The Party — and Work — Goes On for College Spring Breakers
 Megan K. Scott - Associated Press
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| | Spring Break Travel Warning - Arizona University is warning students about travel safety in Mexico. (FOX 11) | |
Acapulco, Mexico, continues to lure U.S. students looking to leave the country on spring break despite the economy.
Bookings to popular beach destinations are strong, according to travel companies, and volunteering vacations continue to gain momentum.
“Typically the student business is more resilient to the economy because it’s like a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” said Jason Chute, director of operations for www.studentcity .com. “A lot of times kids will go, no matter what.”
Here’s how students will be spending their break.
International beaches
Cancun and Jamaica are top destinations, according to Patrick Evans of STA Travel. About 30,000 revelers are expected to visit the beach spot in Mexico this year. Also popular is Acapulco, Mexico, Chute said. Acapulco has some of the hottest nightclubs, many open all night, he said.
Scott Schechter, 22, a Boston University senior, said he was looking for that big-party atmosphere.
“Generally when I think of spring break, most of the nice spring break locations that aren’t trans-Atlantic would be in Mexico,” he said. “The idea of traveling outside the country makes it a little more exciting.”
Perhaps because of the economy, more students are choosing the Party Bus this year, Evans said. The bus departs from locations in California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, to Mazatlan, Mexico. Prices for the seven-night trip (two nights on the bus) start at $300 per person at www.studentcity.com.
Besides Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos are the most popular international destinations for people booking through Travelocity, according to Genevieve Shaw Brown, senior editor.
But she said both have slipped in overall popularity from last year, which suggests people are vacationing closer to home.
Closer to home
Panama City Beach, Fla., remains a top destination for the college crowd, Chute said. Once again the beach hosts MTVU’s spring break party March 8-21. Hotel bookings are strong, says Dan Rowe, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
The top three spring break destinations based on Travelocity bookings are Las Vegas, Orlando and South Florida. Las Vegas was No. 3 last year.
In Vegas, average daily hotel rates are down 28 percent, Travelocity’s Brown said.
“So that combined with the fact that there are deals galore, free nights, two-for-one show tickets, Las Vegas is going to be more popular this year than last,” she said.
Alternative
It has been more than three years since Katrina, but spring break volunteering is growing, according to Andrea Hutchinson of Adventures in Travel Expo.
“We’re farther away from Katrina, but President Obama was just elected,” said Steven Roy Goodman, educational consultant. “There has been a real resurgence of a spirit of service.”
Intrepid Travel in Canada has set up almost 40 trips that are 100 percent carbon offset, and volunteering trips have gained sales momentum in the last year, according to Christian Wolters, marketing manager.
Anna Rice, 19, a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston, hit up friends and family to help with the cost of her trip to New Orleans. She is going to be rebuilding an animal shelter.
“I didn’t have a lot of money, and I wanted to go away for spring break,” she said. “It should be fun to do community service, and I like animals.” |
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Travel & Outdoors | February 2009 
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