Spring break is finally here, and University of Wisconsin students are deserting campus and heading to warmer locations.
The top hot spots this year for students traveling through STA Travel in the Memorial Union are Panama City, Florida and Jamaica, according to travel advisor Mike Lienau.
He said the three locations were on the cheaper end of the vacation packages offered by the agency.
“Last year we did a lot more of Barbados and the Bahamas, but those locations are not so big this year,” Lienau said. “Students are a little more concerned about money.”
UW freshman Carolyn Rosewall said she is camping with her friends in Florida and driving there to save as much money as possible.
“We’re planning on only spending up to $50 a person,” she said.
However, Lienau also said overseas trips to visit students studying abroad have been more popular this year because airfare to Europe is so low.
“London might be our cheapest destination right now,” he said, since the students traveling the area already have lodging provided by their friends.
Lienau said there are still a few last-minute flights available, but prices for remaining flights have skyrocketed.
“The cheap stuff sells out pretty early,” he said.
Lienau said trips across the border, where the drinking age is 18, are always big attractions for students.
UW freshman Tyler Peters said he and his friends have been planning a trip to Cancun over spring break for the past year.
“We decided we didn’t want to end up going back to Green Bay,” Peters said. “And Cancun is the place to be, I guess.”
Cancun was the most popular spring break destination last year, according to USA Today.
Peters said he and his friends also chose Cancun because of its “lower” drinking age. They bought a package vacation deal with includes 30-40 hours of free drinks at various clubs throughout Cancun during the day.
Over 100,000 teenagers and young adults travel to Cancun each year, according to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, and police arrested 360 over the 2002 spring break season. U.S. consular officials in Mexico warned that any American citizens arrested would not be immediately released from jail and would get no special treatment because of their American citizenship.
“Mexican law can impose harsh penalties for violations, and the fact that someone is a U.S. citizen in no way exempts him or her from full prosecution under the Mexican criminal justice system,” states a U.S. Department of State document.
Madison Police Sgt. Emil Quast said students should look out for each other while on spring break, because “no one else will.” He recommended designating sober drivers every night because young people are often hurt on the road during break.
Quast also suggested that students remove valuable property like expensive stereo systems from their apartments while on vacation because theft always rises around campus during spring break.
