Help a poor college student plan an awesome spring break
January 16, 2010 5:48 PM Subscribe
I'm an undergrad, and trying to get a bunch of my friends in the dorm to go somewhere interesting for spring break. Likely candidates are New Orleans, Texas gulf coast area, or a little less likely places like Nashville, SF Bay or New York. No one seems to want to commit to anything beyond "not where my parents are," so I guess I'm going to try and get the annoying planning part done. Got any advice?
My family used to travel a lot with me, but lately it's mostly just been back and forth between dorms and home town. The group is going to be about five to eight people, mixed gender, couples and singles, and the only one who drinks at all is underaged, so none of that. We all have interests in music and movies, you know, the standard not-quite-hipster college students. I need help picking a destination for sure and advice on what to do in a city on an unemployed/underemployed undergrad's budget, and general advice on picking a hotel we can actually afford. Priceline.com appears to have generally affordable results for the week around April 1st, so is that my best bet for finding the hotel?
Vacations were so much easier when parents handled all of these details.
My family used to travel a lot with me, but lately it's mostly just been back and forth between dorms and home town. The group is going to be about five to eight people, mixed gender, couples and singles, and the only one who drinks at all is underaged, so none of that. We all have interests in music and movies, you know, the standard not-quite-hipster college students. I need help picking a destination for sure and advice on what to do in a city on an unemployed/underemployed undergrad's budget, and general advice on picking a hotel we can actually afford. Priceline.com appears to have generally affordable results for the week around April 1st, so is that my best bet for finding the hotel?
Vacations were so much easier when parents handled all of these details.
Are you flying or driving? What's your budget (beyond "unemployed/undergrad")? Do you want warm or cold?
If you end up going to New Orleans, check out Alternative Spring Break. You'll end up feeling really guilty if you go there just to sightsee/enjoy the nightlife.
posted by oinopaponton at 6:16 PM on January 16, 2010
If you end up going to New Orleans, check out Alternative Spring Break. You'll end up feeling really guilty if you go there just to sightsee/enjoy the nightlife.
posted by oinopaponton at 6:16 PM on January 16, 2010
SXSW in Austin usually coincides with spring break. if you can find a place to stay (they're all booked, but ask around for couches or rent an RV), you can go to free day shows during the day and drink free beer and eat free bbq, take a nap and go to free afterparties at night, drink free beer and eat free tacos
posted by CharlesV42 at 6:17 PM on January 16, 2010
posted by CharlesV42 at 6:17 PM on January 16, 2010
You're in Rolla? Trips to the east or west coast are going to devour your week, unless you're considering flying, in which case you're not dealing with any undergrad budget I'm familiar with. For my first spring break, we went to the Smoky Mountain National Park. It can be cold, and there was snow for half the week, but it was a lot of fun (and it was warmer and greener than where we were coming from, so...). There were a lot more spring breakers there than I would have thought, too. And it was cheap.
If something like that doesn't interest you, I'd drop the number of participants and do a Route 66 road trip, go BBQ tasting in Memphis/take a blues tour up and down the Mississippi. Something where the drive is kinda the point.
Good work stepping up to plan.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 6:27 PM on January 16, 2010
If something like that doesn't interest you, I'd drop the number of participants and do a Route 66 road trip, go BBQ tasting in Memphis/take a blues tour up and down the Mississippi. Something where the drive is kinda the point.
Good work stepping up to plan.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 6:27 PM on January 16, 2010
What exactly is the unemployed/underemployed undergrad's budget? A number will make it easier to give you advice.
Just a word of caution after seeing this No one seems to want to commit to anything beyond "not where my parents are," so I guess I'm going to try and get the annoying planning part done.:
Make very sure that all of these people commit (i.e. buying tickets/putting down money in some other way they won't be able to ask you for back later) before you spend a lot of your own $$$.
Here is a prior thread on cheap lodging in NYC.
posted by Ashley801 at 6:32 PM on January 16, 2010
Just a word of caution after seeing this No one seems to want to commit to anything beyond "not where my parents are," so I guess I'm going to try and get the annoying planning part done.:
Make very sure that all of these people commit (i.e. buying tickets/putting down money in some other way they won't be able to ask you for back later) before you spend a lot of your own $$$.
