuming and can save you a lot of money on flights and hotels during the spring break period. Going on vacation for a shorter amount of time doesn’t mean it will be any less fun, but in the end, may save you money, time and effort over trying to plan a spring break trip. You could even take multiple trips throughout the year, time permitting, for the same cost or less.

By no means am I trying to convince you to not travel for spring break, but rather giving you options to maximize the getaways and minimize the money spent.

Who wouldn’t want to travel for less?

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