Mon 25 Feb 2008
Posted by Meg under American Cities , Beach Vacation , International Travel , Outdoors , Vacation
February is winding to a close, so that means Spring Break is right around the corner. College students all over the US and Canada are getting ready to take off for a wild week without classes, homework, or supervision. So where is everyone going this year?
The most popular Spring Break trip is to go to the beach and spend a whole week wearing only swimwear and drinking only booze. It’s called Spring Break because it falls in the middle of the spring semester for most schools — not because Mother Nature is done with winter yet — so if you’re going to spend all week in a bikini, you don’t really have the same beach selection you have for your summer vacations.
According to MTV, the network that turned Spring Break into a worldwide celebration of debauchery, the best destinations are south of the border, in Mexico. If you want to stay in the US, the Spring Break hot spots are Panama City Beach, FL and South Padre Island, TX. Of course, if you’re not interested in getting yourself on a Girls Gone Wild video, these are exactly the places you’ll want to avoid for the first few weeks in March.
Here’s a quick summary of where to find all the crazy college kids over Spring Break:
Cancun, Mexico: As if Spring Break isn’t wild enough anywhere, the heavy partiers go to Cancun, known as Mexico’s Sin City, for their week off. It’s a beautiful spot for sure, but if you want to remember your Spring Break, maybe you want to start somewhere less notorious.
Panama City Beach, Florida: For revelers without passports, Panama City Beach is the most popular Spring Break destination in the US. Over half a million students flock to Florida’s Emerald Coast to party with the MTV crew each March. Panama City Beach is the place to go for concerts, clubs, and perhaps a cameo on TRL.
Nassau, Bahamas Party Cruise: According to the veterans of this cruise, it’s a more laid back Spring Break experience than some of the other popular destinations. It can be a relaxing getaway from the grind of your classes, and you can still take part in some partying — but you’re less likely to wake up next to a stranger than your friends who went to Cancun.
For more Spring Break destination information, visit StudentCity.com. You’ll find lots of featured destinations, most of which are described as “the place to go for PARTIES!” If that doesn’t sound like your scene, you probably want to avoid the beaches for the next month or so, and save your sunbathing for the summer, when the coast is more family-friendly.
If huge, wild parties are your thing and you can’t wait to strip down and drink up over your break, just remember to be responsible. The more you drink, the more likely there will be embarrassing photos of you all over the internet before you even get home. But for some folks, that’s just part of the fun.
Have a good break, and don’t forget your sunscreen…