There is a huge difference between going to Florida on vacation for spring break, and going back home to Florida during the break. There are some unique qualities when you get to go home for break and you “live where people vacation.”
1. Flights home are unnecessarily pricey
When I was booking my flight home for the break, I forget how necessary it is to book it well in advance. For a 1-2 hour flight, prices can be from $400-600; that’s a large cost just to go home to see my family and sleep in my own bed.
2. You can’t even enjoy the beach
When anyone asks me how far away I live from the beach, I have to explain that there is a difference between going to the beach in season and off season. When it’s gross and humid in Florida, I can get to the beach from my house in 20-30 minutes, in “season” or from around November to March, it takes at least an hour depending on the bridge traffic. The traffic is just the start of going to the beach during spring break, because you also have to take into account how many spring breakers will fill up every piece of sand. This makes spring break a great time to avoid beaches.
3. Spot the tourist wearing hawaiian shirts and massive sunburns
As I walked to past all the gates leaving Florida, I looked at a crowd of hawaiian shirts- people clearly trying to “take a piece of paradise home” with them. They looked festive, though like they had enjoyed a little too much sun in this lovely state.
The best part of living in Florida is watching people pay to stay at nice places during spring break, and knowing you have your bed and your family waiting for you and you don’t have to pay a cent!! If the weather is nice (unlike this week’s break in FL) you also get to go back with a super nice tan just from laying out in your backyard.