| 7 mins read
Emily Meadows
As the snow begins to melt, and temperatures are on the rise, spring break is a much-needed vacation for most, a start of something new! Here is a spring travel guide, with some great vacation ideas for you.
1. A road trip from Cape Town, South Africa
While you could spend your whole spring break enjoying this colorful city of South Africa, roaming the streets for shopping and snacking, and touring its many vineyards, you could also go on an awesome road trip! Start in Cape Town and take the N2 Highway East to Port Elizabeth, stopping as often as possible along the way. There will be lots of stops where you can explore nature; think hiking through forests and mountains, relaxing on beaches and bays, or walking around lakes and lagoons. You can even stop for a surf break at Jeffreys Bay or spend an extended amount of time at the Garden Route National Park.
2. Scenic drives around the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
Part of the Adriatic Sea, it is hard to describe the Bay of Kotor, or come close to its sheer beauty. From historic sites like Our Lady of the Rocks church to more relaxed beachside lounging, Bay of Kotor is the perfect mix of antiquity with modern amenities. If you’re looking for a little more adventure, take the scenic drive from Bay of Kotor over to the Lovcen National Park and enjoy the beautiful sites and natural construction. There is also an adventure park here, as well as numerous hiking trails.
3. Get lost in New York City, USA
It is always best to visit NYC before the summer heat and summer crowds set in, making this destination one of the best places to go for a spring vacation. One of the best cities in the world for walking tours, the perfect temperatures of spring will keep you comfortable. If you’ve got clear skies, you could easily spend an entire day wandering through Central Park for its walking trails, statues and cute little squirrels that are quite used to explorers.
4. Fly around Pokhara, Nepal
Want to view the Himalayas Mountains without having to risk your life hiking? Spend some time in the Pokhara Valley with a paragliding instructor, and risk your life flying instead. Considered one of the best places in the world to go for paragliding, there’s no better way to shake off those winter blues than to get some adrenaline pumping through your veins. So, grab a paragliding partner and choose whether you want to fly for a half hour or an hour, and make sure to take some pictures of those mountains before you take off.
5. Beach it out at Agay, France
Agay is perfect for someone looking for a quiet seaside town to spend their spring holiday in. With sporting activities available, and clean beaches to catch some sun rays, Agay is a great spring break destination. Take some time to visit the Roches Rouges, or Red Rocks, there and climb to the top. The clear view of the Mediterranean you get at the end of your climb will be well worth the effort you put in.
6. Food glorious food in Florence, Italy
It’s not quite bikini season yet, so you can afford to stuff yourself silly with cheese and pasta, right before your summer diet, and there is no better place than Florence. If the weather is chilly still, you’ll have endless indoor activities from climbing the Duomo to spending a day in the Uffizi Art Gallery. But if temperatures are on your side then head out to explore the Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace or stroll along the Ponte Vecchio. Don’t worry about directions or getting lost by taking a local guide with you. And with wonderful wine and cheese shops all around, and the famous Mercato Centrale opens for business, having one last binge before its time to think about bathing suit season will be delicious.
7. Skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland
So maybe you’re one of those people who actually like the cold of winter, and hopes for spring to be chilly. Zermatt offers skiing slopes for the whole family, and may be the place just for you. The town is free of cars and has quirky, narrow streets, plus a thriving restaurant community.
8. In touch with nature at Olympic National Park, Washington, USA
Any time is a good time to visit a National Park, but the spring time transition can be the best time. As flowers begin to bloom, and little animals are born, hiking through Olympic National Park along the Pacific coast will surely deliver some beautiful photographs. Filled with waterfalls, and surrounded by waterways, you may even spot a gray whale.
9. A sporty getaway at Airlie Beach, Australia
Park yourself at Airlie Beach, and use it as a base to explore several parts of the surrounding area. Take a day for a guided tour boat from here out to the Great Barrier Reef and spend some time swimming and snorkeling around. Then spend another day exploring the rainforest of the Whitsunday Coast. When you’re tuckered out from all that exploring, go ahead and just relax by the Airlie Beach Lagoon or have a day of shopping. The area is known for its alfresco dining and Saturday markets. Its proximity to the reef, rainforest, and sporting activities of Whitsunday makes Airlie Beach the perfect blend of action-packed vacation with relaxation.
10. Hike through El Chalten, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
April is the best time to hike in this national park, making it a great spring travel idea. The crowds of summer will have diminished, and the cold of winter, won’t have arrived yet. Offering a wide range of trails from easy to challenging, every traveler will be able to choose a route best suited to his or her needs. What makes spring an even better time to come here? The valleys you’ll view from your hikes will be filled with changing leaves, think fiery reds and oranges, with yellows as golden as the sun.
11. Wallow in Aogashima Island, Japan
Want to spend your spring break somewhere quiet and remote? Head to Aogashima. The island is home to an active volcano, with the village actually living inside of the crater. It is hard to get here, but once you do, you can camp for free. There are beautiful hikes, a geothermal pool to soak in, and it will be rare for you to find someone who can speak English, leading to a sort of deafness to the words happening around you. Something you might need after a busy holiday season with family.
12. Bubble the fun at Vernon Regional Natural Park, France
With the prevalence of social media in today’s culture it is a non-stop competition to make sure you are having more fun than everyone else. And what better way to make sure you are at the best spring vacation spot than to try something new and trendy. Get yourself to Vernon Regional Natural Park and live in a bubble! The Attrap'Rêves Montagnac-Montpezat is a village of bubble rooms set up amongst the trees and lakes of the Natural Park. Some bubbles are placed on wooden platforms and can be entered by climbing short stairs or ladders, while others are hung in the branches of the trees. Regardless of how high you sleep, the bubbles provide a protected, yet up-close view to nature all day and night.
“Emily Meadows is the author of Emily's Guide to Kraków. She currently resides part of the year in Ocean City, Maryland and the other part in Aspen, Colorado in the midst of her travels.”
Image details and licenses: https://flic.kr/p/98DD95 (Andrew Ashton, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/oRHksv (SarahTz, CC BY 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/7kgk4a (aaron.rosales, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/81vn9A (jeeheon, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/RHiZJw (thierry llansades, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/dhkxBM (Andrew, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/USqjjw (Pieter Morlion, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/A5ZpAc (Ken Lane, CC BY-NC 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/dhY3AX (ilaria, CC BY 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/dYRpbr (Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/QPre9o (Norio NAKAYAMA, CC BY-SA 2.0), (ATTRAP'RÊVES)