7 Travel Spots That Avoid Spring Break
NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- You didn't make it through a long, gray winter just to spend your spring break avoiding a can-strewn hotel pool and cleaning a co-ed's vomit off your rental car.
Much like hurricanes, brush fires, blizzards and various other seasonal anomalies, spring break is best accepted as an unfortunate reality at this time of year for travelers whose best beer-bong building days are behind them. As with any destructive force of nature, the best way to approach spring break as a traveler is to avoid it as best as possible.
That's going to be a bit tougher this year. The American Express (AXP) Spending and Savings Tracker found that 61% of Americans plan to spend more on travel overall this year. About half of those big spenders will be hitting domestic hot spots, while 22% will be heading abroad and another 20% will be taking to the seas on the giant floating all-inclusive resorts that call themselves cruise ships.
This means a while lot of mixed demographics in such places as Florida, where travel site Orbitz (OWW) says four of the Top 10 spring break destinations are this year. American Express Travel, meanwhile, put Florida's Panama City, Daytona, Key West and South Beach at Nos. 1 through 4 on its list of the Top 8 spring break destinations in America. Think a passport and a plane ticket will keep the keg stands and deep bass at bay? Not in Mexico, the Bahamas or Jamaica, where American Express and Hyatt (H) place nine of the Top 10 warm-weather Spring Break destinations this year. While Orbitz suggests avoiding Spring Break crowds by heading to Olympic basketball trials in Portland, Ore., this April, taking in baseball's spring training in Arizona and Florida or confining the family to a Disney (DIS) cruise ship, there are other ways to salvage a spring vacation without being surrounded by nonstop parties. With help from travel experts, we came up with seven places where grown-ups can take a spring break without being overrun by spring breakers:Select the service that is right for you!
COMPARE ALL SERVICESAction Alerts PLUS
TRY IT FREEJim Cramer and Stephanie Link actively manage a real portfolio and reveal their money management tactics while giving advanced notice before every trade.
Product Features:
- $2.5+ million portfolio
- Large-cap and dividend focus
- Intraday trade alerts from Cramer
- Weekly roundups
Dividend Stock Advisor
TRY IT FREENew! $49.95/yr
Jim Cramer's protege, David Peltier, identifies the best of breed dividend stocks that will pay a reliable AND significant income stream.
Product Features:
- Diversified model portfolio of dividend stocks
- Alerts when market news affect the portfolio
- Bi-weekly updates with exact steps to take - BUY, HOLD, SELL
Stocks Under $10
TRY IT FREEDavid Peltier, uncovers low dollar stocks with extraordinary upside potential that are flying under Wall Street's radar.
Product Features:
- Model portfolio
- Stocks trading below $10
- Intraday trade alerts
- Weekly roundups
Real Money
TRY IT FREE24/7 market commentary from Jim Cramer and 20+ veteran Wall Street gurus. Get access to the latest trading ideas on stocks, options, and ETFs as well as a real-time forum to see the pros exchanging their investment ideas.
Product Features:
- Jim Cramer + 20 Wall Street pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Real-time trading forum
- Actionable trade ideas
Real Money Pro
TRY IT FREEAll of Real Money, plus 15 more of Wall Street's sharpest minds delivering actionable trading ideas, a comprehensive look at the market, and fundamental and technical analysis.
Product Features:
- Real Money + Doug Kass + 15 more Wall Street Pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Ultra-actionable trading ideas
Options Profits
TRY IT FREEOur options trading pros provide daily market commentary and over 100 monthly option trading ideas and strategies to help you become a well-seasoned trader.
Product Features:
- 100+ monthly options trading ideas
- Actionable options commentary & news
- Real-time trading community
- Options TV