Life > February 28, 2008

By Kara Peruccio | Life editor

With Spring Break just around the corner, many university students are counting down the days to a week of fun and, more importantly, no classes. However, if you don’t have any plans or are staying on campus, here are some strategies and ideas for a fun-filled Spring Break.

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LAST MINUTE DEALS

As college students, many of us would love elaborate trips, but they often don’t work into our budgets.

The Internet though is our friend and offers a plethora of sites that will find cheap deals even at the 11th hour.

Travelocity features last-minute packages with weekly deals. Though the dates are usually Friday through Sunday, they have many fun and often unique locations for under $300 a person.

The search allows you to pick different departure cities (the closest being Raleigh-Durham) and offers prices based on where you fly from.

From Raleigh to Myrtle Beach for the dates March 8 to March 10, the total is $296 including flight, hotel and taxes. If you want to visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the total is $247.55. Prices may vary if you want to upgrade your hotel or have different departure times.

The last-minute deals are ideal for people looking to get away for the weekend cheaply.

Expedia also boasts a deals and destinations site but it is not as inclusive as Travelocity’s.

The site is very useful if you live in a big city and want to get a hotel for the night.

If you’ve ever had the itch to visit Sin City, if you book by March 14, Expedia is offering Vegas hotels from $40 and flights with two nights from $262 along with additional deals. Travel + Leisure, a magazine famous for its exotic destinations and luxurious hotels, boasts a Hot Deals section on its Web site with links to such articles as “27 Affordable Beach Resorts,” “Best Places to Stretch a Weak Dollar” and “Off-Season Beach Bargains.”

They additionally post deals for unique vacations including South African game reserves, which might prove out of the average student’s budget.

The “Best Places to Stretch a Weak Dollar” is an enlightening slide show of photos of fantastic locations that are possible to travel to on our failing dollar. The locations include Eastern Europe (think Zagreb, Croatia and Prague, Czech Republic), New Zealand (one New Zealand dollar costs $0.77), Mexico (cheap hotel rooms and a great spring break spot) and South America (especially Argentina, Brazil and Chile).

DOLLARS AND SENSE

If you really want to visit European countries using the Euro, there are many ways to save money. The Hartford Courant recently ran an article by travel guru Rick Steves, about helpful tips to get more for your Euros. Among his advice:

• Stay in hostels and use their kitchens for meals instead of going to restaurants.

• Choosing simpler hotels (no room service, no elevator) saves money.

• Stuff the room: Many European hotels are happy to bring in extra beds (the more, the merrier, the cheaper).

•Skip hotel breakfasts if not included and eat with the locals.

•Bring your Visa and ATM cards and pass on travelers’ checks.

•Split meals in restaurants.

DAY TRIPS

Whether you’re staying on campus or going back home to see the family, you too can plan an exciting , relaxing Spring Break.

We’ve taken day trips since our grade school days and they still provide great entertainment even as university students.

Here’s a list of fun activities to do that usually require minimal travel.

•Grab some popcorn and go see a movie.

•Feel intellectual and visit a local museum.

•Pamper yourself with a trip to the spa or have your own spa day.

•Be a do-gooder and volunteer.

•Make the drive to your nearest major city and enjoy a day on the town.

•Take in nature and go for a hike

•Partake in retail therapy and go shopping.

•Get your thrills at an amusement park.

•Visit a city or town in your state that you’ve never been to before.

•Cook a gourmet meal.

FLYING FOR (WHAT FEELS LIKE) FREE

Spring Break is a great time to go back home with friends.

If you’re flying out of Greensboro, you may want to try flying SkyBus.

The new airline offers great rates to select cities.

The only drawback is the airports it flies into are usually smaller and may be out of the way. There are flights from Greensboro to Chicago, Hartford, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and New York. SkyBus also guarantees 10 seats for $10 every day. My sister is coming down for Easter and her roundtrip total is around $86. JetBlue is also another lowfare airline that features great travel deals to smaller airports.

It does not fly out of Greensboro but services Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham. JetBlue flies to more cities than SkyBus.

In addition to the continental US, it flies to Aruba, Mexico, St. Maarten, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The cheap fare saves money and allows for more expensive lodging and spending.