The COVID-19 pandemic has seen to it that spring break 2020 will be nothing like we have seen in previous years. Once all of the data is in, it will be clear that travel during March and April was way down. Fewer college students took trips to exotic spring break locations. Fewer families spent spring break traveling.
There is not much we can do about 2020. But it might be kind of fun to think about next year. As you pine over 2020 plans that never came to be, think about what you might like to do in 2021. What would be the perfect spring break for you?
A Brief History of Spring Break
There are two ways to think of spring break. The first is the college and university break that typically takes place sometime in March or April. It is that time of year when scores of college students tend to go to Florida, Texas, and Mexico. History suggests that tradition dates back to 1938 and a swimming competition in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
That was the year when the very first College Coaches Swim Forum took place. It attracted some 300 swimmers and hundreds of additional classmates who came to cheer them on. Subsequent years saw the swimming competition continue. Eventually, local communities began capitalizing on it by offering special deals on hotels, attractions, and alcohol. The tradition continues today.
The ‘other’ spring break is the Easter break taken by most public-school districts. Students head off for an entire week – either Easter week or the week prior. Unfortunately, there is no solid historical data indicating when this tradition began. We can assume it to be as old as public education itself. However, there is no proof.
Spending Time at Home
Perhaps the perfect spring break for you is encapsulated in spending time at home. Maybe you are a college student who relishes the peace and quiet of an empty campus. Or perhaps you spend spring break at your parents’ house. You do not have any need or desire to party with your classmates on the beach. That’s fine.
Maybe you don’t have kids of college age. Your spring break is the public-school Easter break. You prefer to spend the time with your family at home, doing things like playing games, doing crafts, and taking trips to the local library and museum.
Families or singles that prefer a more laid-back spring break can essentially create an annual staycation. Part of that time can be spent lying around the house and resting. The rest can be spent doing things locally. It’s all good. Best of all, staying home is cheaper than traveling.
Spend Spring Break Traveling
Staying at home isn’t an option for some people. If this sounds like you, perhaps you’re already making plans for spring break 2021. You already have a destination in mind. You even have the money, given that your 2020 trip was canceled.
What kind of destination do you prefer? Are you a beach partier, or do you prefer camping and hiking? Perhaps you and your family will be heading to a world-famous theme park next year. Or maybe a week-long cruise is more to your liking.
The beauty in all of this is that there is no right or wrong. Each of us gets to make spring break whatever we want it to be. Indeed, the biggest restraint for many of us is the budget. Hopefully you will be able to afford exactly what you want for spring break 2021. At least you have an entire year to save for it.