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It's hot, so let's get in a car for 10 hours (or a plane or bus)

Jul 18 '00 Write an essay on this topic.

Ah, summerttime. A time for rest and relaxation. A time of total peace and tranquility. Ummm, yeah, sure. For college students, summer is very seldom relaxing. Less stressful, perhaps. Even if taking classes a college student USUALLY has less of a load on themselves. But quite often students underttake other activities, often including lots of work. However, the majority of college students either consider or actually go on some summer travel. This could be anywhere from a weekend camping trip to a summer away in Europe to joining the peace corps and going to the deepest, darkest parts of Africa. Either way, travel can be a great summer experience and there are a few things that can make it easier for the student.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Before anything, one must plan. Planning is an important part of life, and it is often not something that college students do well. In fact, some of the most major impacting decisions of a college students life often come up on whim from things like dating partners even to MAJORS!!! But trust me, it is easier just to plan ahead of time.

So where are we going?

The destination is the first thing that should be decided, since everything else will depend on this. There are many options. Road trips are nice, even if one just plans to drive wherever the road takes them (not always the safest way, but an adventure nontheless). Also, many students like to take excursions into the mountains or wilderness to go camping. This provides an opportunity to get away from the city and from thousands of students walking around doing the same thing. And students from all over the U.S. will travel to one beach or the other, whether it is Cancun or in California or Virginia or Florida or even Rutherford Beach, LA (ok, don't go here, PLEASE!). Then there is Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, Antarctica in which visits generally lasts more than a weekend (unless one already lives there). And remember, there are thousands of major cities in the United States just begging to be toured. At this point, the length of the trip would also help.

Who is coming?

Next step is to see how many people are coming. I want go off in this topic, as options are totally numerous. The most important things to consider are whether this will be a family vacation (yes, college students still spend time with their family). Or will this be just a group of friends or just two people (dating partners or just friends). Even the solo thing is possible, and is something that should really be considered as it is a good way to make new friends and to grow as a person (or a good way to get mugged in an unfamiliar neighborhood, so be careful.)

How will we get there?

Plane, train and automobile are all choices. The usual choice depends on the first two questions. If there will be a lot of people, then a car or a couple of cars or a van may be fine and exciting (unless the trip is to Europe). Having several people pitch in for gas and drive can make the driving much less stressful. One or two people may save money by going by plane (unless the trip is a 4 hour drive away). That is why both the destination and the group (or lack of) must be considered. Driving can be really fun with a bunch of people and frequent stops, but if the trip is going to be rather short and a drive would take really long, then planes may be considered. Also, one must consider the closest airports to the starting and finishing points. A trip from Louisiana to Panama Beach takes about 10 hours driving (give or take a couple). While this is a long drive, flying would be almost pointless as even if airplanes do land in Panama, the flights would be unreal costly.

What do we bring?

Once again, this depends on all of the above (too many generalizations here). Here is one good list that will work in most vacations:

swim suit (really small bikinis are fine if I will be in the same area)
sun screen (even on the coldest mountain camping trip)
insect repellent
Fodor's Road Atlas (unless flying or leaving country)
a good tent (if going camping)
money, credit card, traveller's checks (each has its disadvantages, but if well hidden CASH works best)
llama food
a little bit of snack food (especially for long driving trips)
clothes (one pair per day, plus 2 or 3 extra and one to three dressy outfits)

Packing as light as possible is best, whether flying or driving, and always remember the possibility of getting everything stolen.

NOW WE ARE THERE!

Once all the preparations are made (whether it be reservations or just trying to find a city), it's time to leave. Arrival at a vacation spot is one of the best feelings in the world, ESPECIALLY after a long drive. So once a person arrives, finding things to do become priority.

What do we do?

If a trip is taken to the wilderness, the best thing to do is relax. Park rangers can help to find hiking or biking trails or good fishing spots. Otherwise, exploration is a fun possibility. If going to the beach, then just walking from hotel to the beach is easy enough. Other places have tourist books that point out the best locations.

Night life is a bit different, and this is important to most college students, as partying on vacation can be more fun than anything else. Major tourist cities and beaches usually have one or two places notorious for their wild club scene and will not be hard to find. But for something a bit different or in a smaller city, asking the locals is the best thing to do. This is also a good way to get an invitation to a great party or just have people to hang out with at the local bar. Racoons or wild cats are not always open to this idea, so asking the locals on a camping trip may not be the best thing.

Oh my! I'm pregnant!

There are several safety tips any college student, male or female should follow to avoid dangerous circumstances and stupid mistakes on vacation. In a wilderness trip (these are so much easier), one can find these tips posted all throughout a park or I'm sure there are dozens of places on the web. But there are usually no signs that say, "Don't accept drinks from strangers" at the local club. So I'm saying it. Also, do not go back alone to anyone's house/hotel room/etc. Sure, they may seem like the greatest thing on earth, but there are so many vacation horror stories of rape or just drinking too much. Also, no one needs to carry large amounts of cash at one time. Hide this in the hotel room or better yet use the hotel safe. If the decision is made to have sex with a stranger on vacation (oh gee, I bet it's REAL hard to find sex on a college campus, meaningless sex with someone who has had 5000 sex partners and gives a false name is really fun) then by all means USE PROTECTION!! Going home and saying, "I got the clap on my vacation!" does not make for a good slide show. Using caution is the best advice! SO USE CAUTION.

HEY, THIS IS EXPENSIVE

While this should go with the preparation stuff, I found that saying it at the end may be a good way to end this editorial.

Trips cost money, and college students often do not have a lot. A weekend excursion to a camp ground with a tent can cost around 20 dollars per day, maybe 30, but this includes gas, food and lodging. Hotels can run much higher, and plane tickets are often very costly.

Internet price shopping followed by direct calls is the best way to find great deals. Using the various services out there can get good prices on tickets, hotels and other things. (try www.travelocity.com or www.priceline.com). Once you find the best deal, it is important to call that restaurant or hotel chain and ask for "the best available price for a student." I went to Key West last summer. Because I called an airline (and used a travel agent, which is also a good idea, just make sure it is not one that charges) I got tickets for 200 dollars cheaper than any airline immediately offered or any internet site because there was a package deal that included hotel. Ask the hotels or airlines if they know of any packages, and search the internet because package deals often include food, etc.

What I do is use travelocity, and get the best price. Then directly call that airline and let them know I am a student (which knocks the price down in many cases). I also call the hotel(s) I wish to stay at and let them know that I found a cheaper price "somewhere else" and attempt to barter. Funny how they suddenly remember the "weekend to Wednesday special" or something else. If the hotel cannot beat the internet by calling directly, then something is wrong. Finally, I call a travel agent and see if they can beat the prices that I got myself. It all works out.

So have a GREAT summer (or what is left of it) and a GREAT vacation!

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