A Recession-Era Spring Break
Posted by casey on 03-30-2009For the first time in years, my college-age brother and I both found ourselves at home for spring break. Neither of us had the funds or were willing to dip into our savings for a quick trip, and with graduation on the horizon for him, and summer in the city in sight for me, a lazy week at our parent's house seemed like the best of both worlds: a break from university and a break on our bank accounts. Recent studies show that we weren't the only ones. Merely 32% of college students planned to take a trip during their time off, and of those travelers, 79% planned to travel domestically.
Although it would be easy to place the blame on the economy, most college students (unlike us) still have a disposable income that would make any post-grad, entry-level employee jealous. Parents, part-time jobs and odds-and-ends work like tutoring and babysitting have allowed students a relatively comfortable lifestyle in spite the downturn. So, maybe it was less about funds, and more the generally sober mood that seems to have spread, not only across campus, but across the country?
To that end, it seemed like there were many more college kids opting to spend their spring breaks looking for jobs around the country vs. your typical MTV Cancun debauchery. Others skipped the travel plans for spring break in an effort to save cash for summering abroad. And still others planned beach-bound adventures to Mexico, only to cancel them after reading headlines like MSNBC's Mexico: Spring Break, Beaches, and Bloodshed and receiving warnings from the U.S. State Department and university authorities.
One surprising travel statistic that saw an unexpected increase was planned spending, which jumped from last year's $514 to $572. Perhaps students are willing to splurge a bit more in a noble effort to stimulate the economy?
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Categorized under: Collegians
