Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 2, 1989, edition 1 / Page 16
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8DTHOmnibusThursday, February 2, 1989 DTHOmnibusThursday, February 2, 19899 Spring Break '89: 'mmmmmmmmmmi-' f:ss v .... v'4-FtL ,! y "' nt w . - J i v tZ3 Budweiser and other companies sponsor several annual Spring Break trips to Florida. These happy in last year's Bud Glazer Chase at Daytona Beach, Fla. Consider the alternative: It ain't a purty sight By ELEMI CHAF.IS Assistant Omnibus Editor It will be THE question to ask Monday, March 20, the official first day of spring. "How was your break?" Most will give the standard response. "Great. Yours?" Your palms will sweat, your bottom lip will tremble, your eyes will water, your nose will puff up and turn red. But youH manage to squeak, "I went home." Your friend's tone will imme diately turn to one of pure disgust. "What? But why?" YouH begin to explain. "Well, see i had this deal ..." But it will be too late. Consider yourself forewarned. Dont let it happen. The scam agencies are ever-present, anx iously searching for their next victim, the eager college student. You know him. He's Joe Senior. His white knuckles are clutch ing next month's rent and phone bill money, not to mention the extra funds he's managed to avoid squelching from that part time Domino's delivery job. It's taken a lot. To save up the money, that is. He's missed sev eral nights out and hasnt eaten in three weeks, but he's going to have the most awesome Spring Break. As Joe lapses into another daydream, he sees himself sur rounded by the babes on the beach. He sees himself an even toned golden bronze after play r ing volleyball with the best of them. Cruising back to Chapel Hill, he sees himself jeering at Harold, his geeky freshman roommate, who brags that he spent break in Lizard Lick, N.C., watching the mercury in the thermometer rise and fall. The dream suddenly gets fuzzy. It fades in and out. in and out. Joe finds himself muttering, "There's no place like home." Reality strikes. Don't let it happen to you. Never, EVER do business over the phone with anybody, es pecially an out-of-state com pany, unless you absolutely, positively know who you're deal ing with. Understand exactly any and all terms of every agree ment. If possible, deal with people one-on-one and try to have the agreement in writing. Katie, a friend of mine, learned the hard way. This story may sound unbelievable, but it's true. Last year, Katie and seven of her friends did business over the vacationers are "contestants' phone with a company out of Texas for a trip to Mexico. Each member of the group sent about $300 to the company, which was supposed to cover the airfare and hotel. From then on, every time they spoke with the com pany, the group was assured that everything was fine and that there were no problems. They even received trip confir mation letters and cashed checks from the bank. At the last minute, Katie and her buddies had trouble getting their airline tickets. Spokesmen for the company gave them confusing and conflicting information. On the Friday afternoon of Spring Break, the company claims it had no records of Katie's name or of any of her friends' names. After the group posed severe complaints, their money was sent back to them. This pain and agony could have been avoided. Enough said. Whether you head for Europe, the beaches or home make sure you make the most of your week off By LESLEY BARTLETT and ANNE-RENEE RICE Staff Writers It's been 60 or 70 degrees and sunny for about a week and a half now. People are wearing shorts to class, frisbees are being thrown around in the quad and the balnjy breezes have managed to per suade even the most disciplined to blow off a class or two. Although the semester has just begun, spring is in the air. And with spring comes Spring Break Right now the desire to leave our "Southern Part of Heaven" may not be that strong, but once those midterm papers and exams hit, those far away vacation lands will be calling to you Europe, Australia and Hong Kong will begin to sound good the farther away the better. It's safe to assume that most budget-conscious collegians wont be seeing the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben in March. So where are they going? Well, we set out on a mission. A mission to find out what a few UNC seniors and dis tinguished others are planning for Spring Break. This year is unique because it's scheduled a week later than we're used to and St. Patrick's Day falls during break, on Friday, March 17. So, if you go to Boston, Chicago, New York or any other large American city with a good percentage of Irish-Americans, youll be able to soak up some real culture among other things. We also searched for infor mation on what little is still available for those who have yet to think about their plans. Get on with it people. It's less than six weeks away. If you arent planning a predictable, some argue, ulti mate, trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Can cun or Vail for break, you can still find somewhere a little special for St. Paddy's Day. And we dont just mean wearing green. Our two intrepid Omnibus reporters, Lesley Bartlett and Anne-Renee Rice, have thoroughly researched the questions we posed about Spring Break and here's what they uncovered. After another day of feverish investigative journalism, Lesley 1 had only one piece of incontro vertible evidence to share with avid Omnibus readers: over 52 