If you are anything like me, you're a starving college student, and the only vacation that I ever go on during spring break is when I drive by twisty-treat on my way back from work. Well, this year I have finally decided to enjoy my last spring break in college before I graduate and start the vacation-less life all millennials eventually suffer through. After hours of relentless research, I was able to plan a five day trip to glitzy Las Vegas where my friends and I will be staying in a penthouse-and it was all for under 400 dollars.
1. Gather up a group of friends you can trust.
Okay, so this is the absolute most important part of your planning your adventure, without them you won't have anyone to share the expenses for the accommodations and activities (and let me tell you, the lodging is always the most expensive part). I recommend gathering at least three people but no more than six, people are flimsy, so a group too big will just make the planning of the trip more complicated than it has to be. More friends=Less money out of your pocket.
2. Fly in a crappy airline.
Will you feel like the floor is going to fly off mid-flight? Yes. Will you be extremely uncomfortable in a seat that could easily pass for a children's booster seat? You betcha! This minor inconvenience will end up paying off when you save up hundreds of dollars. I highly recommend searching Frontier's and Spirits "Online Deals" section where you can find flights across the country for as low as twenty dollars. Sometimes the struggle is worth it.
3. Airbnb it.
So Airbnb is either affordable to expensive, there is never in-between and luckily for you, you have selected a few friends to split the expenses with. Search for your lodging in a private window and make sure your friends search as well. When I was booking the penthouse in Las Vegas, I found the place for twenty dollars cheaper than when my friend looked at it. Do I know why it happens? No, but I bet there's a scientific and logical answer that I don't care enough to find out. If you are a big risk taker (Which I definitely am not) wait until a week before your trip to book your room, and the place will be at least 15% cheaper than it would usually be reserved for. If you want to take advantage of the system, book a cheap hotel room that allows you to cancel 72 hours before your trip so if you find something better and more affordable you can cancel without any fees.
4. Location, Location, Location? More like Plan, Plan, Plan.
Someone in the vacation group has to be in charge of planning what you and your gang will be doing. I have my entire to Las Vegas planned out- to the hour. Sure I bet things will be moved around and we might not even get a chance to do all the things I planned but having order gives the vacation a sense of purpose and decreases the chance you'll spend your entire spring break sleeping while watching Netflix.
Now go on and plan your Spring Break right now before adulthood arrives and destroys any chance of having a carefree vacation-because you'll probably be paying off your student debt for the next twenty years. Enjoy!