Spring Break vacations are beautiful, lifelong, lasting memories but they come at a pretty steep price.
Spring break has become a tradition at N.C. A&T just as if it were homecoming or probates. It is the time of year where most students travel to various places and enjoy the small one-week break that we are granted. These vacations are beautiful, lifelong, lasting memories but they come at a pretty steep price.
After surveying about 50 students on campus, the average total cost of a spring break vacation is about $549-$800 or more depending on the location. Cruises seem to be a bit cheaper especially since the weather is not so hot right now and less people are on board.
Of the 50 students I surveyed, 32 were going to Miami. They had either planned in advance or opted to go the cheaper way by going through some sort of Internet travel agency with a spring break package. The cost of their trips including airfare and a hotel for a range of 3-5 days averaged about $776 for flight and hotel.
The average student spends an additional $500 once they get to their desired location! All together that’s roughly $1300 or more on a week of fun in the sun. “Last spring break, I left Miami with absolutely no money,” said Syerrah Touray, a junior criminal justice major from Bronx, N.Y. “If I had not had a round trip plane ticket, I would have had no way to get home.” Unfortunately this is not uncommon. Many students spend their last bit of money to go to these lavish places and parlay with friends and students from different universities.
The remaining 18 of the 50 students interviewed had opted to go on cruises that traveled to various, exotic locations. One popular cruise among A&T students is a Carnival cruise, which includes 3 days and 4 nights in the Western Caribbean, for $239. Those on board will visit Miami, Cozumel Mexico and Key West Florida. Sounds like a great deal right? Well the boat departs from Miami so the real price kicker comes in once you travel to get down there to board the cruise.
The cheapest round trip flight I found was $398 flying with US Airways. So the trip actually comes to a total of $639.00 not including taxes and any extra hidden fees the cruise line or airline charges. Also, in order to go to Mexico, passengers must present a passport, which costs about $145 from the US Postal Service with the application and execution fee included.
Before you know it, a simple spring break trip with friends jumps up to a high dollar vacation that is way beyond the means of even the most financially stable college student. Once booked, a lot of trips are non-refundable, leaving students to scrape up the remainder of their expenses or forfeit their already paid travel money.
This makes some wonder, is Spring Break really a fun set up for college students or just merely a money pit sucking up whatever it can grasp?
- Monique Brown, Contributor