The Rise

It all started back in 1935, when a swim team traveled down to Fort Lauderdale to make use of their Olympic-size pool in an effort to stay in shape over winter break. When the swimmers from Colgate University returned tanned and in shape, word spread of the Florida hotspot. The city, seeing a marketing opportunity, created a College Coaches' Swim Forum attracting college coaches and their swim teams from all across the county.

Swimmers meet at Fort Lauderdale in the 1930s

The thought of spring break in Fort Lauderdale received further attention with the 1960 film Where the Boys Are. The film was aimed at the teen market, featuring sun, sand and sex.

The debauchery of spring break was further publicized with the airing of MTV's first spring break special in 1986 (at Daytona Beach). The broadcast reinforced spring break's reputation for beaches, beer and bikinis.

The Peak

Spring break in Fort Lauderdale peaked in 1985 when over 350,000 students traveled to the area over the span of a few weeks. Things got pretty wild as students packed themselves into hotel rooms and coeds participated in bikini and banana eating contests.

At that point the city had seen enough. Streets were reconfigured to discourage cruising, strict laws against public drinking were enacted, and the mayor went on ABC's Good Morning America to declare that students were no longer welcome to Fort Lauderdale.

The banning of alcohol on the beach meant more people did a lot of their drinking in hotel rooms, which led to drunken antics such as jumping from hotel balcony to balcony, as well as diving into the pool below. Spring breakers who once got drunk and passed out in the sand were now getting drunk and falling off balconies, sometimes even leading to deaths.

Street View of Fort Lauderdale Then and Now (Click to Enlarge)

The Fall

After the anti-spring break laws were passed, the number of arrests doubled the following year. As the number of college visitors dwindled, bar owners and retailers, who loved the additional business that spring break provided, complained of business being down. The raising of the drinking age to 21 also had an impact, as younger party-goers took the party down to Mexico with its lower drinking age.

Back in the day, the majority of hotels in Fort Lauderdale were independently and locally owned. Now hotel brands such as the Ritz-Carlton, Westin, Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton can be seen across the skyline. The city gave way to big corporations with their "chic" 4 and 5 star resorts, paying no mind to the little guy: the small business owner. Some hotels now won't even rent out rooms to those under 25.

As a result, spring breakers traveled elsewhere to the more welcoming destinations of Panama City Beach and across international borders to Mexico. Cities in Mexico became inviting to college students with the fact that the legal drinking age is 18.

Past and Present shots of the beach line. (Click to Enlarge)

The Aftermath

A city that was once visited by some 350,000 college students, saw only 10,000 spring breakers in 2006, all as a result of the city's effort to shed its image as a spring break destination. Considering the average student spends $1100 on spring break, one can see the huge loss in revenue that is generated during those few weeks. Now much of this revenue is going to other places like Cancun and Acapulco that embrace the spring break culture.

Fort Lauderdale Today

Broward County, with its largest city being Fort Lauderdale, led the nation with a 73.7% increase in vacant retail space in 2008. This is on top of an already troubled housing market. This reduction in revenue from retail is taking its toll on city and state budgets. Now, as Florida faces its highest unemployment rate on record, Southwest is cutting flights from Fort Lauderdale, and even the new Trump International condo faces foreclosure. The city is now resorting to red-light cameras in an effort to increase revenue.

Here is a tame look at a Fort Lauderdale Spring Break in 1985:

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For the past six years, enrollment in online classes has been growing at a much faster rate than overall enrollment in higher education. More than 25% of students now take at least one online course.

A recent study found that over 4.6 million students took at least one online class in the fall of 2008; a 17% increase from the year before. Compare that 17% to the 1.2% increase seen in overall enrollment over the year and it is evident just how popular online education is becoming.

Demand for higher education has risen during the economic downturn as the decreased availability of good jobs encourages more people to seek education and training. With many people having been laid off over the recession, many are taking the opportunity to go back to school and reeducate themselves. The availability of getting an education online is useful for those who have family obligations, as well as those who are still employed, as it allows the student to study on their own schedule.

Sure going to school online has its pros and cons, but it is the demand for online education that is driving increases in college enrollment numbers. Perhaps further advancement in online education can help curtail overcrowding on campus.

As college enrollments continue to increase, especially at community colleges, so does the demand for financial aid. More students means more pressure on financial aid. Increases in Pell Grants are helping many be able to afford college, but all at the expense of the taxpayer.

