I know it’s a little early, but my DH has never gone on a college springbreak yet. Next year is senior year (although he’ll have one more semester), but the last time that he and all his friends will be together for a springbreak. He didn’t go last year, as it was a bunch of them in a hotel room and he would have had to sleep on the floor, and that’s just not his thing anymore. I’d like to add this will be for the girls, too, not just guys.
They were thinking of Cancun…but looking at the prices with all-inclusives, it still looks like the cheapest with air would be around $2,400. I think they are tired (at least my son) of Florida. He’s not so gung ho about a cruise.
I was thinking Vegas! Maybe not 7 nights…but 5. None of them have been there. March should be a nice time of year to lay around the pool if they like, all the shows, shopping, restaurants and sightseeing. I don’t know…do you think your 21 year old son or daughter would enjoy that for a springbreak trip? Just trying to think of something cheaper and out of the box.
D and friends rented a house in Puerto Rico their senior year. It was actually four apartments in a house and they rented them all. It was $500 a night (now $800) and they had about twenty people. They were a five minute walk from the beach AND they had their own pool. They had a great time. S went to Florida because he just did what his friends planned and organized. He was fine with that.
I think your Vegas idea sounds great. Another idea – and this is what my DS did for his spring break when he was 21 – Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest music festival. It is an international event. Wristbands or badges are expensive (depending on what “level” you buy) but they get you into lots of music venues. Plus, there are lots of free music venues and free food. DS ate free for a couple of days – free Taco Bell, free Mountain Dew, etc. etc. Also, Jimmy Kimmel films his show here live for four nights. It’s free, but you have to enter a lottery of some sort to get tickets. If they are into music, it’s a lot of fun.
My Pennsylvania son talked about a trip to Las Vegas during his senior year but instead went to Ireland with two friends. He finally did the Las Vegas trip 3 weeks ago with about 20 friends from grad school (AFI in Los Angeles). I didn’t get many details in phone conversations since then but I have seen the FB pictures that their unofficial historian classmate posted. They were only there two nights but looked like they had a lot of fun during that time. He did say that he spent all of $10 on gambling. For him, it was pretty inexpensive since they carpooled and slept 4 to a room. A couple of his friends knew their way around so they got good deals on rooms.
This year we went to Cancun and Punta Cana for two family vacations. The Cancun all inclusive was a lot more expensive than the Punta Cana one, and Punta Cana was a lot more fun. We stayed at http://www.melia.com/en/hotels/dominican-republic/punta-cana/paradisus-punta-cana-resort/index.html
The beach was gorgeous, food and drinks were very good. If you book it early enough you could get a great discount. There are less expensive resorts at Punta Cana, but the beach would still be beautiful. I think you get a lot more value at Punta Cana than Cancun.
You may also want to check out Club Med at Punta Cana. There tend to be a lot more travelers from Europe and more activities. All activities (water skiing, tennis, most sports) are all included.
D and her friends celebrated their 21st bdays by having a long weekend in Vegas. They all shared a suite and had a great time together. D paid about $50 for her share of the lodging. S liked using breaks for rock climbing and camping.
What does your son want to do? What other 21 years want is irrelevant. Personally I don’t like Vegas at all.
When I go on vacation, the very last thing I want to do is stuff. I’ll go out to restaurants but other than that, I want to sit by the water and do not a darn thing. Shopping? Absolutely not. Sightseeing? Maybe if it’s not swimming weather.
21 years old? San Francisco hiking/sightseeing with a trip to Napa/Sonoma? I have never been to Vegas, but kiddos did (big sis’s bachelorette party), and they said that 2-3 days there was plenty for them.
Puerto Rico sounds lovely. Costa Rica? Alaska Air just started service to San Jose!
They are wanting to keep down costs. Don’t you ever try to help them come up with ideas? The 21 year olds I know appreciate the help. As far as San Francisco…@BunsenBurner…we went on a 10 day family vacation to California last summer and DH said SF was the coolest city he has ever been to. We all just LOVED CA. Not sure how many are going to go, but like I said…cost is a factor.
We have not been involved in planning our kids’ trips since they began college. They generally let us know after the fact (only let us know ahead of time if they may need some extra funding). We do plan if the kids may accompany US on one of OUR trips, making it a family outing. I don’t think a family outing with lots of college kids on a spring break sounds like too much fun for them or us. Personally, I’m not a fan of Vegas or Reno or Tahoe, but D enjoyed it for a long weekend with lots of friends.
S1 was in Vegas in March during his spring break. One of his complaints is the feeling that every single person working there is trying to rip you off. Some good clubs for the 20-somethings, though lines and a $20 cover are common. Need to dress and look the part to get into the most popular ones.
My kids did not have entertainment based spring break trips.
Their funds were limited, so they generally stayed fairly local, either with community projects or regional recreation opportunities. Skiing/climbing/camping.
D had planned her gap year abroad after high school, she didnt need my help planning breaks from school.
I went to college in Arizona, which has quite a few excellent spring break destinations. I would recommend:
Havasupai Falls and Grand Canyon hiking/camping
Lake Powell houseboating
Hiking/Camping around Sedona
Lake Powell can get quite action packed around that time, but luckily the lake is pretty large so you can venture out and find your own spots to park the boat. Sedona tends to be geared more towards nature enthusiasts and middle aged people so it’s a good choice for family trips and/or if you want a less-crowded but scenic/outdoorsy spring break. Hiking the grand canyon requires planning ahead of time as permits can go quickly.
Vegas can also be a lot of fun, even if you’re not into the gambling scene. They have some outstanding restaurants, hotels and shows. If you go though, I recommend staying on the strip and having a good sized budget… trying to do Vegas on the cheap is not very much fun.