BY JORDAN COATES
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

Whether it is a time for relaxation, fun in the sun, or a trip home to see the family, spring break is right around the corner.

Spring break is a long celebrated and desired vacation from school and work. Originally, at the end of World War II, Fort Lauderdale, Florida was the top spot for a spring break destination in the United States. This was largely the cause of a man, George Warren “Bob” Gill Jr., also known as “the Father of Fort Lauderdale spring break.”

Fort Lauderdale remained the notorious spring break destination until around the 1980’s. Nowadays, spring break is spent in all types of weather, for all kinds of reasons, and in all different countries around the world.

While spring break gives everyone a chance to live differently for a week, it is surprising just how differently people spend their vacation time. Normal college spring break trips are most often associated with drinking. Unless spring breakers are twenty-one, that might be a difficult feat in the United States. However, in most other countries around the world, being eighteen will do the job.

Not everyone chooses to spend their break partying. Many students make the choice to travel and volunteer. There are a number of programs available, for example, Saint Leo’s own SERVE program. The Serve program gives students the chance to be involved in Service Learning mission trips over spring break. This and other programs give students the opportunity to venture to a foreign land or even just a few states away, have a vacation, and help others at the same time.

However fun and rewarding this may be, many people look forward to spring break for only the second part of that phrase, the break. With the hustle and bustle of work and school, sometimes the week is needed to just relax. Many spend this relaxation time at home, some college students go home to see their families, and many find a remote beach with lots of sun and sand. These are people most often found in the Islands, Florida, or Mexico.

Those are the most popular, but if travelers are seeking more adventure, Australia is known for its gorgeous beaches along the Gold Coast, as well as the sights of Sydney. Just the same, Spain is home to some of the most beautiful beaches, along with culturally rich cities.

If the sights and knowledge are a preference over the beach, the United Kingdom might be the best bet. Many spring breakers venture to England to see the attractions and experience the culture. With a Euro rail pass, the locations and opportunities are endless. Keep in mind, however, that just because its spring break does not mean the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining. During the usual time of spring break, England is cold and rainy. Going against the norm of the traditional spring break, many people look forward to the not so skin bronzing weather.

In Australia, many travel to New Zealand to visit the snowy mountain peaks. Even in the United States, many will travel up north for a chance at skiing or a breath of fresh cold air. In Norway, most take advantage of the cold weather and plan trips to the mountains.

“A lot of Norwegians have a cabin in the mountains, and if they don’t, there are many hotels you can stay at. Slalom, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing are what most people do,” Said Marte Ruud Sandberg, a study abroad student from Norway.

While this is their typical way to spend vacation, this is not actually spring break. In Norway they do not have spring break. Rather, they have a break for Easter, and this is when they take their trips to the mountains. The same applies in the United Kingdom. The two weeks either following or preceding Easter are called “Easter break” or “Easter Holidays”, which usually take place in April.

In Australia, however, spring break falls near the middle of second semester of Uni, which for them is the middle of September! In Japan, spring break begins at the end of the academic year in March and finishes on April first with the beginning of the next academic year. Like the United States, Southern Africa has their break in late February or early March. They come together for a long week of games, music shows, and city tourism. Similarly, Canadian universities hold break around that time, but instead of spring break, they call it Reading Week. The intentions are to provide students time to relax from the stress of their school work.

Wherever in the world students are, when spring rolls around, they put aside their books and take the break for all its worth. It might be worth a trip to the beach, a shot down a mountain, or a lazy day on the couch. No matter which side of the globe students will lay on this spring, the long awaited break is soon approaching.