Your passport is lost in your childhood bedroom that your little sister now claimed as her own. You spent $1,000 during the fall semester on Doordash, parking tickets, and Shein orders. So, you and your friends are left wondering, how will we have the spring break of our dreams now?
Luckily for you, and broke college students everywhere, Fort Lauderdale was created just for this reason. Sit back, relax, and read ahead for the spring break itinerary of your wildest dreams and your mothers’ worst nightmares.
Step 1: Travel
Unfortunately no, you cannot take the EE to Florida. I guess route 18 doesn’t go that far south? The drive is roughly 18 hours from New Brunswick. While that is technically doable, you will wind up spending so much money on gas, snacks, and hotels that it won’t necessarily feel worth it. I recommend booking a flight out of Newark straight into Ft. Lauderdale International. It’s less than three hours in the air, and if you book early enough, you will only end up spending around $300 round trip.
My friends and I are flying out at 6:00 am on our first day and flying out around 8:00 pm on our last day. Although these times aren’t the most desirable, you will end up saving money on Ubers to and from the airport as well as overpriced airport spending since you won’t be hungry that early in the morning and late at night.
Step 2: Accommodations
During the spring break season, hotels all along the southern coast jack up their prices to scam impressionable college students like us. Especially with a large group, you will have to book multiple rooms and pay additional service fees for a mediocre hotel on the strip filled with other spring breakers. As a woman, I also didn’t feel super comfortable with this option since there’d be so many groups of guys running around and partying.
My friends and I decided to go with an AirBnB near the beach that is close enough to take an Uber to the strip, but far enough that we would feel safe returning home at night. This way, we will be able to walk to the beach and to downtown Las Olas for shopping and restaurants. For a group of 10, the price of the house was only around $40 each for three nights—a total steal!
Step 3: Activities
What to do and where to eat? The Las Olas beach in Ft. Lauderdale is free to enter daily, so you can spend all day on the sand and only worry about spending money on lunch. The beach is on Las Olas Boulevard which is home to a walkable palm tree-lined trail, perfect for a morning hot girl walk. It also has a multitude of cheap and accessible restaurants that are perfect for a quick bite between tanning sessions; you can run out to the boulevard to grab a New York pizza slice or a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwhich.
Both shopping and dinner eateries are in downtown Las Olas. Be warned, most stores are luxury fashion boutiques and art galleries. While you might not come home with anything, it does make for a great afternoon of window shopping. You can even spend hours counting the different sports car models you see driving down the boulevard.
As for dinners out, there are about 10 quintessential restaurants you won’t want to miss. Louie Bossi’s, Big City Tavern, and El Camino all feature amazing Italian, American, and Mexican cuisine respectively. Reservations book up fast, so I recommend booking your spots about two weeks in advance, especially for large groups. The boulevard is alive at night until about midnight so after dinner, you can stroll the Ft. Lauderdale marina and loop back around to Kilwins for ice cream.
STep 4: Nightlife
While these are all must-do for a successful spring break, we all know why you’re really there. The Miami Metropolitan area is, of course, world-renowned for its club scene. The sun is hot and the lust for wild nightlife is hotter. So pack your mini skirts, cutout dresses, and highest heels (you are going to need them). While I’m only nineteen and obviously don’t know anything about what someone might be getting up to at 11:00 pm in Ft. Lauderdale, I recommend asking your upperclassmen friends who have taken the expedition before to find out the best places to go. For research purposes only. Obviously.
Pack your bags, apply your sunscreen, hydrate, and have fun losing your Ft. Laudy virginity. Your bank account might regret it, but you and your Instagram feed certainly will not.