Spring Break at the Lake
Sure, the hot sandy beaches of Florida or Cozumel are inviting in the spring, especially if you live in a cold climate. The idea of sitting on a beach in the sun with a frosty drink in your hand seems idyllic. At least, until you think of all the time, energy, and money it will take to purchase airline tickets, a rental car, lodging, meals, and navigate a big city or foreign country, only to have to fight for your little piece of sand. Maybe spring break at the lake sounds a whole lot better…
Spring Vacation at the Lake Beach
I love the ocean — one of my mottos is even, “I need vitamin sea”. I also love the lake and the forest. Our family has spent many fun vacations in both tropical and colder climates and I can confidently say from personal experience that one is not better than the other. It all depends on what your overall goal for the vacation is. If you want to make the most of the vacation time you have, you yearn for less stress and a chance to really unwind, and you have a limited budget, then a spring break at the lake in Minnesota is the better choice!
A Lake Break=More Time
If you live in Minnesota, you can be at a lake cabin in under 2 hours easily. In most states in our country, you can still probably get to a lake cabin in under 5 hours of driving. If you are traveling to a tropical location from a colder climate, however, you will have to drive to the airport, then wait in the airport, then fly, then wait for your shuttle or rental car, then travel to your accommodations. Add those up, and you’re looking at ten stressful hours or more from the time you leave your house to the time you arrive at your final destination.
Later, you’ll have to repeat the process to get home. Why waste almost two full days of your precious vacation traveling? When your goal is just to have a couple of days with more heat than at home, then a tropical beach is great. But, if you want more time for fun and relaxing, then spring break at the lake is better.
A Lake Getaway is Easier
A lake vacation is typically a lot easier. There’s just less hassle. You can usually just throw the clothes from your dresser in a suitcase and go. No hunting for beach clothes you stashed away last summer or checking sunscreen bottles to see if they expired. Getting there requires less effort, fewer modes of transportation, and no time zone changes.
Sure, you can make spring break at the lake more complicated by bringing everything but the kitchen sink, but if you pick the right cabin, you don’t need to. Check carefully to see what amenities your lake cabin offers. At our resort, for example, we provide almost everything except your food. You can pick that up at Aldi or Walmart within a half an hour drive of your lake cabin rental.
A Lake Vacation is Less Stressful
Probably one of the number one pros of a lake cabin stay is that it is almost always less stressful than an ocean vacation. Travel, especially out of state or out of the country, is stressful. Whenever we’re in a completely new environment that our bodies aren’t used to, there is going to be stress. Different time zones, exposure to many other people, unusual food and water, and even difference in air are all stressors.
Unlike lakes up north, tropical locations have dangerous flora and fauna on land, and in the water. Though I always see these creatures on my travels in the tropics, thankfully I’ve only been stung a couple of times by jellies. I’m always vigilant when I’m swimming in the ocean or even walking on a sidewalk at a beach resort. I’ve come too close, too many times, to tarantulas, scorpions, boas, and sharks, to name a few. While I, personally, find these encounters thrilling and cool, a know a lot of people don’t. Another point in favor of spring break at the lake!
Even the food and water in a tropical location can cause a lot of stress. Many places do not have health inspectors like we do and their water sources are often contaminated. My husband almost died from getting campylobacter from either a meal or ice while traveling in Thailand years ago. I escaped getting sick because I was already on antibiotics from having been attacked by a Macaque monkey. We had a lot of fun adventures on that trip, but it was very stressful!
Conversely, since you’ll most likely be close to home, a cabin at the lake will have similar water, air, and surroundings that you are used to so your body and mind can relax. Finding good, healthy food and things to do is so much less stressful. Mixing in a few fun new adventures with what you are accustomed to doing, rather than almost everything being different, is less of an assault on your senses. Spring break at the lake is just more relaxing all around!
A Lake Cabin Stay is More Affordable
One of the main reasons a lake cabin vacation in the spring is better than a tropical beach vacation is the cost. While luxury lake rentals can get pricey, typically spring is still in the off season for lake resorts so the costs are much lower than in the summer. Spring is the high season for beach resorts, so their prices are at their highest then.
In addition to the cost of accommodations, meals can be much cheaper on vacation at a lake resort cabin. With a fully equipped kitchen at your disposal, you can make your own delicious meals to save money. It’s harder to find a rental in a tropical location with a full kitchen, and even then, food costs more. We spent $9 on a dozen eggs at a Walmart in Hawaii last year! Groceries overall here in Minnesota are cheaper than everywhere I’ve traveled. Our local restaurants are reasonably priced, as well, in comparison to touristy beach locals.
Activities are also generally cheaper in a lake cabin area than the tropics. At our resort, for example, we have lots of amenities that are free to our guests, including a full gym. You can go horseback riding, biking, swimming, shopping and so much more year round here for a fraction of the cost of most beachy areas.
My twenty-one year old son and his buddies recently went to a beach resort in Mexico and were so bored because they had limited budgets. The meals and activities at the resort were too expensive for them, but their resort was over 15 miles from the nearest town with a grocery store or things to do. Worse, because they were under 25 they couldn’t rent a car to go anywhere. They wish they would have spent spring break at the lake instead!
Lake Break for the Win
Recently, a long time summer guest wrote about their spring break experience at our resort.
Hi….we are the Baffert Girls. We’ve been coming to Campfire Bay for 10 years. We’ve stayed at many cabins and at different times of the year. One of our favorite trips was back in 2019, when my daughters told me they wanted to “go on spring break somewhere on the water that was beautiful”. Not being able to afford a tropical vacation, I reserved the White Oak Cabin at CBR for 4 nights. We had always wanted to stay at this gorgeous cabin and now the opportunity presented itself.
We made many wonderful memories because we were in a peaceful place we consider our “second home”. No worries about sunscreen, delayed flights or passports. Spring Break at Campfire Bay allowed us a picturesque place to connect as a family and we anxiously await our summer visit this year.
We have often said after a vacation to Florida or the Caribbean, “We need a vacation from our vacation.” If you’ve felt the same way, because the time was too short, the cost was too high, and you were stressed a lot of the time, then consider the unconventional option next time. Spend spring break at the lake!
