Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has not been a normal spring break in quite some time. Last year, seniors at Fairfield University took Easter Break to be their spring break, which posed many challenges for a final spring break experience. This year, however, the senior class of 2022 was able to finally have a bit of normalcy.
There were two main destinations for the seniors of Fairfield this year: Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Cancun, Mexico. Many seniors entered their last year with ideas or goals of where they would wish to travel to as one of their final hurrahs with friends, and these two spots were at the top of the majority of the people’s minds.
While spring break was a great time enjoyed by many, there were some good parts and bad parts. Traveling to Florida proved to be much easier for seniors, as it was still in the United States and a negative COVID-19 test was not required to travel. When going to Mexico, however, that was a much bigger ordeal-you needed to have a negative PCR test to be able to return to the country.
Gwyneth Gaynor, a senior at Fairfield, spent her spring break with close friends in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She spent the week with her friends, relaxing by the beach and pool, and going out at night.
“I think the best part of the trip was just enjoying the warm weather and making memories with my friends,” said Gaynor.
However, there were still some difficulties that came along with the travel. The week of spring break this year directly aligned with many other colleges, making the popular spring break destination of Fort Lauderdale even more popular.
“The worst part of the trip was the overpriced average meal,” Gaynor said, “along with the volume of people making going out to eat difficult, as well as with any other popular spots.”
The lines and pricing of food were a very big debate throughout spring break trips. Her and her friends also decided to either order food to their hotel some nights, or eat at the restaurant in their hotel after waiting almost two hours to get dinner in the downtown portion of Fort Lauderdale.
Emma Wagner, another senior at Fairfield, spent her spring break at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. She spent her time there also at the beach and pools, as well as enjoying the all-inclusive experience without having to worry about paying for other things.
“I would say the best part of spring break was being able to just be at the beach all day and being in the sun,” said Wagner.
However, even when an all-inclusive seems like a great time, there are some challenges that go along with it. In a country like Mexico, you have to be extremely careful of what you consume, especially when it comes to water, which can make you very sick. There are also not many options for food, and no other places really around to be able to find other alternatives.
“The worst part of the trip was definitely the food,” said Wagner, “it was really bad and not very edible, so it was hard to find things to eat a lot of the time.”
All in all, spring break trips are meant to make memories with your closest friends, which is exactly what both seniors did. There are trials and errors that come with planning a trip, and while you can do a lot of research beforehand, sometimes you won’t know what you get until you’re there.
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