Here is a prior thread on cheap lodging in NYC.
posted by Ashley801 at 6:32 PM on January 16, 2010
When I was in college we rented a beach house from vrbo.com and drove to the gulf coast (Pensacola, FL was what we picked, but there are lots of good options). It was a reasonable drive from Wisconsin, so it will be an even shorter drive for you. We had an awesome time and it cost less than $400 per person.
ALSO, on a trip like this, you'll be dealing with lots of shared/split costs; Things like gas, groceries, meals on the road. If you aren't careful about splitting things, someone can end up spending a lot more than someone else. We all threw in $200 at the beginning of the trip and bought two prepaid Visa cards from the bank. We used these for all the shared costs. It was awesome and eliminated all the hassle of settling up at the gas pump or the grocery store. I suggest looking into this if you end up doing a road trip type adventure.
posted by mjcon at 6:55 PM on January 16, 2010
ALSO, on a trip like this, you'll be dealing with lots of shared/split costs; Things like gas, groceries, meals on the road. If you aren't careful about splitting things, someone can end up spending a lot more than someone else. We all threw in $200 at the beginning of the trip and bought two prepaid Visa cards from the bank. We used these for all the shared costs. It was awesome and eliminated all the hassle of settling up at the gas pump or the grocery store. I suggest looking into this if you end up doing a road trip type adventure.
posted by mjcon at 6:55 PM on January 16, 2010
Just a word of caution after seeing this No one seems to want to commit to anything beyond "not where my parents are," so I guess I'm going to try and get the annoying planning part done.:
Make very sure that all of these people commit (i.e. buying tickets/putting down money in some other way they won't be able to ask you for back later) before you spend a lot of your own $$$.
Yeah, I tried to organize something similar to this (road trip to Memphis, actually--mostly because, for reasons I cannot explain, there was some part of me that wanted to see Graceland) and people were really, really psyched in the planning stage, but much less psyched when it came to, you know, actually forking up cash and going.
On the other hand, we went on several extremely cheap camping trips during college which were easily planned and everyone was perfectly motivated. Would highly recommend camping as a great spring break alternative.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:12 PM on January 16, 2010
Make very sure that all of these people commit (i.e. buying tickets/putting down money in some other way they won't be able to ask you for back later) before you spend a lot of your own $$$.
Yeah, I tried to organize something similar to this (road trip to Memphis, actually--mostly because, for reasons I cannot explain, there was some part of me that wanted to see Graceland) and people were really, really psyched in the planning stage, but much less psyched when it came to, you know, actually forking up cash and going.
On the other hand, we went on several extremely cheap camping trips during college which were easily planned and everyone was perfectly motivated. Would highly recommend camping as a great spring break alternative.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:12 PM on January 16, 2010
Spring Break, 1967...
Phil owed a van (and, back in 1967, very few people owned a van, they were relegated to flower delivery and other commercial purposes).
We were all attending Jackson Community College (Michigan)... and, three of us decided that we needed to break the bonds of boring midwest existence...
Phil, Doug, and I put a bed in the back of the van, bought ten cases of beer, shoved them under the bed, and headed south.
Within 30 miles of leaving Jackson, Phil ran a red light (accidentally, wtf was he thinking, we had ten cases of beer in the van!!??) and all of a sudden there was a red light flashing behind the van. Phil had about 10 points on his license and couldn't afford another ticket... Doug was in the shotgun seat and, at 50 miles and hour they changed seats (curtains on the van in all the windows in the back). In the process the van veered off the road on the left, veered back, and Doug pulled over.
A ticket was issued...Doug took the bullet... but, not having a valid insurance certificate, we had to go back, pick one up, and show up at the justice of the peace's office....
Nope, nobody noticed the ten cases of beer under the bed...
Two hours later we were headed south again, driving in shifts, straight through to Fort Lauderdale... (no interstates, kids... these were shitty two lanes through the mountains!).
The only event of note between Jackson and Lauderdale was a stop at the Green Frog Resturant in Valdosta, Georgia for breakfast. Phil, always the lady's man, was hitting on the waitress with the southern accent... When the food arrived, Phil noticed a bug in his eggs..
