Travel Oyster

Whether you take a ski trip in Colorado, chill in the Caribbean, backpack in Europe or simple enjoy what’s here in Florida – March 8 to 12 will be the biggest spring break in the United States this year. Coincidentally, Rollins College students will enjoy spring break at the same week period as close to 1,300,000 other students from universities all over the United States such as UF, TSU, Penn State etc. This simply makes our spring break week the busiest for the year.

Prepare yourself for lots of fun and busy resorts almost everywhere you go. If you haven’t done so, you should book you trip soon as prices are going up daily. Here are some spring break ideas that you might consider:

All-Inclusive resorts in the Caribbean

There are great all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean such as Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Cancun in Mexico.  Last time I checked prices, a week long trips were going for $900. Probably the best “bang for the buck” deal considering that the price includes flights, room, board and even alcoholic drinks.

Skiing

If you are looking for the snowy fun you should try – Crested Butte (voted the best Colorado ski resort for college aged folks), Aspen, Colorado or Heavenly Valley in Nevada. Don’t forget that our next door neighbor also offers some great spring-break friendly ski resorts such as Whistler Blackcomb in Canada.

Cruises

Cruise trip is always one of the cheapest and most fun option to consider. Caribbean itinerary prices start from $300 to $600 for a week long cruise. Make sure you book soon! Cruses sell fast during spring break.

Backpacking Trips

Europe is always worth traveling despite the long flights. Some Spring break hot spots such as Amsterdam, London and Paris will be the cities in which you’ll see the most American students, followed by Rome, Florence, Madrid, and Berlin. Airfare currently goes for roughly 600$ round trip. Try hostels if you want to save money on housing and meet other student travelers.

Florida

Why not crash at your friend’s house in Miami Beach or hit the top spring break spots such as Panama City Beach or Key West. Trip in Florida can be easily done last minute and you will still be surrounded by tons of spring breakers who come from other states.

Immersion trips in Costa Rica

How about a week of Spanish cultural immersion program and surfing lessons in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. If you are looking for a more productive spring break alternative, this might be your best pick. Check out coastalspanish.com or studyspansihcenter.com

For a full list of universities with spring break (March 8-12) or other spring break ideas please check out http://www.traveloyster.com/march8-2010-spingbreak.html

Ayone interested in budget travel has heard of CouchSurfing, a website that helps connect travelers with benevolent strangers in cities and towns around the world. The concept has hit the mainstream, even approaching trend status, best evidenced by a recent television commercial featuring a couch surfer armed with a particular brand of cell phone.

Of course, CouchSurfing has obvious advantages for travelers looking to meet locals and save money, but it can also be fun for hosts as well. Having a foreign guest, especially one eager to visit your town’s tourist attractions with you, can almost be like taking a trip yourself. If you are trying to learn a foreign language, or even an international language, hosting a couch surfer is a great way to get some practice. Simply hearing someone else’s stories can make for a memorable evening. Certainly, there are many reasons to participate in home stay programs, even if you don’t plan to take a trip in the near future.

If you are considering becoming a host for couch surfers, be sure to check out these two, slightly different, opportunities.

AirBed & Breakfast

The basic premise of AirBed & Breakfast is familiar: travelers search for hosts listed in an on-line database, booking a night or two through the website. The significant difference is that, as a host, you can set a price for your accommodation. This means that, in addition to the less tangible benefits of hosting a guest, AirBed & Breakfast can help you make some extra money as well. The program is open to everyone, whether you have an extra room or simply a couch available, but the amount of money you can make clearly depends on what you have to offer and where it is located.

Better Than the Van

Another interesting alternative to hosting a couch surfer is to host a band on tour. Better Than the Van is a website designed to facilitate just such an arrangement. Though the thought of having a band crash in your place may be a bit frightening, it is a great way to support independent music and up-and-coming artists. If you are a fan of music, this could be a great way to meet some musicians.

What is your experience with couch surfing? Ever hosted a stranger? Let us hear about it in the comments.

Starting in 2010, the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program will be giving out free tickets to Disneyland or Disney World for those in the United States and Puerto Rico who volunteer at participating action centers.
Here is how you can participate:

First, go to the official website at Disney to sign up to be notified of volunteering opportunities in 2010. The volunteering opportunities would be distributed through action centers of the HandsOn Network. For some examples of the possible opportunities, type in your zipcode at the HandsOn Network. When you register at the Disney website you can also specify what type of volunteering opportunities you are interested in. You must preregister for the volunteering opportunities and Disney will send you an email after confirmation of your service.


