With spring break less than a month away, many students are looking forward to some fun in the sun before the finals grind begins.
However, planning such a trip on a college student’s budget can be a challenge.
In addition to standard options of booking one hotel room for numerous students or driving instead of flying, there are a number of less commonly thought of methods for saving money students can utilize.
The timing of MSU’s academic calendar proves advantageous for spring breakers on a budget.
“There are a lot more deals and special offers for March because our break is so much earlier than other schools, a lot of their breaks are closer to Easter,” kinesiology sophomore Olivia Maurer said.
While many students choose to book hotel rooms, choosing to stay in a house can provide students with a more cost effective, spacious vacation environment.
“Getting a house saves money because more people can split the cost more ways and the rate can be for the whole week instead of by the night like with hotels,” education junior Katie Morisette said.
Another option that has become popular in larger cities is Airbnb. The website allows guests to rent full houses or apartments or just a room in a place for usually less than an average night in a hotel would cost.
Plus, many of the locations favored by students also wind up being more cost effective.
“Locations like Panama City and South Padre in Texas are cheaper because they are aimed at college students,” Morisette said.
Some Airbnb rentals in Panama City for the week of spring break come up as low as $90 a night.
For students planning to use their spring break to volunteer while enjoying a new locale, there are different fundraising options.
“We do a fundraising program called ‘Adopt-A-Breaker,’ which is basically a letter writing campaign the participants run to offset the cost of the trip, last year we raised about $9,000,” neuroscience junior and Alternative Spartan Breaks’ site and education chair David McClendon said.
The fundraising programs are a boon to many students efforts to pay for their trip.
“In the past students have been able to fundraise enough to cover the entire cost of their trip,” McClendon said.
Alternative Spartan Breaks gives students meeting attendance requirements a $100 stipend to offset the program’s average total cost of $425 for meals, lodging and transport, McClendon said.
