Spring Break 2006
October 18, 2005 10:11 PM Subscribe
Three 19 year old girls from Vancouver, $2000 each, a week off school in February, and an urge to travel, and do a little more than get drunk on a beach. Where to?
I'd go to South America.
If you plan well in advance (like now) there are cheap flights - and living expenses in Buenos Aires or Santiago are not expensive nowadays. Rio is a bit more dangerous, but I would stay on the coast further South of Rio.
All three countries - Brasil, Argentina and Chile - offer lots of history, great people, fab fashion, superb night life, interesting museums, a great local music scene and they have beaches nearby ;)
posted by seawallrunner at 11:14 PM on October 18, 2005
If you plan well in advance (like now) there are cheap flights - and living expenses in Buenos Aires or Santiago are not expensive nowadays. Rio is a bit more dangerous, but I would stay on the coast further South of Rio.
All three countries - Brasil, Argentina and Chile - offer lots of history, great people, fab fashion, superb night life, interesting museums, a great local music scene and they have beaches nearby ;)
posted by seawallrunner at 11:14 PM on October 18, 2005
Cuba! Few days in a resort relaxing, few days exploring a town. South America is a bit far for a week. Anything that takes a full day would be out for me, as it would be 2/7 days travelling. A 1/2 day en route is better. Or the DR or Costa Rica, but I'd go to Cuba with my shiny Canadian passports.
posted by fionab at 11:19 PM on October 18, 2005
posted by fionab at 11:19 PM on October 18, 2005
the cuba tip is a good one. No one can say for sure what it will be in a few years, but it won't be anything like what you'd see if you go now.
Not that I can tell you what that is, because my American passport is no good there.
posted by cloudscratcher at 11:48 PM on October 18, 2005
Not that I can tell you what that is, because my American passport is no good there.
posted by cloudscratcher at 11:48 PM on October 18, 2005
Costa Rica - check out some volcanos, learn to surf, boating, river rafting, etc.
posted by masymas at 12:22 AM on October 19, 2005
posted by masymas at 12:22 AM on October 19, 2005
Your post doesn't really explain how well travelled you are, and while some of the more exotic locations mentioned here are good for those with lightly soiled travelling feet, I'd recommend places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or San Francisco as fun places to go, and a quick cheap flight from Vancouver, if you haven't ever been. That way you get more money for partying, shopping, and what not.
posted by wackybrit at 3:47 AM on October 19, 2005
posted by wackybrit at 3:47 AM on October 19, 2005
Well, if you want to make things more interesting, you could take this kid.
posted by banished at 4:30 AM on October 19, 2005
posted by banished at 4:30 AM on October 19, 2005
Don't do Las Vegas - wait until you are 21 so you can fully enjoy it. Some may disagree, but I just don't see the point of going there unless you can drink and gamble while you are there.
Have you checked out prices for Hawaii? You could go to one of the less-populated islands and really explore. From Vancouver the airfare shouldn't be too horrible.
posted by gatorae at 5:28 AM on October 19, 2005
Have you checked out prices for Hawaii? You could go to one of the less-populated islands and really explore. From Vancouver the airfare shouldn't be too horrible.
posted by gatorae at 5:28 AM on October 19, 2005
Hawaii is feasible on a budget of $6,000 for three people, especially in February. There's actually quite a bit of history and culture to the islands, from the Kingdom of Hawaii on through sugar plantation days. Islands like Moloka'i have some serious history, like its leper colony and Father Damien. Maui and Oahu also have decent club scenes for their respective populations. A trip to Hawaii is a safe bet for a balance of many activities, though you will need to bring proof of your 21-ness if you want to drink/club properly.
stray and her friends are sitting in front of a map of the Western Hemisphere with a dart in their hands. They have a wealth of choices here. The Cuba option appeals to me because of its forbidden nature to Americans.
stray, what is your group's total traveling experience, and what level of adventure are you looking for?
posted by onalark at 5:52 AM on October 19, 2005
stray and her friends are sitting in front of a map of the Western Hemisphere with a dart in their hands. They have a wealth of choices here. The Cuba option appeals to me because of its forbidden nature to Americans.
