It’s hard to believe that spring break has come and gone. Booked in November, our trip to Punta Cana always seemed so far away, and now it’s over?! Take me back to the beach and the sun! Now all I have is memories, but great ones. And I also have some helpful tips and advice to those lucky students who will soon (sooner than you think…) be planning their own spring break.
*Even though I went to Punta Cana, these tips can generally apply to any warm vacation spot.
DO start some research in the fall. Make a list of some popular hotspots and try to see who would want to go where. You can never start too early!
DO figure out who will be rooming together. This makes it easier to book both the hotel room and the flights. For those of you heading to the Caribbean, I recommend cheapcaribbean.com. Their agents were very helpful, and were able to walk us through the process over the phone.
DON’T wait until the last minute to plan. You might end up spending more money than planned because you didn’t book earlier.
DO read some reviews about the hotel you’re planning on going to. Beforehand, I knew the ins and outs of our resort, and to beware of the buffets.
DO bring a lot of sunscreen. It may seem like a given, but buying sunscreen abroad can be über-expensive.
DON’T forget your passport if you’re traveling out of the country. Another “duh” tip, but seriously. If your passport is home and you won’t be going there before flying, get that baby mailed to you.
DO talk to people at your resort! Although we were a large group already, we befriended some other college kids and the coolest man from Winnipeg ever, Rob.
BC & Canada Rob!
DO bring your camera. Who doesn’t want some sweet pix? But make sure to keep an eye on it!
Paradise
DO be careful about the tap water situation wherever you’re going. We knew ahead of time that we shouldn’t drink the water in the DR.
Other tips:
– I highly recommend a boat trip in the afternoon or something like that. We had the best time on our pirate ship (this is no joke), and snorkeling is always cool.
Our very own pirate ship
– Bring some cash along, in smaller bills. At the end, most people didn’t have any singles or fives to tip, and no one really wanted to use the ATM because of higher fees.
– Don’t plan every minute of your vacation. Just book the flights and the hotel, and see what happens from there.
– At our resort, they brought animals around (parrots and a monkey) so people could take pictures with them. It may seem like a tourist stunt to get you to pay for the picture (it is) but come on: when are you going to get a picture with a monkey?
Shauna and her parrots!
I hope everyone has the best spring breaks next year! At that time, I will probably be slaving over a desk at some unknown job, so please take me with you.
Photo Sources:
Student City
Shauna Niemeier