Preparing for Spring Break Trips in College

I have spent the last three spring breaks in college relaxing at home and, blissfully, doing nothing. My final spring break in college is going to be spent actually going somewhere and doing this. I’m headed to New Orleans and I am beyond excited. But, I’m also a huge planner and I’m obsessive when it comes to hammering out details for a trip.

I took you guys through some of my trip planning in Tips for Planning a Trip with Friends post so I thought it could be useful to take you through my process of preparing for spring break in college when it comes to trips.

1. Ensure All Assignments Due Before & After Are Done

You don’t want to spend your break worrying about assignments due as soon as you get back. If you know you’ve got a paper due a few days after you return from your trip, make an effort to at least outline it before you leave. Your future self will be so grateful to your past self.

2. Book Things in Advance

I mentioned this in my post about planning the trip and before your trip is still prime time to book things, especially those things you couldn’t book months in advance.

This is especially important for things that must be booked in advance, but it can also be a great money-saver. Oftentimes booking in advance or buying package deals can lead to discounts.

3. Confirm Arrangements

Before the trip, call the hotel to re-confirm the reservations. Doublecheck your airline tickets. Sort out any potential issues or conflicts as soon as possible! Also, if necessary, doublecheck your passport expiration date ASAP. You don’t want that causing a problem.

4. Create a Folder of Important Documents

This might include a digital folder in your email of confirmations and booking numbers. This will also involve a physical little packet with your passport, physical tickets and passes as well as printouts of your reservation confirmations for everything if you’re a little more Type A like me.

5. Check the Weather & Local Events

This should be done as close to the trip as possible so it has the likelihood of being more accurate. This will help you with packing and it might help you know which spots to visit or to avoid.

6. Figure Out Transportation to and from Airport

This is not to be overlooked! We just realized our hotel is about 45 minutes away from the airport which means we now have to figure out transportation: the cost of it and the time we’ll need to get it. This reshaped part of our trip because now we’ve got to leave for the airport closer to 3 A.M. than our initial plan of leaving around 5 A.M. This also included adding an all-nighter to the trip.

If you’ve already booked this, call to confirm it. If not, it can be helpful to call your hotel or research taxi prices. Most hotels provide information about suggested ways to get to and from local airports.

7. Finalize a Budget

Figure out how much cash you’ll be taking with you and about how much you plan to spend on food, souvenirs, and other excursions. I find that it’s helpful to overestimate, like if you plan to spend $12 on lunch one day, round it up to $16.

8. Research Small Details About the Trip

Is it largely a cash-only area? Do you need to bring more small bills now? Does your hotel have a mini fridge for drinks or should you bring a cooler?

Adapt accordingly. I find it extra useful to look up some Trip Advisor details but also to look at other bloggers who’ve traveled to that place. Oftentimes these are littered with small tips and details.

9. Check Groupon

Again, I mentioned this in my post about planning the trip but Groupon is constantly being updated so there may be even more new deals.

There are so many deals on here! I’ve never been sponsored by Groupon, but I always recommend them (If someone from Groupon is reading this, hit me up, please). Check here for restaurant deals, excursion discounts or even local classes.  We recently booked a drink mixing class and got it for 75% off and we also plan to use Groupon to buy our museum tickets because the deal is 30% off.

10. Figure Out What Really Is MUST See

This is so, so important! Trips can often go awry, especially if it’s spring break in college. The weather might be bad for a few days or a flight might be delayed.

Figure out which excursions or special places you all really want to go to and make those a priority. It’s important to have a list of “Must Do and Visit!” things as well as a list of places and things that’d be great to see if time permits it.

Each person on the trip should keep one of these and everyone on the trip should try to accommodate each other, if possible. I always try to create a list of a few restaurants I’d like to definitely visit, as those can often easily be worked into most trip plans!

11. Don’t Feel Pressured to Go Where College Kids Go

If everyone in your entire dorm hall is going to Cancun, that’s great. If you hate the beach and don’t really want to spend all of your spring break in college getting drunk in the sun in Mexico, then don’t. Create a spring break that works for you! My friends and I knew we’d rather go exploring and do a little bit of partying so we opted for New Orleans for our final spring break in college.

Cancun and beaches aren’t the only options. Research cool places or cities that can be a lot cheaper and more interesting. Consider North Carolina or Seattle. Consider heading to Disney or to Nashville. You’re always surrounded by college kids, so there’s no need to feel left out when you’re not surrounded by them during the stereotypically wild “spring break.”

12. Open Space on Your Phone

Get ready for all of the pictures and videos you plan to take. There’s definitely going to be a lot of them. Follow me on Instagram if you want to see the photos from my spring break! I’m so excited to snap lots of pics.

What are your plans for spring break?