With spring break just around the corner, it’s probably tempting to dip into your student loan money to finance a much-needed getaway. Before you do, keep in mind that you’ll be paying interest on that borrowed money for years to come. So even if you find a great deal on a trip, the final cost could be significantly more if you are booking it on borrowed money.
With that in mind, we came up with a few ways to save on your spring break adventures:
- Your student I.D. card is your ticket to cheap travel — use it! If you’re a student (and/or younger than 26), you’re entitled to discounts on everything from Eurail passes to bus trips to airfares. Visit the web sites for STA or Student Universe, two of the biggest student travel agencies, to scope out your options. Or if your spring break is just days away, check out www.lastminutedeals.com, the perfect site for procrastinators on a budget.
- Road trip, anywhere. No matter where you’re headed, you’re bound to find adventures on the road (with the right friends and plenty of snacks). Traditional destinations like Vegas never disappoint, but if you’re nowhere near Sin City, maybe it’s time to visit some lesser-known American landmarks, like the largest ball of twine in the world (Minnesota) or the Crayola Factory (Pennsylvania). Let the good people at www.roadsideamerica.com guide you to an especially quirky spring break. The photo ops alone should be priceless.
- Be a tourist in your own city: Forget your usual hangouts — now is the time to branch out. Try a new coffee shop. Have dinner somewhere other than the café around the corner. Better yet, try some ethnic food you know nothing about (Tibetan, anyone?). Explore unknown neighborhoods. Visit the local museums you’ve been meaning to see for the last few years. Take a hike. Hop on a bus.
- Bring the beach home. Turn up the heat, dig out your flip-flops, and crank up the Jimmy Buffett. If you’re into arts and crafts, we recommend fashioning grass skirts out of, say, ramen noodles to complete the tropical vibe. And just imagine the satisfaction you’ll have years from now, telling your kids how rough you had it back in the day. “When I was your age, Junior, we couldn’t go to Puerto Vallarta and party with our friends. We were so poor we had to stay home and make clothes out of food…”
- If you can’t physically leave town, at least let your brain wander a bit. Put your textbooks away and switch to that novel you’ve been neglecting. Pick up some new CDs or freshen up your iPod. Catch up on movies you’ve been missing — especially the foreign ones.
What are your ideas for spring break on the cheap? Are you staying home or going all out?
Hostels are another great idea... we have some great ones here in the U.S., especially in traditionally liberal cities like San Francisco, Seattle and New York. In hostels specifically designated for students, you can meet some really unique people your age!
Helping out in New Orleans was the best and cheapest Spring Break trip I've ever taken. People there could use all the help they can get, because they're not getting any from the government. Check out www.craigslist.org and click on their "Katrina Relief" button to find oodles of organizations helping out down there. You won't regret it!
The "alternative spring break" is definitely the way to go. My junior and senior year of college I traveled to Kentucky with a group of students to work with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Here are the benefits: 1. It's CHEAP. We each only had to raise $200, and we could ask for donations, which were tax-deductible for the donors. 2. It's FUN. You get to meet a ton of new people, most of whom you will continue to be friends with upon returning to school. People who run these trips also usually set up activities - in Kentucky, we went to bluegrass concerts, hiking in the mountains, etc. 3. You are doing something to HELP others. I wish I had done this every single year, those trips were some of the best times I've ever had in my life.
Speaking of jobs, consider being a lab rat. If you're around a university/hospital, and you don't mind being a "guinea pig", check out flyers for healthey volunteers for medical studies. Some of them pay GOOD MONEY for not doing too much (maybe a blood draw or two). I did a one week-long sleep study over my spring break that paid $800!!!! Easy money. Plus, you can feel good about yourself contributing to the advancement of science. ;)
how bout just getting a job for spring break? that sounds affordable!
Look for opportunities at school or either through clubs. For my spring break, I took a spring break field trip class that was focused on agriculture. I live in Minnesota. In the class, some of the places we got to go to were: the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, Cargill, Hormel, Christensen Farms, CHS barge terminal, and Land O'Lakes cheese plant.
I agree with Ben. Im heading to New Orleans this spring break to help out with the relief effort, while having the chance to eat some great food, listen to some awesome jazz music, and visit cool sites like Jim Morrisons grave. I thought about going to Hawaii, but when I thought about it, I knew trying to make a difference would be more memorable than drunken debauchery... plus, its going to be alot cheaper staying with an organization, and not going out to drink so much. my friends waste so much money on alochol, its not even funny... i definitely reccomend the alternative spring break idea.
i'm all about the spring break camping trips. during undergrad, alternative spring break programs- like habitat for humanity- were a great opportunity to visit a warm climate, meet new friends, and help make a difference.