"Miss", he said..."there's a fly in my eggs.." (just another excuse to hit on the georgia peach)... She came over, took a look, and said "Nope, it doesn't have any wings, it can't be a fly.", and walked away.... Doug and I were still laughing when we hit the Florida state line.
We found a cheap motel, three high school girls from Lauderdale, and spent the next five days making out, drinking beer, and laying on the beach...
Bottom line... it didn't matter where we went... all that mattered is that we were with people we liked, found someplace "away" from the home port, and managed to avoid being arrested. And every single event was fun, and we laughed, and, 43 years later... we all still remember that trip.
Only go with people you really like, have fun....don't be too stupid...
posted by HuronBob at 7:20 PM on January 16, 2010 [7 favorites]
Phil owed a van (and, back in 1967, very few people owned a van, they were relegated to flower delivery and other commercial purposes).
We were all attending Jackson Community College (Michigan)... and, three of us decided that we needed to break the bonds of boring midwest existence...
Phil, Doug, and I put a bed in the back of the van, bought ten cases of beer, shoved them under the bed, and headed south.
Within 30 miles of leaving Jackson, Phil ran a red light (accidentally, wtf was he thinking, we had ten cases of beer in the van!!??) and all of a sudden there was a red light flashing behind the van. Phil had about 10 points on his license and couldn't afford another ticket... Doug was in the shotgun seat and, at 50 miles and hour they changed seats (curtains on the van in all the windows in the back). In the process the van veered off the road on the left, veered back, and Doug pulled over.
A ticket was issued...Doug took the bullet... but, not having a valid insurance certificate, we had to go back, pick one up, and show up at the justice of the peace's office....
Nope, nobody noticed the ten cases of beer under the bed...
Two hours later we were headed south again, driving in shifts, straight through to Fort Lauderdale... (no interstates, kids... these were shitty two lanes through the mountains!).
The only event of note between Jackson and Lauderdale was a stop at the Green Frog Resturant in Valdosta, Georgia for breakfast. Phil, always the lady's man, was hitting on the waitress with the southern accent... When the food arrived, Phil noticed a bug in his eggs..
"Miss", he said..."there's a fly in my eggs.." (just another excuse to hit on the georgia peach)... She came over, took a look, and said "Nope, it doesn't have any wings, it can't be a fly.", and walked away.... Doug and I were still laughing when we hit the Florida state line.
We found a cheap motel, three high school girls from Lauderdale, and spent the next five days making out, drinking beer, and laying on the beach...
Bottom line... it didn't matter where we went... all that mattered is that we were with people we liked, found someplace "away" from the home port, and managed to avoid being arrested. And every single event was fun, and we laughed, and, 43 years later... we all still remember that trip.
Only go with people you really like, have fun....don't be too stupid...
posted by HuronBob at 7:20 PM on January 16, 2010 [7 favorites]
FUckin' a, man, do what I did sophomore year in college. Guy I knew from *one* class, and some other dude, went out to the Grand Canyon. First road trip I ever took. Chillier than I expected. Sooooo goddamn worth it. By March, AZ and southern UT are get-a-cabin cold at night, but pretty sweet during the day.
Death Valley is also a candidate - by May, it's fuckin' miserable during the day.
Logistics: anything that is community - gas, park passes, tolls - come out of the envelope that everyone puts a couple hundred in at the start of the trip. Everything else, you buy yourself.
posted by notsnot at 7:24 PM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Death Valley is also a candidate - by May, it's fuckin' miserable during the day.
Logistics: anything that is community - gas, park passes, tolls - come out of the envelope that everyone puts a couple hundred in at the start of the trip. Everything else, you buy yourself.
posted by notsnot at 7:24 PM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Everyone has at least four or five hundred dollars, most of us have closer to a thousand we can spend, but obviously since most of us are also not employed at the moment the cheaper the better. So say seven-eight hundred four a three-six day stay somewhere. And yes, I'm absolutely making sure that people commit before I spend any money. I've been burned by that tone of voice before.
The trip is going to be driving, but since I'm relatively close to the center of the continental US we're pretty much equidistant from everything worth seeing.