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Not every spring break has to end with a sunburn and a hangover. Believe it or not, there is much more to do on spring break than just party it up at the beach. So if you don't want to end up looking like a lobster, as well as getting sand in everything, consider some of these alternative spring break ideas.

Washington, D.C.

Visiting Washington, D.C. gives you a chance to explore America's history in its finest. It is probably the most educational of all trips on this list. Not only will you get to vacation and travel, but you'll find yourself experiencing things you have never seen in person before. A trip to D.C. also means exercise, as you will be doing plenty of walking as you explore all of the museums and monuments in the area (as if you didn't get enough walking in between classes). If you haven't paid a visit to Washington yet, you should do so soon.

Canada

While many spring break partiers head south for the week, heading north across the border may be another option. Although you won't get the warm weather, it gives those aged 19 and over a legal way to party and consume alcohol if they choose to do so. While the exchange rate isn't what it used to be, a good time and nice hotels can be found for a good price.

Festivals

Festivals usually involve many individuals just like yourself who are looking to have a good time. Perhaps the biggest festival that goes on around spring break is South by Southwest down in Austin, Texas. South by Southwest (or SXSW) is the largest music festival in the United States, with over 1500 bands and artists performing. This year the festival runs March 12-21 and also includes an interactive and film festival. One could almost kill two birds with one stone by also going to check out various jobs and internships available in the city of Austin. If you weren't aware, Austin is one of the best places for starting a career after college.

Travel by Amtrak

The big advantage of traveling by train is getting to see the countryside; something you don't get to see up close when traveling at 30,000 feet. When riding Amtrak, it doesn't matter where you are going; getting there is half the journey. Unlike a road trip, you leave the driving up to someone else, giving you freedom to do whatever you like while traveling. Sure travel by train will (almost always) be slower than by airline, but it is a very relaxing way to travel. You can get up and walk around rather than being confined to a compact airline seat, and you don't have to deal with all the security hassles at the airport. Spring break only lasts a week, so if your destination is far away you should probably fly, but consider Amtrak for anything relatively close.

Spring Training

Sure, some people think baseball is bloody boring, but here you combine a sporting event and warm weather that every sports nut enjoys. Here you can see your favorite baseball stars on the cheap as tickets to spring training games are typically cheaper than the regular season. Going to spring training down in Arizona would be ideal for those living up in the Pacific Northwest who don't always get the nicest of weather during the month of March. This is good, clean fun with warm weather that is away from the gambling of Vegas and the debauchery on the beaches.

Going off to college gives you access to many things: great parties, huge libraries, quality professors, as well as other students just as smart as yourself. With so much in and around a college campus, you can get by without a few things, thus saving you money.

1. Car
   Having a car is a huge expense, and is more of a hassle than what its worth. Think of all the time you have spent trying to find a parking spot close to campus. Then you have the worry of your car being broken into. Car payments, oil and gas, insurance, licensing fees and parking tickets from the parking nazis all add up to a cost that a college student with no income can not afford. Nearly everything you could possibly need is within walking distance of campus. Of course, don't forget to take advantage of cheap bus fares available to students.





2. Cable TV
   You don't need it; it'll be a big distraction. Besides, you can watch many of your favorite shows for free online at sites like hulu.com and justin.tv. Trying to watch the big game? Head down to the local sports bar or watch it in the Student Union building. You could almost throw out the need for a television as well, unless you're really into xBox/PS3/Wii.


3. Textbooks
   OK, you need these...you just don't need to own them. Some will argue that you should hold on to them for reference later on down the road, but with new versions of the book coming out every few years, wouldn't that make them outdated? You don't need to be lugging those textbooks around for years. Instead, rent your textbooks and save a ton of money.


4. An Abundance of Stuff
   You don't need any extra clutter in your tiny dorm room. Keep it simple and only bring the few essentials you need. This way you won't have to worry about moving out multiple carloads of stuff at the end of the year. Start with the basics and if the need arises that you need something more, grab it on the next trip back home.


5. Huge Sound Systems
   Large speakers can take up a lot of valuable space. Besides, the technology nowadays packs some pretty decent sound quality into compact speakers. On another note, large sound systems tend to get their owners in trouble with noise complaints. The solution? Pick up a pair of high-quality wireless headphones and/or find yourself a decent set of computer speakers.