Spring Break travel tips

My tips for Spring Breaking like a pro, learned through experience.

It’s everyone’s favorite time of Spring semester again, Spring Break! Whether you are going all the way to Cancun or staying close and going to Virginia Beach, I have a few tips that will ensure you have a smooth time getting where you are trying to go and a great time while you are there. These tips are learned through first-hand experience! My dad is an airline pilot for one of the biggest airlines in the world (I won’t say which company but you all better be flying United this break ) so this advice is also fact-checked by a very trustworthy source! Let’s get into it…

Picture this, my dad, brother, and I are so excited for our trip to Los Angeles. All we have to do is fly out of Virginia, connect through Phoenix, Arizona, and then get to LA. We checked our bags (meaning they would be sent to LA without us having to handle them) and had nothing else on us for a carry-on because we wouldn’t need anything with us, right? WRONG. Long story short, since my dad is a pilot, we fly positive space, meaning if there are open seats on the plane we get those seats, but there were no open seats on the plane. So we did not make it on the flight, but our bags did. Our bags with all of our things were sent to sunny LA while we were stuck for the night in Phoenix. We had to go to the airport shop and buy shirts that said “PHOENIX” on them in huge letters. We looked like such tourists. My point to this story is, if you are checking your bags when flying, ALWAYS bring a change of clothes in your purse or carry-on in case you find yourself somewhere that your bag isn’t. This is also a good rule of thumb in case something happens to your clothes in the airport. You can never be too cautious and a change of clothes should easily fit in your carry-on. When you are flying, also make sure you have a good and easily accessible spot for your ID so you can get it quickly and make sure to frequently check which gate you are taking off out of in case it changes.

Once you get to your destination, wherever it may be, I suggest that you bring what I call a “going out bag”. My going-out bag is a wallet or bag that I don’t necessarily care about because it is probably going to get dirty or (god forbid) lost. We all know Spring Break can take you on some crazy adventures so it is extremely important to be cautious and try not to lose anything, but things happen. When you go out with your friends for the day or for the night, you don’t want to bring your favorite wallet with all of your cards and money in it because things happen and bags get lost. If you do end up losing your wallet or bag, you want to try to minimize the damage and not lose everything at once. When it comes to important items like credit cards, IDs, and money, only bring what you absolutely need for the occasion.

If you are going to the beach, I suggest that you bring an extra swimsuit with you. The reason I say this is because of an unfortunate experience I had when I was in the Caribbean last Spring Break. I was on the beach with my friends laughing and having a great time, when all of the sudden, the clasp to the back of my swimsuit top SNAPS. It broke and there was no fixing it. Obviously, I had to immediately go back to the hotel room to change. I would have been saved if I had brought an extra swimsuit, but at the time I had no reason to think I would need one. So when you are packing to head to the beach, it is a good idea to pack an extra swimsuit in case you or your friends find yourself in the same situation I was in.

I hope you can learn from some of my experiences, I know I have. Whatever you are doing this Spring Break, stay alert, be safe, and most importantly have fun!