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from: Great Escapes: The Spring Breaker’s Guide to Beaches and Beyond 1st Edition 'Twas The Night Before Spring Break No spring break plans? What were you doing in December and January when you should have been plotting your spring escape? Surely not studying. Alas, it is never too early to start planning next year's trip. Below are a few suggestions to get you in the spring break state of mind. Go South, Young Man (and Woman) Are you aching to leave those dirty snow banks and salt-stained shoes behind? Well, fuel up and head south! Numerous warm 'n sunny destinations await. In addition to Florida'' celebrated break cities, the state-side crew can count on various locales in Texas and Arizona for a properly raucous spring break. If you're willing to venture outside the U.S. (and spend a few extra dollars), you'll find plenty of sun-dappled beaches in Mexico and the Caribbean on which to sprawl. So strip down to your skivvies and get ready to frolic with the masses. (Don't go questing after solitude and serenity at a major break location, you won't find it!) By day, you'll become a stitch in the crazy quilt of colorful beach towels, florescent bikinis and trunks, and glinting beer cans. You'll laze on the sand, dip in the ocean, maybe even try your hand at wind surfing or jet skiing. By night, you'll dance yourself silly in a crush of happy-go-lucky breakers. Snow Goose Getaways So you want to feel the crisp, cold mountain air on your face and the adrenaline in your veins this spring break? Forget the sunroof, you better break out the roof rack, and your skies or snowboard too. This is no time for a rushed half-day ski trip sandwiched between three hour driving stints. You've earned a full fledged ski vacation. Since much of the country is still under snow in March, you shouldn't have any trouble finding an inviting lodge or resort where you can schuss and ride to your heart's content. At night, you'll soak your aches away in the hot tub, or at least a hot shower, then you and your fellow ski bunnies can hit the bars, clubs and coffeehouses that grace any respectable ski-town. Rest assured budget -conscious students, many resorts have spring break specials on lift tickets and rentals or, at least, student discounts. Pack yourself and your ten best friends into a bungalow, and lodging won't wipe you out either. Trail Blazing Breaks So, you'd give anything to get outside and stay there this spring break? It sounds like you've been cooped up in that closet they call a dorm room a little too long. Here's betting that you yearn for the smell of smoke in your flannel, the taste of strong coffee brewed over a camp stove and the sight of a star spattered night sky. Well, deprive yourself no longer! Chuck those sleeping bags and backpacks in the trunk, buy some trail mix and some ramen and head for the wild blue yonder. There are hundreds of state and national parks to visit, dozens of which lie in the country's warmer southern climes. You'll climb mountain, forge rives and cross deserts. Boring, processed food will never have tasted so good, and sleep will never have seemed so refreshing. Sure, you'll get a little grungy, but if there's no dirt, you won't be roughing it. Escaping The Ivory Tower Despite the stress of imminent term papers and exams, let's face it, college life engenders a certain amount of idyll and ease. You can't get fired, and hey, its not like world peace is hanging in the balance over your Sociology grade. And if you think it is, it's time to hop the ivy walls and get involved; get your hands dirty helping real people with real world problems. That's what Alternative Spring Break is all about. Hundreds of schools offer these week-long service trips, during which students do everything from building houses for low-income families to planting trees in deforested areas. As an alternative spring breaker, you'll get up early and work hard all day. Often times you'll sleep in YMCA dorms or church halls. Still many students say no other spring break experience brings such great rewards. Besides making a difference in other peoples' lives, you'll bond with you cronies, learn new skills, and shatter stereotypes you didn't even know you held. Calling All Road Warriors Feeling a little peripatetic? Like you'd rather not spend your precious spring break rooted in one place. Sounds like you, in high college tradition, are hankering for a road trip. It's a good thing the country's big and gas is cheap. Dig out that dog-eared travel atlas, grab a couple of friends and hit the nearest highway on-ramp. The beauty of road tripping is that you can cover as much, or as little distance as you like. This means that you can have your New Orleans jambalaya and your friends can have their Graceland kitsch too. All you need is a reliable vehicle and a love of the road. Remember, if you don't indulge your whimsy now, pretty soon you'll be stuck in a job with hardly enough vacation time to go home for the holidays, let alone travel cross-country. Lots O' Other Stuff So, you
haven't hit on a spring break idea yet? Well before you
resign yourself to a week of Doom-playing and
Seinfeld-watching, check out these off-the-beaten-track
options: If college sports haven't drained all the
rah-rah out of you, how about cheering for your favorite
baseball team during spring training in Florida or
Arizona? Are you looking for serenity and a little time
to reflect? How about a meditation retreat in the Ozark
Mountains? Craving some hip musical fare? Try an
alternative tune-fest in Austin or Toronto. Studying
abroad for the semester? Hit the rails and see the world.
Whatever you do this spring break, give Found A Hole? So you went to a super cool spring break spot and found no mention of it in this book? Don't leave us hanging! Let us know where you went and what you did. We want Great Escapes to be the definitive guide to spring break, and we won't be happy until it is. Also, if you have a brief (150-250 words) spring break story to tell, we'd like to hear it. Mail any comments or contributions to: Octameron
Associates
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