Lake Tahoe is another excellent place to go.
S1 went to Cancun for spring break. His post trip comments…lines to do anything were really long, cost more than it was worth and could have gone to Hawaii for that price…
He enjoys a good party, but really wanted some where that offered outdoor activities other than drinking at the beach.
Son…sorry.
If budget is a significant factor, you should avoid Mexico or Puerto Rico – both will be costly since it’s the height of the season. Mexico in particular becomes very difficult to travel during or near Semana Santa, among the biggest holiday periods for the Mexican people (and throughout Latin America.)
To keep costs down, I’d think out of the box. Forget the beach (or else pick a beach such as on the coast of Maine) and consider Montreal instead. Oregon coast instead of San Diego; NYC as opposed to Orlando, etc.
They will want to get out of the cold dreary weather, that is why I had thought of Vegas. March would be a great month. You are right about Mexico…probably too expensive.
Pay close attention for deals, and IF they are willing to stay 4 to a room, and an all-inclusive may not be too bad. But they will need to be ready to jump if something comes along. I heard Southwest is now doing Costa Rica also. This last spring my not yet 21 year old went to CA/LA as home base, but they also went to Yosemite, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and some beaches. Someone on that trip was a good organizer, but it definitely wasn’t my son. They did spend a lot of time on a bus, but he liked it so much he’s back there for the summer. Where will the students be coming from? That might help with options. Depending on timing, I think a ski trip would be great.
Costa RIca isn’t particularly cheap. OP’s group would be better off going to Nicaragua or Ecuador – but again, I’d recommend against these destinations if spring break coincides with Semana Santa.
Vegas is not too expensive. My 22 year old son just went with a buddy last month, hotel for 4 nights and airfare was a package deal, very cheap, @$500 round trip from East Coast. He gambled, but only took a small budget he didn’t mind losing. They also did an airplane ride over Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam for $152 each. He said it was exhilarating and scary! He said there’s also tons of places off the strip where the locals go, where everything is cheaper. We’ve been to Vegas, Grand Canyon and Sedona, AZ as a family, but he was younger than 21, so this time around he was able to enjoy himself with a beer or two or three. He also thought that 4 nights/5 days was enough.
I wouldn’t recommend Nicaragua unless your Spanish skills are particularly strong or you’re going with someone who has traveled in Latin America before.
This year, Semana Santa is March 20-27 which luckily comes after many colleges’ spring breaks.
I live in Las Vegas. If warm weather and poolside lounging are key ingredients to a fun trip for him, you might want to book a trip in another location. In March, Las Vegas is equally likely to be cold and blustery as warm and sunny, lol.
Does the college offer any spring break service trips? Both of my kids went on several of these trips to great destinations. They stayed with locals, ate local food, were treated to sights and culture and had wonderful experiences. The trips were to Jamaica, Costa Rica, LA, Ireland, and friends went to Cuba. None of the trips were more than $350 including airfare.
Where were they flying from that airfare & accmodations were less than $350 to go to Cuba?
Back in the day, we did a Spring Break hiking and camping at Palm Springs dessert, another at Havasu Falls (a little branch of the Grand Canyon). Agree that Oregon may be less crowded than FL or CA and is a very nice place to visit.