photo by Ryan Yessman

The cold winter months are finally over and its time to celebrate. For schools and universities across the country, the arrival of spring means it’s almost time for one of the most highly anticipated events in a college student’s life: Spring Break.

Before you spring for that all-inclusive hotel package or special Spring Break travel deal, plan ahead and look around at your options. One of the biggest party poopers is learning too late that you spent too much on a vacation that wasn’t worth the splurge. It takes a lot of diligence and discipline to save up your money. A post-break hangover is fine, but coming home flat broke is another matter entirely.

Do Your Research

Check online and canvas for affordable Spring Break vacation deals. Some Tour Companies put on special chartered flights for Spring Break at discounted rates and a number of hotels offer special packages that provide students under legal age with meal or drink passes throughout their stay. Before agreeing to take these packages, look up the hotel or resort and read some reviews. Inclusive packages and value-added packages are only great deals if they can be enjoyed. If you end up not liking the food or the crowd at the hotel your and your friends checked in at, Spring Break is going to turn out being one long week, and we mean that in a negative sense.

Set a Budget

To prevent yourself from crashing back into reality without a single penny left in your wallet, talk with your friends and agree on a collective Spring Break budget. Do not be tempted to spend all your savings on one wild week of partying out of state. Let your research guide how much you should be willing to shell out for the one exciting week where you can put down your books, let your hair down and have a fun time with your friends and the rest of the young adults of the country.

When sealing your travel deals online, a safe way to purchase tickets and pay for hotel reservations is to use a prepaid debit card. You can bring the cash card along with you on your trip as well. Unlike credit cards, you won’t run the risk of overspending with a debit card since you can only spend up to the amount that has been checked into the account.

Alternative Spring Break

If you’re not the partying type, or if you and your friends want to try something different this year, a very rewarding and cost effective way to spend your time off is to go on an alternative Spring Break. Rather than basking in the sun and waves while sipping on a colorful cocktail, try volunteering for one of your neighborhood’s non-profit organization’s alternative Spring Break projects. There is little spending and a whole lot of helping involved in these activities. You and your friends will find the work both fun and fulfilling; you won’t even have to do too much convincing when you ask for your parents’ permission.