Oh Gulf Shores, how we long for your beaches.
As many Tech students scrolled through their social media feed today, they couldn’t help but pout. Colleges across the state, such as University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and The University of Houston, all seemed to be having a wonderful day — especially the ones off vacationing on a beach somewhere.
Unfortunately, Tech was left out of the spring break group this week and students didn’t hold back when sharing their feelings via Twitter.
Cristine Kristoff, junior business major from Houston, said she is upset about the change of weeks, because other Texas schools have their break the week before.
“I really wanted to spend time with my boyfriend,” Kristoff said, “but because we go to different schools and have different breaks, I can only go down to Austin for the weekend, and I’m so upset about it.”
Even if students are upset, that’s no excuse not to have fun on spring break.
If you thought you had an extra week to plan and now you’re panicking due to your plethora of procrastination, here are a few tools to get you where you want to go. It’s still possible to have a fun spring break. All you need is a little time and determination and you too can out-instagram your trip to whoever you want while they’re all back in school.
First off, figure out where you want to go. Are you willing to spend the funds to go to a beach city like Panama City, Gulf Shores, or South Padre? Or are you more interested in going to Vegas or maybe a quick trip to the Big Apple? Don’t panic, you have options. I searched about five travel guides and many of them showed not only their prices, but other booking websites as well.
Jonathon Mckibben, a graduate student in the College of Education at Tech, from Auburn, Alabama, said having grown up in Alabama he would spend his spring breaks in the Florida Panhandle.
“I went to college about an hour and a half from the beach,” Mckibben said, “so it was one of those, I could make the decision to, one afternoon, say ‘hey we’re going to go to the beach for a weekend.’”
For me personally, I’m not leaving the state. I am going to Galveston for a few days. I kept looking at prices on Expedia and for about a week and a half one of their nicer hotels (the Tremont on The Strand) was 10 per cent off. I checked it again on Sunday and the price had gone back up. Today I took a chance on Trip Advisor to see if I could find anything better. It compared even more travel sites for me and I ended up finding a room at the hotel I wanted for even cheaper than it was when it was 10 per cent off. Booking.com ended up having the best deal.
Of course, all of this varies depending on where you choose to go and how long you plan on staying. Other places you could look would be Kayak, Expedia, Hotwire, Trip Advisor, and Last Minute Travel. If you’re feeling brave enough to take the cruise route, Last Minute Travel offers deals that start at $60 per night to sale the Caribbean through Norwegian Cruise Line.
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If you feel like meandering through the Lone Star State there is plenty going on as well. Right now South by South West (SXSW) is taking place in Austin and I am extremely jealous of anyone who is there right now. Even though the last day of the music and media conference is March 16 you could still start your spring break off with a bang and get cultural. For those who feel like traveling a little further, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is taking place until March 23. I’ve personally grown up going to the rodeo ever since I was in elementary school and it is not something you want to miss.
For those of you whose skin is basically ghost-like, there are quick fixes for that. If you don’t want to buy a tanning membership or don’t want to risk your health, you can always get a spray tan (Yes guys, I’ve known men who have gotten them too.) Many of them don’t go over $30 and they last for an entire week. In Lubbock it’s not hard to find one. You can go to Palm Beach Tan where you can print a coupon on their website where if you buy one spray tan you can get another one for free. Always Tan and B Tan is known for their Versa Spa sunless tanning and it also lasts for about a week.
Ladies, if you’re worried about what you’re wearing during the week simply think casual chic. These are some fun things I would consider wearing while out on the town or walking down the boardwalk.
When it comes to swimsuits Victoria’s Secret is always trending, Target has cute styles that are more on the cheap side, and my current obsession is Mara Hoffman’s swimsuit designs.
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So whatever you are looking to spend and wherever you are looking to travel, there are options out there. Regardless, everyone here at The Hub wishes all Tech faculty and students a wonderful and relaxing spring break. Be sure to send us your pictures in our upcoming photo contest. The winner will receive a Torchy’s gift card.
*Pulled Quotes and work contributed by Roxanna Castillo
About Lauren Estlinbaum
