Spring break is just around the corner, and while a fair amount of students head home to the parents, some lucky ones live the spring break dream. So if vacation funds are lacking this spring break, check out the hotspots this year and start saving.
Cole deCathelineau, a senior sports management major, is going to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for seven days with his family this spring break. He's excited about getting away and going to the beach to spend some time in the sun.
"Usually the weather is pretty stable around there this time of year, sometimes if you go to Florida or something it could be rainy or cold, and this is your guaranteed warm weather," deCathelineau said.
Playa del Carmen is a little more secluded than Cancun, but the two are fairly close. Spring break websites and travel agents agree though, that for the average college student, Cancun is spring break. It is the No. 1 spring break destination with beautiful water, white sand, hot sun and temperatures Minnesota is lucky to see even in the summer.
According to Tripadvisor.com, "Cancun's entire economy is based on partying," and that's something most college students can appreciate. For the students that choose not to spend their days and nights as a drunken mess, most trips offer alternative activities. Studentcity.com has side activities available in its packages that include snorkeling and jungle tours.
Lee Kesselring, a travel agent at Travel and Cruise Center Inc. in Mankato, said most of the Mankato spring breakers they work with hit up Mexico for their vacation. Not surprisingly, Cancun is their biggest seller. This year her agency ran a deal that sent folks to Cancun for just under $800. Not bad for an all inclusive ticket and all inclusive does mean just that. The trip included flight, hotel, transportation, food and drinks, both alcoholic and not. Mazatlan is the next-best destination Kesselring sends students.
Studentcity.com advises that Mazatlan "has become the destination of choice for Spring Breakers who want to be part of the craziest parties and beach contests in Mexico." That's a far cry from the jumbo margaritas students get excited about up on Madison Ave.
The bad news for students without a passport is travel agents like Kesselring don't see many students staying in the states to party.
"We don't see a lot of spring breakers going to those destinations [within the U.S.] because most of the spring breakers are under 25 and it's difficult to get transportation, whereas when you go to Mexico the transportation from the airport to the hotel is included," Kesselring said.
Places like Florida usually require a car to get around, and Kesselring said students can rent a car if they are under 25, but it definitely costs extra. So short of road tripping down there, Florida might be more of a pain to deal with. Another road block in the states: the legal drinking age is 21 while Mexico is a lax 18 for the younger crowd.
But even though many choose to go to Mexico, really anywhere that is over 70 degrees and has a beach is worthy of a spring break trip. If that's not going to happen this year, at the very least grab some friends and have some fun outside of Mankato, the beaches will still be down south next year.
Elena Shufelt is a Reporter staff writer
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