Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel

Alternative Spring Break Destinations for the Adventurous Traveler

By
Alternative spring break
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Slamming buckets of watered-down mango margaritas at Señor Frogs probably isn’t your ideal spring break getaway. Well, not anymore.

Thankfully, spring break no longer needs to revolve around waking up face-down on the beach each morning wondering where the key to your hotel room is. If you’re looking to get off the beaten path (literally and figuratively) this season, here are a few of our favorite alternative spring break destinations for adventurous travelers.

Recommended Videos

Mountain Bike a Volcano in Cotopaxi (Ecuador)

Stock-Cotopaxi-Ecuador
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Aside from the Galapagos Islands, Cotopaxi National Park is Ecuador’s most stunning natural treasure. The breathtaking Cotopaxi Volcano and Limpiopungo Lake are ripe for exploration, whether by foot or on two wheels. Adventure Life offers guided multi-day tours of the region for travelers looking to explore some of its best attractions and don’t mind working hard in the process. Their Cotopaxi Mountain Biking itinerary is a whirlwind four-day hike-and-bike tour that starts in Quito and goes on to explore the El Tambo trail (including Andean lakes and ancient Incan ruins) and the Condor Machay waterfall. Lodging is included in traditional haciendas nightly, and riders wrap up the tour with an exhilarating track down the slopes of Cotopaxi volcano.

Master Your Surf Game (Dominican Republic)

Swell-Surf-Camp
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Surf novices can seriously up their wave-riding game at the Dominican Republic’s Swell Surf Camp. The purpose-built, Cabarete-area retreat hosts week-long surf/stay packages where guests spend several hours a day perfecting their skills. ISA-qualified instructors teach everything from kitesurfing to “old school” surfing to yoga, and class sizes are intentionally small to ensure personal attention. Additional on-site activities include stand-up paddleboarding, horseback riding, canyoning, and mountain biking. The boutique rooms are modern and luxurious, but not pretentious. Packages start well under $1,000 (USD) and include just about everything you’ll need for a week-long stay: lodging, daily classes, gear, and ground transportation. The on-site kitchen also serves fresh, carefully cultivated organic meals daily.

Get Pumped About Foliage (New Zealand)

Shotover Canyon
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There’s hardly a bad time to visit New Zealand, but a spring break trip to capture the country’s fall foliage is particularly spectacular. We’re not talking about a six-hour, grandparent-friendly shuttle bus tour to snap leaf photos with your first generation iPad. Instead, make your first stop in Shotover Canyon, a dramatic craggy gorge topped with beautiful deciduous trees. Be sure to head inside the canyon for a jet-boating ride. The nearby area of Arthurs Point in Queenstown is ground zero for some of NZ’s best outdoor adventures including skydiving, paragliding, and bungee jumping. Don’t miss out on the burgeoning beer scene too!

Explore 10,000 Years of History (Ireland)

Kerry Way
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Once you find your way out of tourist-centric Dublin to the countryside, it’s easy to make any trip to Ireland a spiritual one. Exodus Travels’ Mystical Walking on the Kerry Way puts hikers on the country’s longest trail for some quality self-reflection time. The eight-day, self-guided trek covers 130 miles amid some of the Emerald Isle’s most breathtaking scenery. Hikers explore a veritable 10,000-year timeline of the country’s rich history. Stops include Killarney National Park (Ireland’s oldest wilderness reservation with its only herd of wild red deer), quaint mountain villages, stunning beaches, and pristine lakes throughout the southwestern corridor.

Hike and Paddle the Grand Canyon (American Southwest)

Colorado river
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s hard to argue the Grand Canyon is the greatest natural wonder in the entire United States. Problem is: It’s also a magnet for tourists. Book a hike/paddle trip in April to avoid the peak-season maddening crowds. Arizona River Runners has been guiding multi-day trips in and around the canyon for almost 50 years. Their Nine-Day Oar Hiker’s Special provides the best of both worlds for adventure travelers. It starts with a challenging eight-mile hike down to the Colorado River to meet the trek’s expert guides. Travelers then spend the next week rafting the canyon’s infamous whitewater runs and exploring its many waterfalls and side canyons on foot.

Spot the Northern Lights (Iceland)

Northern lights
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t believe the too-cool-for-the-room tourist mags that say it’s overrun with tourists. There’s plenty of room in Iceland for everyone, and it makes the perfect “alternative” spring break destination. It’s already one of the best places in the world to catch the Northern Lights, but the long dark days from fall through spring ensure that even visiting as late as mid-April gives visitors a good chance of catching the phenomenon. Just keep a close eye on the weather forecast, and be sure not to go during a full moon. Time your arrival for about five days ahead of the next new moon. You’ll be all but guaranteed a week of dark skies afterward. Don’t forget to toast with a spot of Brennivín !

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Forget juice cleanses: this retreat mixes mindfulness, mezcal, and margaritas
Enjoy the best of both worlds with this retreat.
FTLO Travel

As we approach 2025, wellness retreats are still one of the hottest trends in travel, but not everyone is ready to commit to a week of detoxes and silent reflection. Enter FTLO Travel’s new Mindfulness and Margaritas Retreat in Oaxaca, Mexico, designed for those who crave the benefits of a wellness retreat without giving up indulgence or adventure.

This five-day trip offers the perfect blend of accessible wellness practices, cultural exploration, local flavors, and just the right amount of fun.
What to expect from the experience

Read more
10 essential tips for first-time flyers (that everyone can benefit from)
Learn what you can do to have a stress-free travel experience
man looking at flight schedule in airport

If you're preparing to take your first flight and want to feel as ready as possible, you've come to the right place. From deciding what to pack to navigating the airport and handling security lines, there's a lot to think about. Flying can be stressful, even for seasoned travelers, and that stress can be magnified if it's your first time. But here’s what I’ve learned: everyone starts somewhere, and flying isn't nearly as intimidating as it may seem once you get the hang of it. Here are some first-time flying tips to help you make it through your first air journey.
10 tips for first-time flyers
1. Give yourself extra time

Airports are busy places with lots of moving parts, and things can feel hectic when you’re not familiar with the process. Arriving early gives you a buffer to handle anything unexpected, like long lines at check-in or finding your way through the terminal.

Read more
This popular Great Smoky Mountains trail will be closed for 18 months — where to hike instead
You won't see this Great Smoky Mountains Favorite for another 18 months. Here's why.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Laurel Falls Trail is a popular destination at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Seeing over 300,000 hikers annually, it's one of the park's most iconic trails. While Gatlinburg was largely spared by Hurricane Helene, Laurel Falls Trail has become unsafe due to loose, broken pavement and other safety hazards. This is largely because the trail hasn't been repaved at all since the trail was made in 1963. The National Park Service is committed to the safety of this trail, so the park has funded a rehabilitation project to give Laurel Falls Trail a well-deserved makeover.

This project will be extensive. The National Park Service reports that they will be making huge upgrades to the trailhead parking area, expanding it by about fifty parking spaces and adding a designated pathway with a guardrail to connect pedestrians to the trailhead. They will also be repaving all of the trails and installing new educational signage along the way to provide wayfinding, bear safety, and Leave No Trace guidance.

Read more