Anthony Travel Brings Students to Destinations
By Lauren Siegel
The Observer
As midterms conclude and spring break draws near, many students take advantage of warmer climates, sandy beaches and sparkling waters. For Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s students, Anthony Travel – with agencies on both campuses – provides an ideal source to ensure a little fun in the sun.
Both the Saint Mary’s office, located in the Haggar Student Center, and Notre Dame’s, located in LaFortune, house agents ready to help students find an affordable “hot spot” that can be booked individually or as a group.
In previous years, Cancun and the Bahamas have been the place to go, said Marcia Fewell of Saint Mary’s Anthony Travel. But she said the hot spot varies from year to year.
“Most students are going on the Nordic Empress, which is a Royal Caribbean Cruise,” Fewell said. “Anthony Travel had booked over 60 cabins for Spring Break and we have filled them all.”
“It was at a great rate,” she said of the cruise, which will depart from Tampa and make stops at Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Belize.
According to Kayleen Carr of the LaFortune branch, Acapulco is the popular destination of Notre Dame students.
“Students want to go to a place that is sunny and hot to escape the South Bend weather,” she said.
Carr said the yearly change of a prime location is most likely due to the fact that students often choose to travel in large groups. “One person decides where they want to go, and there is a domino effect,” she said.
Fewell said another reason for the change in location is price. Saint Mary’s senior Jessica Holloway agrees.
“You go to the fun spot that is cheaper,” she said.
Having Anthony Travel on both campuses also allows Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s students to vacation together conveniently.
“An eighth of the students who go through us for spring break are mixed groups of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s students,” Carr said.
While some students spend months planning exotic Spring Break vacations, others do not.
“I am lucky that I can get a break from the South Bend weather and go home to Florida. It’s great,” said Saint Mary’s sophomore Megan Carroll. “I don’t have to pay any extra money to stay in a beautiful place because my hometown is considered a vacation spot.”
