When I hear the word ‘Spring Breaker,’ I immediately think of a college student, 18-22, that visits a warm location for a week when school is out. They’re typically looking for alcohol, members of their preferred gender, music and a break from studies. Even at schools with warmer weather climates, January and February can often be coolish and rainy.
So, I think we need a different word to describe people flocking to Miami and Mexico that don’t fit the description above. Most of them are older than I described above and definitely aren’t enrolled students in colleges and universities.
Two things to prevent a hijack:
I’m well aware that my definition is very USA centric
I’m also very well aware that there are plenty of non traditional students that are older. It has definitely been my experience that they avoid the typical college party scene. Being over 25 at a college bar really sticks out and not in a good way.
Is that even a thing that needs a word? Do people really flock en masse to Miami and Mexico over Spring Break who are not college students? Wouldn’t they just be “vacationers”?
I don’t see the need for a new word. Ever since the kids started showing up the older party people joined them, and it was older business owners that called for the them to come down and spend their money. Nothing has changed, it’s just more so.
A “spring breaker” is somebody who lives where winter is cold who wants to take a week-ish off someplace tropical shortly before the weather at home actually warms up and the weather someplace tropical becomes oppressive.
20 years ago it meant “College kids traveling on the designated week gap in classes usually just before Easter.”
Plenty, maybe even a majority, of the ‘spring breakers’ who flock to Galveston, Port Aransas, and South Padre Island are from school districts and colleges within a hundred miles or so from those places. Kids have a week off, and the lure of beaches, sex, and alcohol(not necessarily in that order) around thousands of their own kind is hard to resist. I think it’s more likely that the idea of getting away and letting loose attracts them more than the weather, which for many isn’t really different from the weather at home.
Totally true for the kids. But the OP was talking about all the non-school age people who are Spring Breaking. Most of whom come from the cold(er) climes.
I grew up at the beach and never had what anyone would call a “Spring Break”. It was just another few days off. But when I did live and work in places with Winter I sure enjoyed taking my vacation in February rather than in the summer. I’m hardly alone in that.
Back when I was around 30, one of my college buddies organized a “men’s long weekend getaway” to the Bahamas for a group of us. We quickly realized we were going on Spring Break. My wife realized before everyone:
Me: Me and some of the guys want to plan a “men’s long weekend getaway” to the Bahamas.
Wife: Oh fun. You guys are going on “Old School Spring Break”!
Me: No, that’s stupid. We’re all in our 30s.
Wife: Who’s going?
Me: You know. Me, M, P, Mc, D.
Wife: Whose planning it?
Me: Well…M.
Wife:…
Me: Shit. We’re going on Spring Break.
Wife: I’ll go dig up your “vintage 90s fraternity T-shirts”.