Spring break has come and gone. For many of us, we have the same feeling: we came, we saw, we conquered. For some of you, you may have had some travel blunders, fallen in to tourist traps, or wish you had known certain tips prior to your adventures. Others of you experienced awesome trips and would highly recommend your destination to any future spring break travelers.
Here are some tips to make you more travel savvy. From packing to traveling to the destination itself, Her Campus BC is here with great tips to make the most of your future travels!
Pre-Travel Tips
- Stay charged the entire trip and pack all chargers you will need for your trip! If traveling to a foreign country, make sure that you have the appropriate adapters needed.
- Bring a reusable water bottle to places where drinking water is deemed safe. It will save you so much money as you won’t be tempted to purchase overpriced water bottles commonly sold at hotels.
- Don’t be afraid to familiarize yourself with the area you are headed to before going. Printing a map or calling the hotel for the best ways to get around is a good idea. HC BC team member Shannon Louie spent much longer than expected on a bus with friends in Cancun because they didn’t know where or how to get off. She said it was a little scary and could have been completely avoided.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles Advice
- Make sure your sunburn has turned to tan before your flight, otherwise it’s an uncomfortable few hours.
- It is extremely important to pack earplugs because you never know when you will be surrounded by screaming babies (or screaming 18 month old triplets).
- HC BC team member, Kira Godfred, says wearing a big scarf can be an awesome substitute for a neck pillow if you have limited space in your carry on!
- If traveling to a foreign country, be aware of their use of military time. Misinterpreting a PM departure for an AM departure could lead you to miss your flight (or train or bus) and potentially make you have to buy a whole new ticket.
Destination To-Dos (and Not To-Dos)
- HC BC team member Katie Tedesco went to Naples, Florida for spring break. She found a great thing to do near Ft. Myers – go to Sanibel Island! She said, “It is so cute and people ride bikes everywhere (like Martha’s Vineyard) and it is one of the best places ever to collect shells.
- Junior Kendall Stemper went to London this spring break and went to some great spots beyond the usual tourist sites that she advises can’t be missed! They include: taking in a game at Wembley, getting a grilled cheese sandwich in Borough Market, getting a beer at Porterhouse, shopping around the vintage markets on Brick Lane, exploring the Exhibition Gallery at the British Library, and taking a day trip to Greenwich for the spectacular view!
- HC BC Publicity Director, Morgan Gibbons, went to Atlantis in the Bahamas and said that is was definitely worth the money to feel like a kid again and go on the water slides, tube rides and relax by one of the many pools or beaches. You do not, however, need to stay at the most expensive tower option; there is not a bad room to stay in really.
- After a previous adventure to London, HC BC team member Shannon says to take screenshots of maps, email receipts, and public transportation schedules so that you can still access them without service or Wi-Fi when traveling in and around Europe.
- If headed to Punta Cana, senior Meghan Smith says you should definitely go banana boating on the beach. Meghan and her friends loved it so much that they did it twice!
Her Campus BC hopes that you all had an awesome spring break! Whether you stayed on campus, went home, visited friends or traveled to a fun destination, we hope that you had some great experiences, or learned from any possible travel mistakes you may avoid in the future.
Photo Sources:
Meghan Gibbons’ photo
Morgan Gibbons’ photo
Kendall Stemper’s photo
Meghan Smith’s photo
Shannon Louie’s photo
Katie Tedesco’s photo
Nikki-Taylor Dow’s photo