Blues tour sounds like an interesting idea. Smoky mountains, not so much. I think nature is pretty cool in theory, but I don't really like camping or a lot of hiking through it, and one of the guys who's most likely to join us is allergic to an absurdly high number of common plants.
Good tip on the Visa cards.
posted by sandswipe at 7:25 PM on January 16, 2010
The trip is going to be driving, but since I'm relatively close to the center of the continental US we're pretty much equidistant from everything worth seeing.
Blues tour sounds like an interesting idea. Smoky mountains, not so much. I think nature is pretty cool in theory, but I don't really like camping or a lot of hiking through it, and one of the guys who's most likely to join us is allergic to an absurdly high number of common plants.
Good tip on the Visa cards.
posted by sandswipe at 7:25 PM on January 16, 2010
add-on to my comment: there's a KOA about fifty miles south of the Canyon; they have cabins you can rent. So it's not *camping*, but it's still cheap.
posted by notsnot at 7:33 PM on January 16, 2010
posted by notsnot at 7:33 PM on January 16, 2010
In 2000 I led an Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans, and we volunteered at the Kingsley House during the day, then went out at night and had a lot of fun in what I think is the best city in the U.S. We stayed at a hostel in the Garden District. Seriously consider doing something helpful while you are there. You will get so much more out of your vacation if you do. And feel free to contact me if you have questions.
posted by billtron at 8:28 PM on January 16, 2010
posted by billtron at 8:28 PM on January 16, 2010
Pick six locations the group would be willing to visit, assign them numbers 1-6 and then roll a dice. Then, inform your friends where you're all going - if any of you had a preference by now, this wouldn't be an issue. This also works for 2 or 3 options if you divide the numbers into groups.
Hell, if you head south, you can sleep on beaches for free. $700-800/person is high living for a road trip of 3-6 days...
posted by bookdragoness at 11:48 PM on January 16, 2010
Hell, if you head south, you can sleep on beaches for free. $700-800/person is high living for a road trip of 3-6 days...
posted by bookdragoness at 11:48 PM on January 16, 2010
i never regret going to new orleans and just partying it up. the hospitality industry there is hurting, too, and that city needs a functional middle class as much as anything else to keep the economy going. also, hotels are cheap and lots of higher culture if you want it.
that said, i live in nashville and there's plenty to do here, too, although if you're not a huge country music fan, i am not sure what you'd find here that you couldn't find in st. louis or kansas city. it's a fine city and anyone can have fun, but there are closer places to do that.
posted by thinkingwoman at 7:13 AM on January 17, 2010
that said, i live in nashville and there's plenty to do here, too, although if you're not a huge country music fan, i am not sure what you'd find here that you couldn't find in st. louis or kansas city. it's a fine city and anyone can have fun, but there are closer places to do that.
posted by thinkingwoman at 7:13 AM on January 17, 2010
Keep the destination's temperature in mind! I went to Boston spring break of my freshman year, and let me tell you, Boston in March can be pretty unpleasant. We would have loved to spend more time just wandering around, but after a few hours the cold really gets to you. We ended up spending ridiculous amounts of time in the aquarium and MFA just to keep warm. Plus, you're coming from somewhere cold - treat yourself to some nice weather.
posted by naoko at 7:29 AM on January 17, 2010
posted by naoko at 7:29 AM on January 17, 2010
on the cheap any large tourist town will be your cheapest bet. Kissimmee Florida has tons of happy hour bars where you simply need to buy a coke and you have free reign of an amazing spread of food. Also there are so many things to do that are free and it is warm that time of the year and you have the beaches as well as the city for entertainment. Other than that given my druthers I would drive the Oregon coast and stay in yurts, very inexpensive and the most beautiful drive of your life! Road trips are a blast and since none of you drink it's perfect. Bring your cameras; you can whale watch, bon fire on the beaches, hike, rock climb, amazing food and beautiful night skies!
Have fun...it's about the journey not the destination!
posted by gypseefire at 3:18 AM on January 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Have fun...it's about the journey not the destination!
posted by gypseefire at 3:18 AM on January 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Yeah, that's why they earn the big bucks.
Pick a spot, say I am going, this is why ... who is coming?
posted by R. Mutt at 5:58 PM on January 16, 2010 [2 favorites]