This year, the most popular destinations have been the Dominican Republic and also Jamaica. Those two have been pretty close together for the number of people that have been booking. Dominican Republic is a bit of a newcomer.

2. Where are the safest places students can head for spring break?

Anywhere we would send people for spring break would be safe. I know that Mexico has gotten a lot of flak lately with some of the violence, but all of that has been away from general tourist areas, so even people going to Acapulco or places where some of this has happened would be safe as long as they stayed in the general tourist areas, especially within the resorts.

3. What kind of financing options are available to students on a low budget?

The easiest thing for students to do who are on a budget would be to plan early. A lot of our packages, if you were to book in the fall, offer free meal plans or free drinking plans. The longer you wait, the more expensive things tend to be and the less options there are available.

4. Has the economy had any impact on the number of students who are looking to travel for spring break?

Numbers, at least for us, are higher this year than they have been in years past, so I think a lot more people are starting to travel.

5. What should students consider when they’re trying to plan a vacation?

You can get better deals and get a bit more bang for your buck if you do things earlier. I know that’s not always possible. The main thing students tend to take into consideration is location — where in the world they actually want to go. If they want to go do something with culture, like in Europe for example, or if they want to go to a beach. Price is a big, big consideration, especially with students.

6. What are the most popular hotel chains that students are choosing and have chosen in the past?

It depends on the city. There are more popular resorts depending on each destination that students like to stay in because they know a lot of other students from around the nation are going to be partying there too, but I can’t think of a specific brand that would resonate as a spring break brand.

7. What kind of services does STA Travel provide?

One of the benefits is that students get personalized service. We can take a look at the different packages that are being offered and customize airfare to go along with it to see which flights might be better off for students that have class on Friday but want to still leave on Friday, just for example. Or if students have questions about certain places, we’re more than happy to do whatever research it takes to help answer their questions, and we talk to parents to help quell some of the fears that parents have when their students leave.

Compiled by Josh Mansour