With midterms mostly over, and February slowly coming to its grueling end, conversation has switched from hurried chit-chat in between classes to long and passionate discourses about life and the future, near and far. With this shift brings the re-emergence of a topic well-loved amongst college students near and far: spring break.
Spring break sounds good in theory: a getaway to some unfamiliar paradise, accompanied by thousands of other young people with like-minded desires, sounds like a wonderful way to spend the week break in between quarters. But what that description leaves out is the process it takes to get to that point: the copious amounts of planning, budgeting, organizing with schedules, mindlessly searching for the most cost-efficient and enticing way to enjoy yourself for the first few days of the new season, almost defeats the very point of spring break — to relax and just have fun.
So if you’ve been putting off planning your dream vacay in fear of encountering one of the many obstacles that emerge when attempting to plan a trip independently, then let this article act as a potential guide to inspire you to grasp onto a destination that feels right and make it happen!
Rosemary Beach, Florida: A Girls’ Trip
We have officially emerged from the depths of break-up season, and many of our strongest soldiers have fallen victim to a messy breakup. If this applies to you, or if you’d rather hang out with your friends over any potential partner (go you!), then it’s likely that a girls’ trip is in the cards for you this break. Labeled as the most charming beach village in America by a plethora of reviewers, Rosemary Beach is a perfect destination for you and your friends to relax, explore, and bond! This is a quintessential destination for all things aesthetic: Rosemary Beach is densely populated with farmers’ markets, art galleries, beautiful white sand beaches, and the cutest inns I’ve ever seen — check out The Pearl if you feel like splurging, or the Rosemary Beach Inn for something more realistic.
Wrightwood Mountain: Ski Trip
If you’re anything like me, you haven’t had the opportunity to go up to the snow yet, even though it’s really not that far away. If this is the case, or if you’re still missing your last ski or snow trip of this year, then maybe staying a bit closer to campus is the perfect vacation for you. With the consistent rainfall we’ve been having over the past few weeks, spring break might just turn out to be the ideal time to make one last trip up to the snow for the season. If you want to avoid the crowds at more popular California Ski Resorts, like Mammoth or Big Bear, look into taking a trip up to Mountain High. An hour outside of Los Angeles, this ski resort is much more low-key than its counterparts, and also turns out to be half the price! Cute Air BNBs sometimes go for less than $100 if you book fast, and when you’re not in the room, activities such as ziplining, hiking, and skiing are offered close by.
Cabo San Lucas Resort Trip
Yes, the infamous Cabo trip has made its way onto the list. Though it is not the most unique of vacation destinations during spring break, it is famous for a reason — it’s beautiful, reasonably priced, and is filled with college students from all over the country and beyond. It provides an experience that’s hard to match in terms of more social aspects (you are bound to meet some incredibly interesting people here, and it’s very likely run into someone you know!). If you know where to look, you can take on Cabo for a fair price: the Riu Palace, for example, has all-inclusive food and drinks, provides flights to and from their resort if needed, and contains a plethora of restaurants, activities, parties, and even water parks for those who dare to explore, all for around 400 dollars a night.
Palm Springs for Budget Trip
If going out of the stage is not in the cards for you this year, then it is the perfect time to venture down south to Palm Springs. The weather is not usually incredibly hot, and renting out an AirBNB, even with a pool, shouldn’t amount to much if you travel in a group! Hike out to an Oasis, do some shopping, visit the Living Desert Zoo, where many animals walk freely, and embrace the California landscape and beautiful weather.
Spring break is not confined to one destination or one conception of what the “proper” vacation entails. Though this list is certainly not comprehensive, these travel destinations are examples of what a spring break could mean to me, in hopes that it inspires the possibility of mulling over what a spring break means to you!