Spring Break 2012 - Spring Break Ideas

Looking for some great spring break ideas? It’s that time of year again, when college students all over the U.S. are dreaming of spring break and spring break destinations. Because of the depressed economy, you’ll be able to find some good deals on spring break packages for Spring Break 2012. The internet is your friend here, making it possible to do a lot of research and comparison shopping. First, of course, you and your buds will need to narrow down your choices of spring break destinations. Many students prefer to spend their college spring break somewhere warm and sunny in order to escape the winter doldrums, and beaches are always popular. Don’t limit yourself in your choices of spring break trips, however. The beach isn’t the only place to enjoy a wonderful vacation this spring. Think outside the box. Below are some spring break ideas to help get the gears turning.

Many college students are nature lovers, so why not get a group of similar-minded students together for an outdoorsy spring break? Hikers might want to get together and decide to hike part of the Appalachian Trail. The group could camp along the trail and enjoy waterfalls, rivers, wildlife, and the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. Such adventures could be very cheap spring break trips because you won’t have to pay for lodging. You’ll also be making memories to last a lifetime.

What about a river rafting adventure? These are offered all over the United States and range from gently flowing rivers to raging whitewater excitement. With some river excursions, you camp out on the riverbanks every night and cook your food over an open fire.

Eco-tours are also great spring break ideas, and you don’t have to visit a foreign country to enjoy eco tours. In fact, some great ones are offered in Florida. The Sunshine State isn’t just about high rises and glitzy nightlife. Florida has some wild and wooly wilderness areas, with the Everglades being a prime example. Hire a guide to take you and your group on a Florida eco tours through the ‘Glades and the 10,000 Islands. Not only will you get to see all sorts of birds, wildlife, and delicate ecosystems, you can also pull up to some pristine, secluded beached for some R and R.

If you and your pals are really into sports, you might want to center your spring break trips around sports events and/or training camps. Several professional sports teams have winter training camps in Florida, so you could easily include a trip to the beach in your spring break plans. While you’re at the training camp, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at professional sports, and you’ll probably get to see some famous athletes, too.

If you want to take part in sports camps instead of just being a spectator, you might prefer attending a camp to improve your skills in certain sports. Many sports camps, including those hosted by Nike, offer package deals that include tuition, meals, airport transfers, and housing. The camps specialize in sports such as golf, tennis, water polo, basketball, field hockey, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, football, baseball, and running. If you’re a serious competitor, or if you’d like to become one, this could be a great use of your time off from school.

Shopping trips are fun spring break ideas, especially for girls. That might sound sexist, but females are often more into shopping than males are. A group of female college students would have a blast on a shopping trip to New York City. Just think of all the things you could do on these spring break trips! Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, you could do tons of window shopping and get lots of ideas about the latest fashions. And of course, after a day of shopping, the city offers a wide array of restaurants and nightlife venues, where you and your BFFs could kick back and party down. Heck, you might even want to take in a Broadway show or a couple of museums and art galleries while you’re in “the City that Never Sleeps.”

Of course, New York isn’t the only great shopping locale in America. Practically every large metropolitan area provides a vast array of shopping malls, discount warehouses, specialty shops, and boutiques. Depending on your tastes, you’ll probably find suitable shopping venues even in mid-size cities and small towns.

If you and your friends are horse lovers or cowboy enthusiasts, why not take a trip on horseback? Almost every state in the U.S. has guest ranches, and some are pretty elaborate, with swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, and gourmet foods. If you want a real horseback riding adventure, join a cattle drive. There, you’ll get to play the part of a real-life cowboy or cowgirl and sleep in the great outdoors along the trail and eat from the chuck wagon. You’ll get to actually herd cattle!

If spending a week on the trail is more adventure than you want, book a few days at a guest ranch. You’ll get to ride horses several times a day, but you can opt out, if you so desire. After the first couple of rides, you might prefer soothing your aching muscles in the hot tub instead of climbing into the saddle again. After a day or so, you’ll probably be ready to get back into the cowboy scene. Many guest ranches include other activities in addition to horseback riding, including fishing, swimming, river rafting, tennis, western lore, fireside entertainment, dances, and cookouts.

If you’re a serious horse enthusiast, you might want to spend a few days at an educational camp, where you can hone your riding skills. Maybe you want to attend a barrel racing clinic, or maybe you’re into jumping. Perhaps you just want to learn basic horsemanship. Whatever it is that you seek, you can turn your hobbies and interests into spring break trips.

Spring break trips that focus on historical sites will be especially attractive for history majors. The United States is rich in history, including Native American history, colonial history, Civil War History, pioneer history, and World War II history. You can tailor make your spring break trips to focus on one historical period, or you might be able to include more than one era. For example, a visit to the Southeast could include a tour of Civil War battlefields, plantations, forts, remote pioneer settlements, and Native American sites. You might prefer to learn the history of a specific city or region, instead. In that case, New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Winston-Salem, and Williamsburg come to mind. Of course, there are plenty of other historic cities in the U.S., so you’ll have plenty of choices for your spring break trips with a history flair.

With a little work and a little planning, you can find a selection of cheap spring break trips. In this case, you might want to use “the more, the merrier” guideline. In other words, sharing a room with pals will mean that each person will have to pay less. Instead of a hotel room, you might actually save money by renting a condo or a vacation house. You’ll be able to house more people, and you’ll also be able to save money on dining out because you can prepare your own meals in the full kitchen. If you’re interested in renting a private home or condo for your spring break, check out the listings on VRBO to eliminate the “middle man.” We’ve rented vacation homes many times through VRBO, and we’ve never been disappointed. You can find cheap spring break trips through VRBO all over the United States, as well as in other countries around the world.