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THE BATTALION
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Traveling to hot spots for March break
offers excitement, parties, relaxation
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The Battalion
For one week a year, students can for
go the cruel and unusual punishment of
cramming and exam-taking and flock to
the most exotic backdrops their spring
break budgets can afford. From the sandy
beaches of Mexico to international lo
cales, students can find seven days of
blissful relaxation for a relative
ly small fee.
Loretta Newland, a travel
agent for A.&M Travel Services
Inc., said vacation packages often
provide the best deal for student
travelers.
“Traveling to places like Can-
cun, Cozumel and Daytona Beach
are almost always cheaper when
you buy a package deal from a
travel company because they in-
ulated drinking age. Meredith Houx, a freshman
business management major, said Acapulco has
the ideal atmosphere for a beach-bound spring
break.
“My week will be spent tanning, partying
and meeting people in Acapulco,” Houx said.
“[My friends and I] got a vacation package,
which includes a flight out of and into Hous
ton, tips, a hotel stay in the Super Deluxe and
all of our food, for around $800. I’m really ex
cited about the trip because it’s the same idea
and price of Cancun but with a cleaner and
more attractive atmosphere.”
Although spending the w^ek bathed in Mex
ican sunlight is an alluring option for many, oth
ers opt to stay within the boundaries of Texas.
Andrew Offer, a freshman business finance ma
jor and member of the Greek organization Sig
ma Chi, plans to relax in a Texas town popular
among college students during spring break.
There's about 15 of us staying in a house
designed for six people, which means we can
chill, party and hang out on the beach all
week for around $150 per person. ”
— Andrew Offer
freshman business finance major
dude their own chartered airline, hotel and
food,” she said. “Mexico is especially ap
pealing because anyone can afford it (the
cheapest packages range from $300 to $400)
and the touristy regions are really geared to
ward vacation.”
Newland also said that, although many
packages seem too good to be true, most are
completely legitimate as long as students'
make sure to read all the fine print.
Students planning to take advantage of
the deals at the last minute, however, had bet
ter start making arrangements for next year
instead.
Cheryl Vulkowski, a travel agent for Carl
son Wagonlit, said the earlier the trip is
planned, the more money students could save.
“If booked early, most trips range from
$450 to $650, but if you wait until the last
minute, they can usually run from $850 to
over $1000,” Vulkowski said. “As a result,
most of our prepackaged plans have been sold
out for months. Students should really start
planning in September or October to get the
best prices.”
For those fortunate enough to have a vaca
tion arrangement far in advance, the south-of-
the-border tradition offers more than an unreg-
“My fraternity is driving down to South
Padre in an overcrowded Suburban to save
cash,” Offer said. “We were going to rent a
Winnebago and camp out, but we decided to
rent a beachside condo instead. There’s about
15 of us staying in a house designed for six peo
ple, which means we can chill, party and hang
out on the beach all week for around $150 per
person.”
For those who prefer a more metropolitan
experience, cities such as Dallas, Houston and
San Antonio make perfect destinations.
Urban entertainment, from museums to four-
star restaurants, comes with the territory of a
city road trip. At www.ticketmaster.com, the
ater, concert and sporting-event tickets are
available at the click of the mouse. Because
many large cities offer inexpensive hotel rates
and are within a few hours of A&M, students
may find metropolitan mini-vacations give the
best bang for their buck.
Despite the Lone Star State’s many attractions,
some may prefer a change of scenery for their one
week of freedom. Garrett Cornelison, a senior
English rhetoric major, said his first choice for a
spring break excursion includes plans to jump
Texas’ eastern border and head east.
“My friends and I made plans to spend the
week in Fort Lauderdale,” he said. “To save
money, all five of us are staying in a hotel room
modeled for two people. We are also planning
to buy groceries and make a lot of sandwiches
rather than making a habit of eating out.
“I’ve been skiing, but the beach just seems
like part of the college experience,” he said.
“When the idea to take a road trip to Florida
came up, I jumped at the chance. I need to get
all the vacation I can before law school starts
next year and relaxing is basically over.”
If staying within the United States sounds
less than appealing, consider skipping the coun
try. Jarrett Urban, a junior business accounting
major, said he was looking for a unique adven
ture instead of the conventional spring break hot
spots.
“My roommate, his sister and a few friends
are spending seven days in and around Madrid,”
Urban said. “For the most part, we plan to vis
it museums, palaces and other his
torical parts of the city. We are
also taking a one-hour bus ride to
the monastery of San Lorenzo del
Escorial and a train ride to Sala
manca, where one of the oldest
universities in Europe is located.”
Urban described the innovative
strategies he and his fellow trav
elers will use to save money.
“For under $1,000, we have a
reserved plane ticket, accommo
dations, food, transportation and the cost of at
tractions. Our goal is ‘cheap,’ so we’re staying
in a youth hostel, taking a train around Spain
and buying our own groceries. I had thought
about returning to London, where I interned last
year, but I wanted a different experience.”
Whether spring break plans include an in
ternational adventure or a road trip to the near
est city, the most important aspect to consider
is the quality of the trip versus its effect on a
limited budget. Websites like
www.priceline.com and www.travelocity.com
are places to check for low prices for airline
tickets, car rentals and accommodations ■— the
most expensive necessities of travel.
