All about Spring Break
Spring time brings several things every year; rain, flowers, Easter, pollen, insects and Spring break. Spring break is a time that most look forward to for the vacations and the memories made while out and about.
For this cultural exploration, I wanted to look at how my family had booked vacations when we lived in Germany and how I was setting up my senior year Spring break.
Normally over Spring break I either go home and hang out with my parents or go spend the week at my grandmother’s house. However, this being my senior year of college, I wanted to do something with my friends. My parents gave me the limitations of staying in the U.S., somewhere drivable and not going anywhere with snow. So, we planned a beach vacation to South Padre Island, Texas. A trip filled with ocean, sand, surf, dunes and putt putt.
South Padre is a popular destination for spring breakers, especially those wanting to get some beach time in. U.S. News ranks it 3rd behind Cancun, Mexico and Miami Beach, Florida for beaching spring breakers. New Orleans, Louisiana; Daytona Beach, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada and the Bahamas also make the list for popular college spring break choices. Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, New York City and Aspen, Colorado make for popular spots for those not wanting a beach experience.
Comparatively, Germans have their own ideas for a great March vacation spots. Bali, Thailand, Maldives, and Dubai are all popular resort and beach spots. Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, and Holland are also popular destinations. For those wishing to stay in Germany, the Black Forrest, Bavaria and the Baltic Sea are popular vacation spots.
Vacations typically are planned and formulated by the activites people wish to do during them. Swimming, snorkeling, sunning and outdoor sports are popular beachy activities no matter where you are from. A giant European market for vacations is spa getaways. There are many spa resorts throughout Europe playing the market of those who take time off to relax and destress. Americans have a greater focus on more high adrenaline activies that people plan vacations specfically around. Sky diving, bungy jump, cliff diving, rafting, zip lining and air tours are a large part of the American tourism market. While both markets have all options for each of these activities, their focuses appear centralized on opposite ends. Now these observations might just be the market playing into stereotypes (the crazy American, the old fashion German) but they seem to have suceess in applying the ideals to the demographic. Going to a place specifically for either its tourist attractions or the market that has built out around it is also popular. Gambling in Las Vegas or touring Rome for all of the ancient structures is something popular no matter where you are from.
People often plan their vacations around festivals or specialized activities. Whether its specific concerts like Lollapalooza or Woodstock or food and drink events like Oktoberfest, people will travel.
My mother and I took a bus trip to Holland attended the Tulip Festival in the Netherlands during the late 1990s while living in Schweinfurt. The fields have rows and rows of red and yellow tulips. Their were flower guides describing statics on the tulip industry as well as information on the flowers themselves. The bright flowers are featured at the end of March or beginning of April. Tulips and other flowers are featured in a lavish parade called Bloemencorso Bollenstreek, which I believe is a truly wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of spring. This year’s parade is on April 13.
While on our bus trip, we ate at touristy bakeries and resteraunts. We also went to look at windmills and took a tour of a wooden clog making shop.
Spring vacations are a popular choice due to the celebration of sun and warm weather after dreary winters which make them a popular time for people all around the world to travel. The activities people do, no matter where they are from reflect that. Whether it is spending time at a shore playing volleyball or taking outdoor nature walks, spring time activities are a popular reason and things to do while on your spring break.