stray, what is your group's total traveling experience, and what level of adventure are you looking for?
posted by onalark at 5:52 AM on October 19, 2005
Sorry to make only a negative comment, but don't go to Los Angeles or San Francisco for beaches in February. The water is freezing and it isn't exactly sitting on the beach weather. California is warmer, but it's hardly the tropics.
posted by dame at 6:19 AM on October 19, 2005
posted by dame at 6:19 AM on October 19, 2005
I'd recommend Hawaii. If you share a room you can get one for about $90.00/night that time of year if you stay at a locally owned place. If you want to drink there's lots of places, both for tourists and locals, that will happily oblige you. There's also scuba diving, snorkeling, wind surfing, hiking, biking, shopping or anything else.
If you're feeling a little adventurous go to Kauai and stay here. You'll get a very spacious room for $75.00/night. I stayed there and it was great, easy access to the trails. The only potential drawback might be that Kauai is less touristy than other islands (though this was a bonus to me)
If you want, email me in my profile. I spent a little over a month on the islands without doing anything touristy.
posted by substrate at 6:56 AM on October 19, 2005
If you're feeling a little adventurous go to Kauai and stay here. You'll get a very spacious room for $75.00/night. I stayed there and it was great, easy access to the trails. The only potential drawback might be that Kauai is less touristy than other islands (though this was a bonus to me)
If you want, email me in my profile. I spent a little over a month on the islands without doing anything touristy.
posted by substrate at 6:56 AM on October 19, 2005
I second the Hawaii comment. It should be pretty nice in February, and there are a lot of cultural things to see and do. Try the big island, where you can stay overnight at Volcano National Park, and see active lava flows while hiking around the park.
Kona is also a quite lovely place with a small town feel to it, and some of the best coffee in the world. You can buy it by the pound to take back for finals week. (If you're going to pull an all-nighter, why not do it with Kona coffee?)
If you hit Maui, there's always Haleakala National Park, which is another volcano as well. There are bike tours which proceed down the volcano in the early morning. Bring warm clothes for that, though.
Also on Hawaii, the Road to Hana is an excellent scenic drive.
Before I went to Hawaii, I thought it a cliched travel destination. Now that I've been there twice, I'm always alert for the chance to return. (Fortunately we have family friends there!)
posted by mikewas at 7:07 AM on October 19, 2005
Kona is also a quite lovely place with a small town feel to it, and some of the best coffee in the world. You can buy it by the pound to take back for finals week. (If you're going to pull an all-nighter, why not do it with Kona coffee?)
If you hit Maui, there's always Haleakala National Park, which is another volcano as well. There are bike tours which proceed down the volcano in the early morning. Bring warm clothes for that, though.
Also on Hawaii, the Road to Hana is an excellent scenic drive.
Before I went to Hawaii, I thought it a cliched travel destination. Now that I've been there twice, I'm always alert for the chance to return. (Fortunately we have family friends there!)
posted by mikewas at 7:07 AM on October 19, 2005
$2000 each, a week off school in February, and an urge to travel, and do a little more than get drunk on a beach.
well, you could always come over to Ireland and get drunk in a dank, dark bar...
failing that I'd say Cubas a great option, would love to head there myself someday.
posted by twistedonion at 7:47 AM on October 19, 2005
well, you could always come over to Ireland and get drunk in a dank, dark bar...
failing that I'd say Cubas a great option, would love to head there myself someday.
posted by twistedonion at 7:47 AM on October 19, 2005
$2000 will go a lot further if you are not visiting the US.
The Cuba suggestion is awesome. Cuba is wonderful, Cubans are amazingly nice people, totally totally go. And yes, there's no telling what it'll be like in a few years - whatever your opinion on Castro, he's only human, and there will be massive changes when he passes on. I wrote some long, long posts about traveling to Cuba in the past on AskMe. Feel free to email me if you take that route, I spent a semester in Havana just a couple years ago. Avoid the heavily touristed areas to really get a feel for the country, its people, and the actual state of things.
