Spring Break Is Needed

And so it is that this semester is "teh suck."

I'm going to be busy - insanely busy - in just a week or two's time. If fact, depending on how my computer science classes roll by Wednesday, I might be in the midst of one or two major group projects among my four classes. Between a heavy work schedule, a fully-spaced-out class schedule, and tons of writing to do, I'm beginning to wonder if it'll be impossible to enjoy myself this semester. Spring break will mean a lot to me.

Which reminds me... what the hell am I going to for spring break? I have lots of options, but I worry not about the viability of each (they are all affordable and fun), but about the reliability of people. Being my last spring break, I want to make it something that *I* will remember for a long time to come. Unfortunately, all the ideas that interests me the most are poopy for everyone else. A rundown:

Waterparks
Sandusky, Ohio
Affordability: $200 to $300 / person

Castaway Bay, Great Wolf Lodge, or Kalahari are three indoor water parks that I have never been to, but they seem to make planning spring break easy: one destination for hotel and fun (waterpark, of course), and lots of great food nearby (Sandusky has one of every awesome restaurant). Of course, being so close to home, the trip might seem short or shallow, but that's the risk of this idea I suppose.

Roadtrip: Southerly
Random Stops: Ohio & Kentucky & Tennessee
Affordability: $250 to $350 / person

How is driving all over the place more expensive than three or four nights at a waterpark? Simple: gas. Still, there are a lot of places that I want to visit myself: Cincinnati to see my sister, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and Gatlinburg in Tennessee. Roadtripping is fun as hell, but given the cost of gas, it would be a financial gamble.

Roadtrip: Easterly
Random Stops: Ohio & Pennsylvania & New York
Affordability: $250 to $400 / person

This trip is a bit random: I'm not sure where we might end up, but possibilities include Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls, and maybe New York? Of all the trips in my pool to select from, this one feels the most foreign: I've only been to Niagara Falls once, and neither of the other two places.

Florida
Tampa Bay / Clearwater, Florida
Affordability: $400 to $700 / person

By far the most expensive trip, but potentially the best. I went to Clearwater with my family a couple of years ago, and it was beautiful. I'm not sure how Florida in the springtime is, but it's gotta be warmer than the crap we deal with up here. Fancy hotels, plentiful beaches, beautiful sunsets, and zoos aplenty: this might just end up being my dream spring break.

Smoky Mountains
Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Affordability: $100 to $250 / person

This is my number one pick for break. Cold, challenging, and dangerous from start to finish: but man, what a ride. Hiking up, over, around, and down the beautiful Smoky Mountains in late spring was hands down the most unique experience of my life, and I would love to go back. I already have a few people on board for this, so I'm already slightly ahead.

What all this boils down to is "who do I want to spend spring break with?" More likely than not, a roadtrip is in my future, but in all honesty, I'm preparing a trip to the Smoky Mountains as a back-up plan. Should the last week of February come and my core friends are still deciding on spring break or can not afford it, I'll be jetting off to the mountains!

B3 out.