Ava Mantzouranis
Staff Reporter
09 June 2022
Put away schoolbooks and grab the flip flops that have been collecting dust in the closet. For millions of high schoolers, it’s time for summer break, and all of the nice weather that comes with it. With one’s mind needing a factory reset from the grueling school workload, how does one plan the ultimate summer break vacation?
But, first, before answering the question, here are some of student’s inspiring, yet, crazy stories from previous breaks.
Important moral: Never clean up toothpaste:
During one summer break, Aidan Whalen, was in the bathroom cleaning up toothpaste. When he lifted his head underneath the sink and split his head open. Proving that one should let your toothpaste gunk collect in the sink to avoid possible head injuries.
Climbing a treacherous mountain:
During another summer break, another anonymous student climbed a mountain, which they described to be ones of the most haunting experiences of their life. Maybe scratch off rock climbing off your itinerary if you’re butt scared of heights.
Many students at Atholton are traveling to a variety of locations all across the globe and form them, forming crazy memories and experiences such as the ones above. Some cool locations students are traveling to include Scotland, London, Las Vegas, and Texas.
Students plans while traveling are “ to visit my family members, spend the time doing things they love” one anonymous student stated, as well as to “tour places, explore scenery, fashion outlets, and try a wide variety of cuisine,” another student had mentioned.
For high schoolers, summer break is a perfect opportunity to let off steam after the stress of finals and graduation. But for a location to be summer break worthy, it needs to check off requirements, such as being affordable, accessible, and popular among students. However, travelers will find a changed and pricier traveling experience.
Students still in the planning phase on summer break should be prepared for full flights and pricier hotels, if the students are budgeting their summer break activities, especially in popular locations such as Myrtle Beach and Cancun.
Data from the travel booking website Hopper shows the average hotel as 166 dollars, up more than 30 dollars from the same time last year.
And domestic airline tickets are doubling, a 50 percent increase from last year around the same time as well. So how’s a student supposed to plan an ultimate summer break with a limited budget?
Here are some strategies for students still in the grueling planning phase:
-Consider alternative destinations:
Though you have your number one choice, places such as Miami, for instance, is a trendy destination and has high hotel prices, averaging 318 per month, according to Trivago. You can try considering other places such as Medellin, Colombia, and Havana, Cuba where you’ll likely achieve the same tropical urban vibe as Miami.
-Consider Alternative modes of transportation:
Flights and rental cars are expensive. One may want to consider alternate modes of transportation, such as taking a train or bus to travel. Many services, such as Amtrak, have up to 30 percent off its popular routes for tickets booked at least 14 days in advance. This deal applies to many popular destinations for summer break travel such as Washington, Boston, Baltimore, and New York.
-Consider Paying with points:
Travelers who have amassed points over the pandemic or previous vacations may consider using the points they have earned or airline miles they have been holding onto to save money during their vacation travel. Also, making sure to utilize loyalty programs that Southwest and Delta Airlines have to offer to get an even greater discount.
My final words of advice comes from an anonymous student, “Most importantly, it is essential to remember to keep calm and have fun during [summer] break, because you are deserving of it”.
atholtonnews.com 