Whether you're a school kid, a parent or a slightly crazed college student, Spring Break is an annual reminder that the year is hurtling past.
In Florida, it's also part of our cultural history. From railroad pioneer Henry Flagler to Connie Francis and the gang from the 1960 movie Where the Boys Are, Northerners have long escaped winter harshness for Florida's lulling sunshine. And though local public schools don't take time out until early April, a spin onto any traffic artery is proof that for many people Spring Break is now in full swing. (If you're the parent of a college-age kid, just look in your spare bedroom. It's likely full of school pals.)
We're going to check out the scene. No, we aren't coming to your guest room (count your blessings). But we are heading around the state to check out fave spots for Spring Break vacations for all ages.
For the next six days, I'll be driving from the Florida Keys to the West Coast, on to the theme parks and Daytona Beach, and finally to Panama City Beach, where the traditional insanity of college Spring Break still draws close to 300,000 young adults (we use that term loosely). You can cheer me on, offer suggestions -- or cautions -- and post your own memories online at www.MiamiHerald.com/travel; click on Jane's Travel Blog.
$12 BILLION BOOST
I should have plenty of company. Just how many Spring Breakers hit Florida's shores is a guess, since state tourism officials don't track the stats that way. But you can figure that most people who head to the Sunshine State from late February through mid-April are coming here for the weather, baseball spring training, the festivals, the fun. Crunch the numbers, and it looks like 17 million Breakers tossing about $12 billion into our state's coffers.
Of course Florida isn't the only Spring Break magnet anymore. College students and, yes, even high schoolers, are going to Texas, Cancun, the Caribbean and Europe. Increasingly, they sign up for "volunteer vacations" and donate their time to worthy causes, say experts. Some families head to the ski slopes, Caribbean cruises or Costa Rica, says Eileen Ogintz, who writes the syndicated column Taking the Kids.
But Florida still sizzles.
About 58 percent of student Spring Breakers traveling inside the United States are coming to Florida, say executives at STA Travel, the largest agency for travelers 18-35. That's an increase of 4 percent over 2006.
Yet increasingly it's families -- not college kids -- who are taking over Florida's shores during the Spring Break period. Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, family travel has been on the rise. In 2000, about 26 percent of leisure travelers took one or more trips with children, according to the Yankelovich Travel Monitor. In 2006, that number rose to 36 percent. "If you look at what's happened in terms of world events, people are placing higher value on their families," says Dennis Marzullo, executive vice president of YPB&R, which conducts the Yankelovich travel research.
STUDENTS DISCOURAGED
And some Florida destinations actively discourage students in favor of a calmer, more affluent audience.
Fort Lauderdale led the trend when its tourism leaders decided in the early 1980s that Spring Break was, literally, more trouble than it was worth. Now about 10,000 college kids come to Lauderdale during Spring Break, says Jessica Taylor, spokeswoman for the city's convention and visitors bureau -- down from 350,000-400,000 students decades ago. In those years, Fort Lauderdale had only 3.3 million visitors a year; now, with a year-round flow of families, couples and convention-goers, the count is up to 10.35 million.
Daytona Beach, the Florida Keys and South Beach have followed similar strategies. Though not all actively discourage students, they focus on a different crowd.
"There are always going to be students on the beach -- just not several hundred thousand at one time like in late '80s and early '90s," says Tangela Boyd, spokeswoman for the Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, which stopped marketing to students about five years ago. Student Spring Break conveyed an image that kept families away; now the families are back. More upscale lodging options -- with more expensive room rates -- are helping shift the tide.
In Panama City Beach, though, students are still welcome -- and wooed with $475,000 of marketing. "We looked at the economic benefits, and we decided that if we're going to have Spring Break, we wanted it to be the best it could be," says Bob Warren, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. Breakers bring about $60 million in a 40-day period.
'BREAK FRIENDLY'
About 6,000 of the area's 25,000 lodgings are "Spring-Break friendly," he says, and students are steered to them. Corporate sponsors host live entertainment, games and contests. Local businesses offer student discounts. Tourism officials encourage students to "Celebrate Safely." Local police bump up staffing to help deliver the message.
It all adds up to this: Florida is still where the Breakers are -- whoever they might be.
WHERE'S JANE TODAY? For the next six days, Travel editor Jane Wooldridge will visit Florida Spring Break haunts. Her daily reports will be published on page 4A of The Miami Herald and online at www.Miami Herald.com/travel, where you can post your own comments, suggestions and memories.
TOP SPOTS FOR 2007
1. Miami
2. Cancun
3. Daytona
4. San Jose del Cabo, Mex.
5. Bahamas
6. Key West
7. Jamaica
8. Acapulco
9. Panama City
10. South Padre Island, Texas
Source: CheapTickets.com
PLANNING A SPRING BREAK TRIP
For public school students in Miami-Dade and Broward schools, Spring Break falls April 2-6.
Haven't made plans yet? Don't panic. Many northern schools have finished with Spring Break by the time ours rolls around. And while your favorite Florida beach hangout just might be full, plenty of options remain. Here are a few:
* Snow's up: Given recent weather, many slopes are reporting robust snowfall. Ski.com has spring deals available. One option: $546 per person, quad occupancy, buys four nights lodging in a two-bedroom unit, a three-day lift pass and roundtrip transfers from Eagle airport at Vail Racquet Club during the Spring Back to Vail celebration, April 1-15.
* Florida Dude Ranch: For $199, you can get a two-night package for two adults and two children at Westgate River Ranch, between Tampa and Orlando. Included are lodging, a hayride, Saturday night rodeo, visit to the petting zoo and other family activities. Catch: to get this rate, you have to listen to a timeshare presentation; if you want to pass on that, check on other rates. www.westgateriverranch.com.
* Hotelrooms365.com: Deals on hotels in Orlando and elsewhere. One choice: Rooms at the Legacy Grand Resort start at $42.
* Rentalo.com: This website offers family-friendly and reasonably-priced vacation rentals in Florida, Mexico and many other locations. One Orlando choice: A four-bedroom, three-bath home with screened heated pool and full kitchen in a gated community 10 minutes from Disney rents for $985 per week during South Florida's Spring Break.
* Site59: This last-minute travel website offers trips two weeks in advance of travel. If you see a deal you want, jump on it; they go quickly.
* easyCruise: The people who brought you the European low-cost airline, easyJet, also have a no-frills cruise line, easyCruise. The cheapest cabins are gone, but outside cabins with window for a three-night trip from St. Maarten cost $191.25 per person, double occupancy, departing March 30. European trips are also available. www.easycruise.com.
* Other cruises: Decent rates are still available on other cruises leaving from South Florida during Spring Break. For instance, Carnival offers $649 for the first two passengers, $539 for the next two passengers in a four-person inside cabin the first week of April. www.carnival.com.
S.C. Luxury: The acclaimed Inn at Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina's Low Country offers a "Can You Dig It?" family archeology program focusing on its native American and plantation sites on Thursday mornings during March and April. The program is free but participation is limited. Other family activities are offered; rooms include upscale family-friendly cottages and suites. April rates start at $625 per night for a cottage, $900 for a two-bedroom home. www.palmettobluffresort.com.
-- JANE WOOLDRIDGE
