Daytona Beach. West Palm Beach. South Padre Island. Cancun. Cabo San Lucas. Miami Beach. College students save up for months to experience what they see as a rite of passage: Spring Break. When you think Spring Break, you think sun, beach, bikinis, wet t-shirt contests, alcohol, and MTV. The term "Spring Breaker" is used to distinguish these college students from the local residents of the places they visit. Sure I may be through with college and living in "the real world" but I just experienced my first official Spring Break last month. Yes, I know I have a real job and bills and other responsibilities but I couldn't pass up a reunion with great friends that I haven't seen in a while.
Three of my best friends (all of which are still in school (2 undergrad, 1 grad)) all had Spring Break during the same week. At the end of December, we were all talking about when we would see each other again and someone threw out the idea of Spring Break. I was very intrigued by the idea because I had never been on a legitimate Spring Break trip. I had spent three of my Spring Breaks back in my hometown of New Bedford, MA. Don’t' get me wrong, I love my hometown but it is definitely NOT a Spring Break kind of city. I spent my last Spring Break with Danielle in Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. (where I currently live) visiting Wayne and Aayla and looking for apartments for Danielle and me to live in after graduation.
All in all, I've never had the "fun in the sun," "party hardy," "road trip," "once in a life time" Spring Break experience. This year, I changed that. After our brief brainstorming in December, we put our heads together via e-mail, Twitter, text messaging, and cell phone conversations to plan a Spring Break rendezvous. My friend Brian is a graduate student at Texas A&M University pursuing his Master's Degree in Student Affair Administration and Higher Education (check out his blog at BrianFLeDuc.com). The life of a grad student is not easy; needless to say, he definitely needed a Spring Break. Because he lives in Texas, Danielle and I along with our friends Lauren (Brian's girlfriend) and Caitie decided it would be a great idea to visit Brian for Spring Break.
Caitie, Lauren, and Danielle
Danielle and I used some vacation time to get the week off from work. The four of us flew into Houston's George H. W. Bush Intercontinental Airport where Brian picked us up. We drove to Galveston, TX where we had rented a condo right on the Gulf of Mexico for the week. The weather was amazing and there was plenty to do and experience while on Galveston Island. Between the delicious seafood, beautiful palm trees (the first time I've ever see a palm tree in person, by the way), the historical landmarks, great weather, and easy access to the beach and a pool, we had an amazing and affordable Spring Break. Not to mention, the best company a guy could ask for.
Brian and me #winning duh!
Here are some more pictures from my first Spring Break trip to Galveston, Texas
Beach on Seawall Blvd.
Mardi Gras Arch
Regardless of your enrollment status, you too can have a Spring Break if you want. It's just that, in the real world, people tend to refer to it as "vacation." Here are some quick tips for planning a fun, relaxing, and affordable Spring Break/Vacation:
- PLAN PLAN PLAN!
- I cannot stress this enough. Nobody enjoys loose travel plans, especially when you only have a short time period to work with. Make sure you sit down, Skype, web conference, etc. with your friends to map out a game plan so that everyone is on the same page and you can PLAN accordingly. This game plan should include the following:
- Attendance (who coming with?)
- Budget (money money money mooonay MONEY)
- Time Frame (when are you going on your trip?)
- Travel Arrangements (flights, cars)
- Lodging (hotel, condo, resort)
- Food (groceries, restaurants)
- Miscellaneous expenses (entertainment, souvenirs, etc.)
- SAVE SAVE SAVE!
- Everybody knows that money makes the world go 'round. Annoying, I know, but it's a fact of life. Thus, make sure you are saving money based on the game plan you set with your friends. In fact, you want to make sure a Spring Break/Vacation is even feasible for you and your wallet before you start planning anything. Obviously, you need to factor in your income and monthly bills. Personally, it's not worth it to sacrifice my credit and risk eviction for a Spring Break/Vacation. Also factor in hotel/lodging, travel, food, and miscellaneous expenses when determining whether or not you can afford a Spring Break/Vacation.
- Take Care of Business
- Make sure you are not planning a Spring Break/Vacation during a busy time for you. Odds are if you are really busy at work, your bosses and supervisors will not approve time off or vacation for you. Make sure you ask for time off in advance. Also, don't leave all your work for someone else to do. My company asks for us to identify a backup to help out with the tasks we are leaving behind while we are away. Make your backup's life easier by leaving as little for them to do as possible because they are not only taking care of your business, they still have their job to do. Tie up any and all loose ends before leaving for Spring Break/Vacation.
- Pack Appropriately
- Look up the weather forecasts for the place you will be visiting for the time period you will be there. You should always pack appropriately so that you are comfortable while on Spring Break/Vacation. Odds are you'll be going to a place with a warmer climate. Thus, pack your bathing suit, sun screen, sunglasses, shorts, short sleeved shirts, and sandals.
- Have fun!
- What's the point of going on Spring Break/Vacation if you're not going to enjoy it? Make sure you are with great people who you know you will have a great time with. Take advantage of what the area has to offer.
I sure there are plenty of other things that people need to take into consideration when going on Spring Break/Vacation but these are the things I needed to keep in mind and do when planning my Spring Break/Vacation in order to have a great time.
I'm glad there's a first time for everything...well almost everything.
Sincerely,
J.A.B.
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