THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Spring break
Wednesday March 3,1999 Section: B
Inside
Some students will spend their vacations doing service work rather than the traditional college student's spring break.
Inside
SEE PAGE 3B
Students who still need to make reservations to fly to their spring break destinations can do so at a local travel agency or online.
SEE PAGE 4B
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
A break away from the usual
By Angela Cox Illustration by Josh Peterson
he smell of suntan lotion on your skin, the waves lapping at your toes and the sounds of surf and seagulls filling your ears are all elements of a perfect spring break vacation.
Photo Illustration by Christina Neff
Spring break provides students with a prime opportunity to forget about their studies — at least for the most part.
Instead, they can relax while enjoying a sleep-filled week at home, zipping down a mountain slope or lounging at a remote tropical location, soaking up the sun and meeting new people.
Even Oprah Winfrey knows the benefits of having the beach mere yards away. Two weeks ago she took her show on the road for a week in the Bahamas, where show topics were inspired by the island environment. Many students agree that choosing to spend their vacations among the palm trees is best
"I'm going to Jamaica this year," said Sarah Russell, Hutchinson junior. "I went to Cancun last year and had a blast, but I wanted to go somewhere new." There are many advertisements for spring break
vacations peppering newspapers, and numerous Web sites come up when "spring break" is entered into an Internet search engine. Most of the sites offer students the chance to escape the monotony of everyday life and fly off to the beach.
Each site attempts to entice students with claims of the lowest prices, best hotels and hottest spots.
http://springbreaktravel.com/home.html, has a contest to win a free trip the moment a person logs on. It also provides potential customers with a run down of their credentials including: recognized by the Council of Better Business Bureaus for outstanding marketplace ethics, no complaint history and Escrow protection on your payment. The list goes on to provide further information about what to consider when choosing a trustworthy travel agent.
Appealing icons on the site lead curious web travelers to the wonderful world of airline and hotel descriptions for places such as the Bahamas, Cancun, Mexico, Negril, Jamaica, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Panama City — names that invoke visions of swimming-suit clad students hitting the beach to obtain great tans.
Travel agencies can always provide students with their idea of the most affordable as well as the most beautiful places to go.
"I think as far as clear water, white sandy beaches and those type of surroundings at Cazumel and Cancun are great," said John Novotny, manager at Travellers Inc., 831 Massachusetts, said. "Price is always a range starting out at moderate and going to expensive depending on what the individual wants."
These warm destinations offer a variety of activities. Besides the obvious pastimes of beach-bumming and swimming, vacationers can go snorkeling or scuba diving. These underwater activities give the a chance to view the beauty of the underwater life.
For the more adventurous, some locations offer para-sailing and cliff jumping. And for those who prefer to see the wildlife from the safety of a boat, tours are usually offered. Some boats are glass-bottomed providing a more up-close-and-personal look. Or for those who really love boats, cruises also are offered by most agencies.
"I'm looking forward to basically relaxing, having a long break from school and enjoying the warm weather, especially with how it has been here lately." Russell said.
- Edited by Julie Sachs
Snow is the way to go for some KU students
By Kate McCarty
Special to the Kansan
After an unusually mild winter, spring finally has arrived.
But don't pack away the hat and gloves just yet. It's time to bundle up and head for the mountains. For many skiers, spring break may be the last chance they get to hit the slopes until next winter.
According to the Vail Resorts Web site, www.snow.com, the state's world renown skiing resort towns — Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek are some of the most popular spots in Colorado. Each offers a variety of ski runs that will satisfy first-time skiers and experts alike.
For KU students who want to take a ski vacation, Colorado is the easiest option because it is closest.
The site said that each resort had a hotel but that there were many different lodging options. Most local hotels and condominiums have shuttles available to and from the parks.
Besides being home to some of the biggest ski
areas in Colorado, the site said Breckenridge and Vail also were known for their night life. Both have more than 100 restaurants and bars, shopping, theater, dog sled racing and many other activities to do while taking a day off from skiing.
Some KU students plan to get away with their friends while others see spring break as an opportunity to spend time with their families.
"I'd like to have a friend go along but that defeats the purpose of a family trip," he said. Wells said it might sound like more fun to spend a week in Colorado with friends than family, but there were definite advantages to both.
Jaxon Wells, Pittsburgh sophomore, is going to Breckenridge with his mother and sisters.
"As long as I don't have to pay for anything, I can't complain," said Wells.
The Vail Web site said a three-day lift ticket to Keystone cost $138 and offered access to Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin, Vail and Beaver Creek. A single day ticket is $52 at Keystone and Breckenridge and $62 at Vail and Beaver Creek.
Melissa King, Salina freshman, and her
boyfriend are going to Keystone for four days
"We've both saved a long time for this, but we worked and that makes it a little easier to afford," she said.
Relaxing with peers often helps people escape school pressures and responsibilities.
Melanie Michael, Cheney freshman, said parents tended to hinder some of the freedom of vacation, which can be both good and bad. She said it could help keep students from doing things they should not be doing, but it could also be restricting.
Questions sometime arise as to why some people would celebrate the start of spring in a winter environment rather than the typical college vacation spots such as Cancun or Davonta Beach.
Michiel said skiing was the perfect way to spend spring break.
"Being in the mountains helps me escape for a little while," she said. "I want to relax when I'm on vacation, not be stuck in the middle of a 24-hour drunken party."
Edited by Juan H. Heath
Photo Illustration by Matt J. Daugherty
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