percent of the telephone numbers given in the 1988-89 Campus Directory are, indeed, incorrect. Yes, it's true, no one lives where the phone book says they do. Most have moved out. Often, the per son listed has not inhabited the residence for over two years. One senior had dropped out, five had already graduated, and one was currently living in England. Nevertheless, she diligently con tinued calling seniors to survey their "89 Spring Break plans until talking to at least one female and one male from every letter of the alphabet (last names, that is). However, there are some excep tions: no 'LT or 'X' seniors exist (at least, none according to the phone book). The latest tally shows that 10 guys and five girls have not yet decided what to do for Spring Break,- that makes 30 percent undecided. Of the remaining 70 percent, 14 percent are "using their time wisely" (as grammar schoolteachers used to say) and either working, interviewing, gathering information about internships or looking for a place to live after graduation. Twelve percent of the seniors are headed for the beaches of Florida, while 10 percent plan to spend their vacation in Washington, D.C. The remaining seniors polled will embark on various fun-filled vaca tions. Betsy Adcock and Jonathan Zsambeky are going skiing in West Virginia. Amy Turner, Maureen Calvin and Lynn Wallace are head ing to New York. Sheri Outlaw and Ragan Dudley are going to suffer through a week in Jamaica, while Charles izzo risks his life skydiving. Andrea Keenan plans a quick tour of London, and Cina Lamb is bound for New Orleans. Peter Janes will spend his break hiking, while Kevin lange competes at a frisbee tour nament. Other students will scat ter to the Bahamas, Nassau and Sunset Beach where they will find the typical setting for the perfect Spring Break trip. Ahhh. The ultimate in happiness. 'Si TV- V V v 1 NT ? 1 I ' By showing valid college I.D.s, students can take advantage of Disney World and the Epcot Center in March. ' '" ""l ' ' ' mK ... I,, . i It's never been so easy to forget about exams, research papers and speeches when Spring Break brings you a life complete with tropical islands, clear blue water, warm white sand . . . With 65 degree-days, it's dif ficult to remember that Spring Break is still 40 days away. But daydreaming about your vacation wonderland can serve as some consolation. That is if you've been lucky enough to get a reserv Jtion. If " ' I "Booking trips at this point for Spring Break is not looking good," said Mellissa Henderson of Circle Travel on 123 w. Franklin Street. Most people that made reserva tions confirmed them before or just after Christmas break. Many package deals are now full because of limited air space. ITC Travel Center at 208B W. Franklin Street suggests that if you want to go somewhere like Florida or the Caribbean "you must be flexible to what's available because there's not much left," said agent Chip Deemes. Students vacationing in Florida for the break can take advantage of a half-price admission ticket to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center at Walt Disney World when they present a valid college I.D. "Students want to go to Cancun, Mexico, or Jamaica - somewhere n 1 i x half - price admission to Walt sunny and warm. Ski trips arent nearly as popular, especially with the warm winter," said Jenny Ehle of Travel With Us, 3400 Westgate Drive in Durham. As an incentive for ski buffs, Busch Beer is sponsoring Spring Break in Jackson Hole, Wyo., which will include nine days of skiing on two mountains. Money and time are the big considerations for spring Break travel. . . r j Travel agents speculate that the popularity of Cancun this year rests on its low food prices when compared to other resort areas. Tourists often forget that once they reach their destination, they will still need money for food. Most students are paying $500 to $600 for a week-long trip to the Caribbean. "Seven days is a typical stay they want to max out their time," said Henderson. A trip to the Bahamas may cost less, ski trips out West could run in the $700 range. Overall, prices are up this year because of the increased cost of airfare. Before jaunting off to the islands, beware of added expenses such as hotel taxes and gratuities, which are usually charged at check-out time. "We try to inform people about extra taxes before they leave," said Ehle. Other costs may include getting a passport or obtaining proof of American citizenship. Authorities will not accept a driver's license as proof of citizenship but rather will require an original birth certificate. "Even though passports arent necessary to get out of the United States to go to Mexico, you need proof of citizenship to get back into the united States," said Deems. Real party animals should con sider hotel damage fees when writing home to Mom and Dad for extra spending money. Then again, if your travel plans fail, you can always go home, as eight percent of this year's senior class plans to do. The travel agencies around Chapel Hill aim to accomodate the student and his budget. The Spring Break flyers strewn across every wall on campus which advertise package deals are specifically created for the college student. Most often, charter flights and less-than-moderate accomo dations go along with the deaL Be careful Have fun. See ya after break. Mission accomplished.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 2, 1989, edition 1
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