I consider myself sort of an expert on the cheap spring break. I took two spring break trips in college, and while neither one was to a traditional "hot spot," they were definitely memorable journeys—financed entirely in cash. My friends and I still laugh about those vacations almost 15 years later. Let me share a little bit of what I learned:

When you’re planning

• Mooch off relatives. Do not underestimate how much money you can save by staying with a relative who not only will loan you a spare room (or couch) but also might be inclined to treat you to a nice dinner or two. However, you have to do this right to make it work. Staying at Grandma’s Florida retirement villa probably isn’t the best option (unless you’re Cameron Diaz ). But get together a group of three or four friends and someone is bound to have an older sibling, cool cousin, or laid-back aunt and uncle who live in a fun spot. My friends and I had older siblings in Colorado  and Texas —so that’s where I headed for my two spring break trips.



• Road trips rule–and airfare is expensive! Pile into the car with your buddies and take off somewhere you can drive in 18 hours or less, whether that’s Graceland  or the Grand Canyon . Pick a quirky, funny destination and make the journey the thing.



• Consider a service trip . You can do some good and possibly save some cash this way. My friend took a spring break trip to work in a homeless shelter in Harlem. It was much cheaper than a traditional spring break—and she had enough free time to take in the sights of NYC.



• Earmark the $$ ahead of time. Plan specific ways to stash away spring break-only money. You could pick up a job over your holiday breaks next year and devote all the money toward spring break.

Once you’re on your way

• Skip the fast food. When my friends and I road-tripped 18 hours to Houston for spring break, we actually only stopped for gas the entire way (down and back!). That’s right—no fast food. We packed a bunch of snacks and saved lots of time and $$.



• Exercise credit card control . You may need to use your credit card a bit on spring break. Just resist the urge to throw caution to the wind and put everything on the card. Decide ahead of time what you can pay for in cash, and what you’re willing to finance (maybe just airfare, or just food can go on the card). That way you’ll have some idea of what size bill you’ll be facing afterward.



• Pictures make the best souvenirs. If you have limited cash to spare, don’t waste it on souvenirs. When all is said and done, pictures (and OK, maybe ONE cool t-shirt) are probably all you’ll need to remember your trip.

Where are you going for spring break this year? How are you paying for it?