Spring Breaking the Bank
Written by: Madyson Studenek
Spring break is the time for vacations for many high school students, or even grades who are younger. As soon as winter break is over high school students begin their countdowns to spring break and their next long period of time off. There is always a wide debate that parents go through on whether or not they should take a vacation during this time. Not to mention how crowded any place you go will be because of the sheer amount of people looking to get away this time of year. Some of the trade offs of travelling during another time of the year may be the missing work and school. Most students have off for a week around Easter or earlier and if you were to travel another time, there may be class time missed. Parents typically have Easter off and some have off for Good Friday and or the Monday after Easter. I do not think that so many families should go on vacation during this time, but rather another time of the year when it is less expensive to travel.
From Mexico to France so many families venture off on their destination vacations and spend countless amounts of money so that their kids can make memories in another place besides their hometown. Whether it is escaping the cold, or just visiting a new place, according to Barry Choi, more than 50% of college students venture off on a vacation each year. The demand increases every year for a bigger and better vacation than the last. Not to mention the opportunity cost of taking a vacation from missing work, to the actual cost of the vacation itself. Price level rises at this time of year because airlines, hotels, restaurants know when the travel season is. Families go out to eat for most meals which is a much higher price than cooking their own meals with food from the grocery store. Many families try to find deals during spring break, but there isn’t always a way to save money, especially because of the sheer amount of people who travel during spring break season. According to Kaitlyn Mcavoy, a journalist for Spend Matters, “College students alone spend more than $1 billion every year on spring break”. While this is a convenient time to travel because of the lack of school, or work depending on when holidays fall, it seems ridiculous.
It makes much more sense for families, or even an individual in order to save money and increase your purchasing power so that you can either exercise your propensity to save or propensity to consume with the extra money that is leftover from making efficient economic decisions with travel plans. There are a few times of the year that are significantly cheaper than any other time of year, “The first two weeks of December (between the Thanksgiving and Christmas rush), most of January (after the New Year’s travel period), spring and fall (exception: the traditional “spring break” weeks in March/April)” (Seaney). The issue is that many people have already had off before this time or will have off soon leaving employers unlikely to grant requests for time off. Students would also be missing school during this time which is an opportunity cost. The student could have a fun vacation, but they would be missing valuable instruction from the teacher that they will not be able to get back.
These are some of the comparisons for a week long trip for a family of four. According to CBS News, spring break typically costs around $1500 per person when it is domestic. ValuePenguin states that, a vacation that does not happen during spring break or around major holidays generally costs around $900 per person. An international spring break vacation can cost up to $3000 per person, whereas an international trip will cost around $2000 per person during a ‘low cost’ travel time of year.
If you must travel during spring break, check out these tips to try and save your money. Clearly there are various options as to when travelling would save money, and this way it could be something that fits you or your family’s schedule. In conclusion, the best way to travel on spring break: is to not, save your money and travel at another time during the year.
Works Cited
"Average Cost of a Vacation." ValuePenguin. N.p., 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
Choi, Barry. "Spring Break Costs 2017." Spring Break Costs 2017: Where to Go for Less | Skyscanner. Skyskanner Ltd., 20 Jan. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
GOBankingRates. "The Cheapest - and Priciest - Spring Break Destinations." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
Mcavoy, Kaitlyn. "Spring Break Spending Stats – How Much Do Our Beloved Beach Vacations Cost?" Spend Matters. N.p., 06 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Seaney, Rick. "Cheapest Time of Year to Fly | Dead Zones | Travel News." FareCompare. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Spengler, Teo. "Easy Ways to Save While Traveling on Spring Break." GOBankingRates. Toggle Navigation, 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
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