Each household could have up to 8 volunteers and children have to be at least 6 years old to volunteer. Disney World is hoping to motivate 1 million people to volunteer, and hopefully some of these volunteers will find that giving back is fun and continue to volunteer in the future.

Check out this amazing sale with Condor


One way flights from Germany to the rest of the world start at 179 Euros.

Let’s do it big for Spring Break 2010. My idea is to combine a trip to Miami, FL with a cruise to the Caribbean.
Prices are a killer, however I found out that this year the week of Rollins College Spring Break is the week when majority of the big schools in the states have their spring break as well. Therefore I would suggest we should book at least by the end of January to ensure good prices.

I already picked 3 destinations which I think might work out best. Let me know what you think. You can also find more cruises at Travelocity.com

Cruise picks:

$239 – 4 nights in the Bahamas (Norwegian Cruise lines)
$249 – 3 nights in the Bahamas – stays in Nassau overnight (Carnival Cruise lines)
$329 – 5 nights Jamaica and Cayman Islands ( Celebrity Cruise lines)

*stateroom prices without taxes

Here is a full itinerary for the cruises I chose:

4 Nights Norwegian Cruise line
Trip Schedule: Leave Friday night (March 5th) or Saturday (March 6th) to Miami, FL; Party in Miami for the weekend and then leave for the cruise on Monday (March 8th); Return to Miami on Friday( March 12th) and stay there for the weekend or return
Cruise Departure Date: March 8th
Ship: Norwegian Sky
Ports of Call: Miami, Florida; Freeport, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; Great Stirrup Cay; Miami, Florida
Inside room – $239 Ocean view room – $299

Up to $50 onboard credit is available!

3 nights in the Bahamas – stays in Nassau overnight (Carnival Cruise lines)

Trip Schedule: Leave Thursday night (March 4th) or Friday morning (March 5th) to Miami, FL; Return from cruising on Monday morning and stay in Miami, FL for a week

Cruise Departure Date: March 5th – 5 p.m.
Ship: Carnival Imagination
Ports of Call: Miami, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; Miami, Florida
Inside room – $249 Ocean view room – $299

Up to $50 onboard credit is available!

The good thing about this cruise is that it stays in the Bahamas overnight. However the schedule is not very convinient

5 nights Jamaica and Cayman Islands ( Celebrity Cruise lines)
Cruise Departure Date: March 6th, 2009
Trip Schedule: Leave Friday night (March 5th) or Saturday morning (March 6th)
Return Thursday morning and party for the weekend in Miami
Ship: Century – Celebrity Cruise lines
Ports of Call: Miami, Florida; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Miami, Florida
Inside room – $329 Ocean view room – $449

Up to $50 onboard credit is available!

There are lots of other options for a cruise but these are the most reasonable prices. Check out the rest of the cruises and let me know if you find anything else.

Gasparilla is to Tampa what Mardi Gras is to New Orleans – the biggest celebration of the year. It’s our time to throw beads and enjoy the pirate themed extravaganza.

The party Gasparilla is named after Jose Gaspar, who often terrorized the profound waters off the West Coast of Florida in the 18th century.  This year the event will be happening on January 30^th. If you haven’t booked your place yet, I found that the best option would be Quorum hotel. It’s around 5 miles from the event and it will only cost you $87+ tax. The hotel is the best priced option for this event. It’s also rated 3.5 stars

The Pirate Fest carnival runs Friday to Sunday in downtown Tampa with entertainment and a midway.  Admission is free.

The most exciting part of the event is the parade on Saturday night

More about the parade:

More about the hotel:

The Quorum Hotel Tampa Westshore is located in Tampa, Fla, in the city’s vibrant commercial district. Guests are two blocks from Westshore Plaza and one-half mile from International Plaza. The Tampa International Airport is three miles from the property and complimentary airport transportation is provided.

Address:

700 N Westshore Blvd, Tampa, Florida , United States

Please follow the link to book online through our partner hotels.com

For those who need a flight check out travelocity.com