If there’s one good thing about the spring semester in college (besides the summer break that soon follows it) is Spring Break – a whole week away from classes, the library, long lectures, and homework!
Most students want to get as far away from campus as possible and often opt for warm-weather regions where they can bask in the sun, swim in the ocean, or just have some fun. For those of us who can only dream of laying poolside or wearing shorts and tank tops during the winter when the air is too cold for comfort, we need an escape. And Spring Break comes right in time.
If you’re ready for a big trip and want to travel internationally, there are a lot of great places that many students call home during the springtime. According to Student Break Direct and Student Universe, here are some of the top destinations for Spring Breakers who want to travel outside of the U.S.:
Cancun, Mexico
Negril, Jamaica
Acapulco, Mexico
Nassau, Bahamas
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
The good thing about planning an international trip to places like Mexico, the Bahamas, or the Dominican Republic is that tourism is one of biggest industries for these regions, so their facilities are top-notch and all-inclusive trips are quite common. Choosing this type of travel is really a good deal because once you arrive at your destination, you don’t have to worry about transportation to and from the airport, extra expenses for food and drinks, or for any amenities around the resort like room service, or extra beach towels or chairs. Some even include fun activities like Zumba, water aerobics, yoga, towel folding, or dance lessons as part of the deal.
Most resorts have a lot of different options for dining, so don’t think you’re going to be eating the same thing for every meal throughout the week. Usually, the resorts have a number of different restaurants catered to different types of cuisines and they vary from buffet-style eateries where you can wear your board shorts and flip flops to white tablecloth tables where formal attire is requested.
If you’re more of the adventurous type and staying on the resort for a full week makes you want to pull your hair out, many of the resorts also offer excursions to nearby places where you and your friends can swim with dolphins, parasail, snorkel, visit historic sites, or even go shopping at some local markets and malls. The resort has employees who specialize in booking these sorts of trips, so you won’t have to worry about pla
nning ahead or finding information on your own. They are usually locals who know the ins and outs of the area and can direct you to reputable places where vacationers always have a great time. The excursions can be anywhere from just a few hours to a whole day, so you can easily find one that matches your needs and that fits into your schedule as well.
As with any vacation or travel experience abroad, it is important to use safety precautions to ensure that in the event of an emergency, you can get the help you need. With the increased use of EMR, or electronic medical records, you should be able to easily access your files from wherever you are, but it would be a good idea to have a list of all allergies and medications that you may be taking in case of an emergency. Hopefully you won’t have to worry about any of this, but in the unfortunate even that something happens, you want to be prepared.
If you and your friends are ready to pack your bags and head outside of the U.S., be sure to look into booking an all-inclusive trip to one of the top spring break hot spots. What may initially seem like a big amount of money to spend all at once, you will see that an all-inclusive is a great option to cover all of your expenses in one shot. You will definitely not be disappointed!
