Best Spring Break Travel Destinations

Spring break: it’s one of the biggest things anticipated by college students nationwide, a week plus long excuse to forget about studies and focus on sun and fun.

After winter break, the last thing left to look forward to before the end of the school year is spring break. Spring break comes at a much needed time, after midterms/finals and during the part of the year where it’s finally starting to warm up again. Millions of college students travel great distances to fulfill their need of partying with other co-eds at the beach. Where you take it or wherever you may travel, a beach is usually the main attraction for spring break travelers. This break we all look forward to gives us the opportunity to forget about school work for once and just focus on having fun, getting a tan, and partying like a typical college student on spring break.

When thinking about spring break, the question arises, where should I go for spring break? Now where you actually go depends on a lot of things, with distance and money being the biggest factors. A plane ticket to a far away destination can cost a couple of hundred dollars and although there are spring break packages out there that are available, you have to watch out as some of these are scams designated to prey on naive college students.

Let's take a look at the best and most popular places to go for spring break.

Lake Havasu, Arizona – A great place for boating, and you may feel a little left out here if you don’t own/rent one. Bring lots of sunscreen as this watering hole in Arizona can get hot.

Las Vegas – The thing about going to Vegas for spring break is that it’s one of the few places on this list that will have more of an assortment of age groups (rather than just mostly college students) as Vegas is now somewhat of a family vacation destination. That’s OK though as there is enough to do on The Strip to keep you busy all week. The most popular things to do in Las Vegas include gamble, clubbing, chilling by the pool and drinking 3-foot Long Island Ice Teas.

Mexico: Cancun, Tijuana - With Cancun being the most popular destination of choice in Mexico, wherever you choose to go there will be plenty of beaches, booze, and night clubs.

South Padre Island, Texas – Being very close to Mexico, there will be plenty of places to go at this great spring break destination.

Florida Beaches: Daytona, South Beach, Panama City Beach - The best thing about spring break in Florida is that it has so many great beaches to choose from. You can’t really go wrong with Daytona, South Beach or Panama City Beach.

Unquestionably, when people think of spring break, Florida is one of the first destinations they think about. With good reason too, from Miami Beach to Panama City, Florida is truly the place to be for spring breakers looking to have a good time.

Let’s start this off with one of the most well-known hot spots anywhere, Daytona Beach.

With endless beaches and sunny days accompanied by warm water almost year round, it is no wonder that students flock to this tropical paradise every spring break. Whether you are looking to hit the sand or even do some surfing, Daytona Beach is the place to be.

Looking for other Florida spring break destinations?

How about 27 miles of beach? You can find this in Panama City. Temperatures are in the high 70s all day and a cool breeze calms the area at night. This is a perfect paradise for those looking for a more tranquil sandy beach spring break experience. Do not be fooled though, the parties still happen here and they can get pretty crazy.

Last but not least, let's not forget about the crazy nightlife going on in Miami Beach and South Beach.

Both places turn into one of the liveliest scenes you have ever seen at night. Nightclubs open, and the dancing goes on until the early morning.

Generally, a college spring breaker would spend the day soaking in the rays on the beautiful beaches while possibly enjoying some recreational activities on the water, such as jet-skiing or parasailing.

At night, the party really comes to life as the high-end nightclubs ignite the scene and South Beach and Miami Beach starts getting crowded. Make sure to look spiffy when you hit the night scene and don’t piss off any of the bouncers and you should be just fine. The parties are crazy and possibly some of the biggest around. Simply put, this place is not for the faint of heart.

Hot Spring Break Deals

Alternative Spring Break Destinations

Not every spring break has to end with a sunburn and a hangover. Believe it or not, there is much more to do on spring break than just party it up at the beach. So if you don't want to end up looking like a lobster, as well as getting sand in everything, consider some of these alternative spring break ideas.

Washington, D.C.

Visiting Washington, D.C. gives you a chance to explore America's history in its finest. It is probably the most educational of all trips on this list. Not only will you get to vacation and travel, but you'll find yourself experiencing things you have never seen in person before. A trip to D.C. also means exercise, as you will be doing plenty of walking as you explore all of the museums and monuments in the area (as if you didn't get enough walking in between classes). If you haven't paid a visit to Washington yet, you should do so soon.

Canada

While many spring break partiers head south for the week, heading north across the border may be another option. Although you won't get the warm weather, it gives those aged 19 and over a legal way to party and consume alcohol if they choose to do so. While the exchange rate isn't what it used to be, a good time and nice hotels can be found for a good price.

Festivals

Festivals usually involve many individuals just like yourself who are looking to have a good time. Perhaps the biggest festival that goes on around spring break is South by Southwest down in Austin, Texas. South by Southwest (or SXSW) is the largest music festival in the United States, with over 1500 bands and artists performing.

Travel by Amtrak

The big advantage of traveling by train is getting to see the countryside; something you don't get to see up close when traveling at 30,000 feet. When riding Amtrak, it doesn't matter where you are going; getting there is half the journey. Unlike a road trip, you leave the driving up to someone else, giving you freedom to do whatever you like while traveling. Sure travel by train will (almost always) be slower than by airline, but it is a very relaxing way to travel. You can get up and walk around rather than being confined to a compact airline seat, and you don't have to deal with all the security hassles at the airport. Spring break only lasts a week, so if your destination is far away you should probably fly, but consider Amtrak for anything relatively close.

Spring Training

Sure, some people think baseball is boring, but here you combine a sporting event and warm weather that every sports nut enjoys. Here you can see your favorite baseball stars on the cheap as tickets to spring training games are typically cheaper than the regular season. Going to spring training down in Arizona would be ideal for those living up in the Pacific Northwest who don't always get the nicest of weather during the month of March. This is good, clean fun with warm weather that is away from the gambling of Vegas and the debauchery on the beaches.