Best Senior Trip Locations

By Laura Lipcsei

As summer approaches, incoming Seniors should start thinking about where they want to go for their Senior Trip. Because I have spent way too much time thinking about where I want to go for my Senior Trip, I have accumulated a long list of places to potentially travel to—an entire list, including pros and cons for each location. Since I don’t feel like inputting all my options here, I am going to list the five (in my opinion) best places to go for a Senior Trip down below. 

5. Mexico

Pros:

• Relatively cheap for an out-of-state trip (especially for bigger groups)
  • Very good option if you can’t/don’t want to spend a lot of money
  • Many all inclusive resorts in Mexico have discounts for bigger groups
• Gorgeous beaches
• All inclusive resort means that food and activities are provided for your entire stay
• Don’t need to find transportation, because everything is in the resort

Cons:

• Can’t leave the resort (not very safe outside of resort)
• Typically must pay for excursions outside of the resort
• Must have a passport
• Because of Trump’s immigration policies, tensions with Mexico have risen
  • Traveling to Mexico could become dangerous based on how foreign relations progress so you should check relations between Mexico and the US before booking

4. Tahiti

Pros: 

• Very pretty beaches, fauna, and flora
• Lots of free things to do:
  • Hiking
  • Swimming
  • Snorkeling
  • Farmers Markets
  • Downtown Areas
  • Exploring the Island 
  • Amazing waterfalls
• Unlike Mexico, relatively safe so you won’t need to stay inside an all inclusive
• Both all inclusive and regular resorts available 
• Great weather (tropical climate)
• Has an efficient bus system, so renting a car is not necessary

Cons:

• Very expensive plane tickets
• Need a passport 
• Somewhat pricey trip 

3. Santa Catalina Island

Pros:

• In California, therefore, no plane tickets needed
  • Near LA, so it would be ~6 hours to drive to LA and then ~2 hours to take a boat to Santa Catalina Island
  • Need boat tickets, but they are much, MUCH, cheaper than plane tickets
• No passport needed
• Because it’s in California, it won’t be as expensive as other trips
• In case of emergency, adults will only be a few hours away
• Nice beaches and great vibes
• Island is small, so car is not necessary
  • If you don’t want to walk, you can bring a bike

Cons:

• Housing can be difficult to find
• Food not included
  • You have to either buy food every day, which is expensive, or find housing with a kitchen and cook your own food
• Activities are limited because you are on a small island

2. Florida Keys

Pros: 

• In the United States, so plane tickets won’t be outrageously expensive 
• No passport needed
• Nice, tropical climate
• Amazing beaches
• Nice hikes

Cons:

• Cultural differences
  • The Florida Keys tend to lean more Republican/MAGA
    • The urban areas in Miami are fairly Democratic so it does depend where you go in Florida
  • California is primarily Democratic
  • More information about the political tendencies of states here.
• Not many all inclusive resorts, so you will likely need to use a hotel
  • Food likely won’t be provided if your not at an all inclusive, so the cost of food will definitely make your trip a bit more expensive
  • Need to rent a car if you want to go somewhere 

1. Oahu

Pros:

• Great public transportation (TheBus)
  • You don’t have to pay for a rental car or other forms of transportation
• Very tourist friendly & safe
• Amazing weather
• Pretty beaches
• Nice hikes
• Free activities:
  • Hiking
  • Farmers markets
  • Downtown areas
  • Swimming
  • Tanning
  • Snorkeling (free if you bring your own gear)

Cons:

•  Somewhat pricey (because it’s Hawaii)
• Does not have any traditional all inclusive resorts
  • You will have to figure out where to eat (I recommend renting a house/room with a kitchen so you can cook your own food at least part of the time)