Come one week from now, the girl who sits next to you in economics may be ditching her Jumbo sweatshirt for a bikini, while the boy to your left may be trading in his sunglasses for a pair of ski goggles.
With spring break only days away, Tufts students are turning to a variety of options to fill their week-long vacations.
Matt Kiggins, a travel agent at Student Travel Agency's (STA) Cambridge branch, explained that when deciding to go on vacation for spring break, college students tend to choose one of two options.
"When it comes to spring break, most college kids choose either the option of having a crazy spring break in the Bahamas or the Caribbean or the choice of having a more laid-back and independent experience in Europe," Kiggins said.
Although Kiggins has only seen a limited number of groups from Tufts, he claims that those groups tend to prefer the former for their vacation choices.
"We've seen some Tufts students," Kiggins said. "For the most part they've been large groups, interested in going to the Caribbean."
Harvard University students, on the other hand, may choose to head east for their vacations.
"At the Cambridge branch, we see a lot of Harvard kids, who often want to go to Europe," Kiggins said. "Even though their spring break is a week long, a lot of them like to do the backpacking thing."
At larger colleges, entire fraternities and sororities plan group trips to warmer destinations like Florida. MTV's televised spring break, for instance, will be held this year on Florida's Sunny Isles Beach.
But if students do choose to go to novelty vacations spots, it tends to be a one-time occurrence. At Tufts, many students are ditching beach vacations for public-service trips.
"Last year I went to Miami, which was fun, but I wouldn't need to go again," sophomore Lauren Citrome said. "I'm going on the Leonard Carmichael Society's (LCS) alternative spring break trip because I really like doing community service, and I usually don't have time during the year to get as involved as I'd like to."
The LCS trip will take place in New Orleans this year and will bring Tufts students to Louisiana to focus on post-Hurricane Katrina repair work.
"I think it's going to be a good way to see the city and do something legitimate with my vacation," Citrome said.
Students who do not choose to travel through a Tufts program also have the option of participating in outside public service programs, such as those through STA, which organizes trips that range from saving turtles to building homes in Costa Rica.
But even public-service trips can be expensive for budget-conscious college students. When students are looking to reduce travel expenses, some turn to northern neighbors when looking for a destination.
Sophomore John Soriano spent his last spring break with a friend in Mt. Tremblant, Canada, which is located one hour outside of Montreal, for a week of skiing and snowboarding. In his case, his decision was purely one based on novelty.
"I chose to go to Canada for spring break because I didn't want to spend my first college spring break with my family; I wanted to spend it with my friends," Soriano said.
Although the scene in Canada differs from one that could be found in some of the warmer destinations, Soriano still describes the experience as a satisfying alternative.
"Even though we weren't in Montreal, there was definitely a college spring-break scene in Mt. Tremblant, even though it was mostly composed of Canadian college students," Soriano said. "There weren't any big clubs or anything, but there were plenty of bars with people our age - the drinking age is 18 up there anyways."
Although Soriano spent his last spring break up North, he also cited having been to a more typical destination last summer, in Cancun, Mexico, when crowds were more subdued.
"Cancun this summer was definitely fun, but not necessarily for the party scene," Soriano said. "In some ways, I think that you really have to go there when it's not in spring-break mode to really appreciate it - the natural landscape is gorgeous. It's a very different vibe to go there when it's less crowded: The clubs were all still open but there were no lines, and they weren't ever jam-packed. Plus, you could actually find a spot on the beach the next day."
While students look forward to spending vacations volunteering or soaking up rays, there are safety risks associated with spring-break travel.
Medical Director of Tufts' Health Services Margaret Higham cited alcohol as a leading factor in many spring-break safety incidents. Higham explained that in addition to its role in the prevalence of accidents, alcohol can also increase students' susceptibility to sexual assault.
"[With sexual assault], often the perpetrator is another traveler - not a local - and the use of alcohol can play a role," Higham said.
Because of alcohol-related issues, as well as other threats posed by traveling abroad, travel companies like STA often encourage travelers to purchase some form of vacation insurance as a means of personal protection.
"Here at STA, we always push the option of travel insurance, especially because of all the liabilities and drunken shenanigans," Kiggins said. "But for most of the crazier spring-break trips, it's actually compulsory, as part of the package."
According to the U.S. State Department's most recent press release on "International Travel Safety Information for American Students," another main concern for spring breakers should be their own displays of lawfulness.
"Each year, more than 2,500 American citizens are arrested abroad - about half on narcotics charges, including possession of very small amounts of illegal substances. Some people are victimized because they are unaware of the laws, customs or standards of the country they are visiting," the press release said.
Another issue that travelers should be aware of is their own personal health, particularly when vacationing in developing countries, where access to health care can pose a problem for non-native visitors.
"[There], the risk of crime is higher, health care may be difficult to access, particularly if you are not fluent in the language, and the risk of illness is higher," Higham said. "The more remote, the less developed the country, the greater the risks. But even in Mexico and the Caribbean, which are both relatively close to the U.S., it can be difficult to access health care unless you have a local friend helping you."
