In a mere 117 days comes a day that many Madison college students cannot wait for. A week of relaxation, tanning, major drinkage and partying. A week of meeting other students, grinding with other students and getting with other students. Just two simple words that ease our minds and give us something to look forward to: spring break. After having the time of my life in Cancun two spring breaks ago and spending last year’s break in Windsor, Canada, I will be heading to the beautiful city of Acapulco this March. From my experiences in Cancun, here are my top 10 dos and don’ts from planning your Spring Break trip to partying during it!
10. DO bring a deck of cards, a bottle of no-doze and plenty of patience. In going through STA Travel, our flight was delayed at least twice. Our plane (which was painted with the name “Planet Airways” — have you heard of that company before?) was to originally take off at about 7 p.m. from Dane County Regional Airport. After delay after delay, we didn’t end up boarding until about 10 p.m., arriving in Cancun around 1 a.m. We thought we were home free as we walked out of the airplane into the humidity but had no idea that Mexico customs, incredibly unorganized and chaotic, awaited us. Let’s just say we didn’t arrive at our hotel until around five o’clock that morning.
9. DON’T stay at the Cancun Marina Club. Sure, we are college students and this hotel looks appealing, as does its price, but, been there, done that! We were missing a bed, we had a never-ending clogged toilet, we had to call 80 times for towels, and our “beach” was a lagoon with alligators. Not to mention, someone stole my roommate’s swimsuit off the windowsill. Damn maids! You might as well go all-out — go all-inclusive.
8. DO go to Carlos ‘n Charlies. If you are looking for a fun time, this is the hot spot! Some of our most memorable experiences happened here, from my drunken roommate Amy dragging me onto the stage to sing with the band to ACDC’s “Shook Me All Night Long” to the awesome chicken-quesadilla stand out front. We tried to bring the little Mexican cook back home with us, but he couldn’t understand English. I mean, if he opened up a stand like that on any corner on State Street, money would be pouring out of his socks! He missed the opportunity of his life!
7. DON’T get caught by other hotels’ security guards. Since we were so unlucky as to have a hotel on the opposite side of the beach, we’d roll out of bed at noon and walk to another hotel and lay out on their beach instead. It worked for a while, that is, until we were followed out by a security guard who couldn’t speak or understand much English. He kept telling us to get out even though we were surrounded by a fenced-in area and he wouldn’t let us out the way we came in. How did he expect us to leave?
6. DO kiss a Mexican with braces. Don’t ask, just do it.
5. DON’T be naíve. If you think the cab/bus driver is drunk, he probably is. When we got on the bus that was to bring us to the Cancun Marina Club after three hours in customs, the bus driver was sitting there drinking a Corona while our tour guide, Caesar, cheered him on. Uh … and we thought this only happened with Madison taxi drivers.
4. DO beware of old men … and really young ones. Talk about being annoyed; you will be constantly hooted and hollered at if you are a girl by old, yucky Mexican men. Not to mention 16-year-old boys on vacation with their parents.
3. DON’T get in front of video cameras. You might be the next girl on “Girls Gone Wild.” Or, of course, you will see the guy who videotaped you a week later on campus giving you a sly smirk.
2. DO prevent hangovers. When you get back, when you wake up, when you are not drinking alcohol, DRINK WATER. And don’t forget to bring aspirin — they charge an arm and a leg for medicine and sunscreen.
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Those are just a few of the rules to making your spring break the best time of your life. However, Mexico has one rule of its own for all spring-breakers: There are no rules. Go and enjoy yourselves! Acapulco, here I come!
Nina Balistreri ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in strategic communication.