If the budget just won’t accommodate even
the cheapest of road trips, consider indulging in
a little relaxation. John Ray, a freshman indus
trial distribution major, said he will go home for
spring break and catch up on the sleep he
missed throughout his college career.
“I’ll spend about $40 for gas money to get
home, which is cheap compared to the cost of
an actual trip, and spend the rest of the week
hanging out with friends, napping and relax
ing,” he said. “I had planned to go on vacation
with a few guys, but sleep and saving money
won out.”
>-S0AS
for Spring Break 2001
• . I fL ■
Adventure lurks just outside the College Station city limits
By Brooke Holbert
mie Editor
=-life Ediwt
Editor
Ji Editor
^3 Producer
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r The Battalion
Americans love a road trip. This infatu-
I ation is chronicled in popular songs from the
| Indigo Girls’ “Get Out the Map” to the Red
-Hot Chili Peppers’ “Road Trippin’.” This
j music soothes listeners with romantic sto-
I ries of easy traveling on a winding road and
| is an excellent way to ease the worried mind
I and realize that there is a lot more fun to
I have in a car than simply getting from point
IA to point B. The journey is the destination.
There is a certain intimacy in road trips with
| which an airplane cannot compete. Leave
, the calendar at home, listen to cheesy coun-
[ try songs with a good friend and get philo-
I sophical. Abandoning yourself to a few un-
1 scheduled days on the road can create a true
I road warrior.
Kemah
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About 120 miles toward Galveston on
! Interstate 45 lies Kemah, a small tourist
town. This is a fun place of escape when one
is weary of the party scene and appreciates
the more serene environment of a seaside
town. Marinas, boating, shopping for silver
jewelry and eating at funky beachside
restaurants make Kemah a breezy getaway
from College Station.
“There is a really neat restaurant called
The Aquarium that has walls of fish tanks in
it, and there is a little Ferris wheel and train
to go on,” said junior speech communication
major Sarah Graham. “It is not the place to
go and party like Austin or something, but it
is a fun thing to do on the weekend.”
This may not be the typical man’s idea of
a high-energy weekend, but it is a fun change
of pace for couples or a group of girls. Kemah
offers several reasonable bed-and-breakfast
type hotels with rates that start at $40.
Hidalgo Falls
The Hidalgo Falls are a series of exposed
limestone shoals along the Brazos River that
formed after years of erosion. The falls erod
ed into a mini-white-water-rafting attraction
that allows visitors to ca
vort as a raft-wearing na
ture-lover for a few
hours and brave the
rapids.
“My friends and I got
kayaks and went on the
river,” said Craig Hargas,
a junior finance major.
“The kayaks are fun, but
it’s also nice to just get a
lawn chair and sit in the
shallow end. It is easy to
throw a grill in the car
and just make a day
trip out of it. And
there is a great tree
swing.”
Hidalgo Falls
is about 30 min
utes south of
College Station,
heading down
Wellborn Road. Admission to
the river is $ 1.
Austin
Sometimes the homesick stu
dent just craves a little exposure to
a larger city. As charming as small towns
can be, there is something addictive about
the traffic, entertainment and anonymity of
city life. Take advantage of the easy hour-
and-a-half drive to Austin.
“I will begin to really miss Austin after a
while,” said Don Stroope, a sophomore
chemical engineering major. “The live mu
sic and energy of Sixth Street is like nothing
else. There is no single place to go. Every
thing is always new and changing and there
are just so many things to do.”
Sixth Street and Guadalupe Street
are famous for the wide variety of
restaurants, 1 coffee shops, clubs, stores and
street-side vendors. Austin brags of its di
versity, and the eclectic, edgy feel of the hip
pie city delivers. A college favorite includes
The Hole in the Wall bar, right next to the
campus of the University of Texas, with live
music from reggae to jazz. Antone’s Blues
Club is deemed the best blues club in the
city, a crowded joint known for bridging
generation gaps and bringing together all
blues lovers.
A popular event is the South by South
west music and film festival held during
spring break this year. The festival offers
GRAPHICS BY KATIE EASTERLING/The Battalion
different admission prices to the sever
of concerts and films starting at a stuuem
rate of $130.
New Braunfels
Though many people are drawn to New
Braunfels to tube down the Guadalupe and
Comal rivers, Greane Hall is less well-
known. This is the dance hall where John
Travolta shimmied as a disreputable angel
alongside Andie MacDowell in the movie
Michael. Surrounding the dance hall are
rows of old-fashioned craft and general
stores.
“Greane Hall is the oldest dance hall in
Texas,” said senior civil engineering major
Dave Kneuper. “All the Texas legends have
played there* like Willie Nelson, Waylon
Jennings, Jack Ingram. You can leave here
at 10 and be on the river by 1. Float all af
ternoon on the river and go to Greane Hall
at night.”
New Braunfels is about two and
a half hours away, down
Highway 21 toward San
Marcos, then Interstate 35
to New Braunfels.
Remember, absence
does make the heart grow
fonder. Back within the
familiar city limits of the
Brazos Valley, the Free-
birds burrito will taste much
sweeter, Northgate will once again
sparkle with life and Aggie pride will
be recharged.