Rio is definitely sketchier, but if it's where you want to go, do it. Rio, though, is one city where I'd recommend not going too far out of your way because there are a lot more problems with crime and it's much harder to tell, if you're not from the area, where you really need to be careful. I also had a long post about Rio.
posted by whatzit at 8:02 AM on October 19, 2005
The Cuba suggestion is awesome. Cuba is wonderful, Cubans are amazingly nice people, totally totally go. And yes, there's no telling what it'll be like in a few years - whatever your opinion on Castro, he's only human, and there will be massive changes when he passes on. I wrote some long, long posts about traveling to Cuba in the past on AskMe. Feel free to email me if you take that route, I spent a semester in Havana just a couple years ago. Avoid the heavily touristed areas to really get a feel for the country, its people, and the actual state of things.
Rio is definitely sketchier, but if it's where you want to go, do it. Rio, though, is one city where I'd recommend not going too far out of your way because there are a lot more problems with crime and it's much harder to tell, if you're not from the area, where you really need to be careful. I also had a long post about Rio.
posted by whatzit at 8:02 AM on October 19, 2005
I'd head to Viet Nam, Thailand, Loas, etc. The tickets are expensive, but once you are there, food and living is cheap, and the area would be quite exotic and interesting to see.
posted by chunking express at 8:36 AM on October 19, 2005
posted by chunking express at 8:36 AM on October 19, 2005
Visit the other side of North American and go to Mexico. It's a pretty amazing place, with friendly people and a rich culture. It's also super easy to get around on their bus systems. You might like Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas has a hip student feel to it.
posted by Staggering Jack at 9:34 AM on October 19, 2005
posted by Staggering Jack at 9:34 AM on October 19, 2005
Response by poster: Great suggestions, thank you!
As far as the experience of my group:
One hasn't done much travelling outside of NA, with a couple family trips to South East Asia.
Another is well travelled in China.
Another is quite well travelled through Europe, parts of Africa, Asia.
posted by stray at 9:38 AM on October 19, 2005
As far as the experience of my group:
One hasn't done much travelling outside of NA, with a couple family trips to South East Asia.
Another is well travelled in China.
Another is quite well travelled through Europe, parts of Africa, Asia.
posted by stray at 9:38 AM on October 19, 2005
D'oh! - here's a working Oaxaca link.
And a better San Cristobal link.
posted by Staggering Jack at 9:38 AM on October 19, 2005
And a better San Cristobal link.
posted by Staggering Jack at 9:38 AM on October 19, 2005
Also on Hawaii, the Road to Hana is an excellent scenic drive.
That's on Maui :).
I'm from the Big Island of Hawaii, so I can't give you an unbiased recommendation, but if you have specific questions on visiting, email is in the profile.
A week is a really short time, get together and draw up an itinerary of things you REALLY want to do. Call up a tour agency based in each town/city that you're thinking about visiting and have them send you brochures.
My final thoughts: You could have an amazing experience in a week on the Big Island, from visiting the summit of Mauna Kea (which may have snow) to kayaking in Kealakekua Bay to hiking the rainforested valleys in the north to the desert-like areas of the Volcano, watching the active lava flow, and learning about the history and culture of the islands.
posted by onalark at 3:11 PM on October 19, 2005
That's on Maui :).
I'm from the Big Island of Hawaii, so I can't give you an unbiased recommendation, but if you have specific questions on visiting, email is in the profile.
A week is a really short time, get together and draw up an itinerary of things you REALLY want to do. Call up a tour agency based in each town/city that you're thinking about visiting and have them send you brochures.
My final thoughts: You could have an amazing experience in a week on the Big Island, from visiting the summit of Mauna Kea (which may have snow) to kayaking in Kealakekua Bay to hiking the rainforested valleys in the north to the desert-like areas of the Volcano, watching the active lava flow, and learning about the history and culture of the islands.
posted by onalark at 3:11 PM on October 19, 2005
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posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:20 PM on October 18, 2005