UNH Students Save on Spring Break

Imagine your father moving clear across the country in order to get a better paying job. Now picture finding out that you cannot visit him during spring break because neither of you can afford the five hundred dollar plane tickets.

This is the case for Anna Normandeau, a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, during this upcoming spring break. Normandeau’s family, like many other families throughout the United States, has been hit hard by the failing economy.

Like others, her father lost his job this past year and had to relocate in order to find work.

“It’s just frustrating how expensive everything is,” said Normandeau, “I can’t even visit him and now I don’t have any spring break plans.”

Normandeau is not alone in her frustrations. Many University of New Hampshire students faced similar dilemmas this year upon deciding what to do during their spring vacations.

Colleen Warburton, a freshman, hoped to travel with her sorority to Panama City, Florida, but quickly realized it would be too expensive. “I’m staying with my cousins in Arizona. I’m only visiting for four days, so that’ll make it cheaper,” said Warburton.

Part of the problem preventing students from taking vacations this year is the price of travel. While hotels and travel agencies offer discounts, airline rates have remained relatively stable.

Travel agent Karen Dawson of Horizon-University Travel in Durham, NH says that she has seen a decline in the number of vacations this year. “Although some airlines like Southwest offer deals, unless you’re a frequent flyer and have built up points, flying can be very expensive,” said Dawson.

“Add some kids and the tickets add up fast,” said Dawson.

Dawson explained that many hotels are offering special deals to try to encourage people to take vacations. “A lot of hotels will offer a third or fourth night free as an incentive,” said Dawson.

Despite the incentives, many college students decided to opt out of hotels this spring break, instead trying to bunk with friends or family. For instance, sophomore Brianne Creedon plans to stay with her grandparents in Florida during spring break.

“If I couldn’t stay at their condo I wouldn’t be able to afford to visit,” said Creedon, who will be gone for seven days.

Florida, says Dawson, is one of the most popular spring break spots among college students this year. Cities such as Miami, Panama City, and Key West are popular vacation spots.

“[The most popular spot] used to be Cancun,” said Dawson, “But now that traveling out of the country has become more of a financial burden, people seem to prefer staying within the U.S.”

Senior Leah Reed is one UNH student who chose to visit Florida instead of Mexico. “My friends and I looked up rates and found a really great hotel in Florida near Jacksonville,” said Reed.

“We’re going to have a road trip and drive down to Florida,” said Reed. Reeds hopes that traveling by car and sharing the cost of gas will help her save money.
Another benefit of road trips is that students can chose to make whatever stops they want along the way.

“We’re planning on stopping in a couple states to visit friends as we go,” said Reed. “It’s nice to be able to work it around our own schedule.”

Although many students seem to have plans, not everyone is traveling this spring break. "I've seen fewer students come in this year," said Dawson.

This is likely because a lot of UNH students plan to either relax at home during the vacation or work at local jobs.

Junior Nicole Labbe, who works at Kohl’s in Manchester, NH, says she hopes to work during break. “I’ll probably pick up two or three shifts,” said Labbe, “I could use the hours.”

Although working isn’t exactly a vacation, many UNH students seem to be glad to have jobs to return to.

Andrea Mitchell, a sophomore, plans to work as much as possible during break. “I called my manager and asked to work every day,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell said that saving money for her is essential. Mitchell has to pay for much of her schooling along with books and spending money. “I feel like I’m always broke,” said Mitchell.

Normandeau, who now has no plans as she cannot afford to visit her father, agrees that working is the best idea for this spring break. “At least I can babysit and make some money while I’m home,” said Normandeau.