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Sky’s the limit for spring break travels BY JACOB DAVIS THE GAMECOCK When USC students leave cam pus this spring break, they will have many choices for fun. Whether they are headed back home for the week or off to a trop ical locale, students can seek recreation and relaxation in a wide variety of ways. Travel agen cies online, as well as here in Columbia, offer many great deals for the individual as well as awe some group rates for those seek ing to escape together for spring break. Those looking to go the tropi cal route should have no problem finding great places to spend their week. Sites like that of Student Travel Services PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK Hying is the preferred method of travel for many students this spring break. (www.ststravel.com) have deals to exotic destinations like Acapulco and Jamaica, as well as traditional vacation spots like Florida and the Bahamas. Other sites like www.spring breakrooms.com allow students to book for great rates at specif ic well-known hotels all over the world. Other, more well-known sites, such as www.hotwire.com and www.travelocity.com, offer great deals on hotels, transporta tion rental and plane tickets to and from places all over the globe. For students looking to vaca tion with friends, sites such as www.sunchase.com allow stu dents to book entire winter and spring break road trips via credit card right from their computer. Another great site, www.endless summertours.com, lets students personatae vacation packages and allows flexible rates if the travel party expands. Steve McMenamin, a first-year sports management student, set up a plane trip for himself and six of his friends to the Bahamas us ing www.Expedia.com, an online ticket provider. “My friends and I used the online travel site to set up our trip, and now for spring break we’re going to be enjoying the beaches, casinos and nightlife of the Bahamas for a week,” he said. Just because many college stu dents head to foreign destinations for spring break, doesn’t mean there are not students staying clos er to home. Kelsey Powell, a first-year en gineering student and Cayce Resident, said, “I plan on spend ing a lot of time in the river and on the lake catching up on my fish ing.” Besides the local waterways, Columbia also offers Riverbanks ♦ TRAVEL, SEE PAGE 7 THE NIGHTLIFE OF SPRING BREAK IN MYRTLE BENCH > 1COV0R1 CALL (843)444-3500 FOR INFO. FREE ADMISSION ■ Before 11pm Surrdty-mursdt*. | Must present coupon. Urn* 6 persons per coupon Nat valid with any other specal or discount - Certain restrictions may apply. Contact Celebrations for complete details. CELEBRATIONS NfTEUFE BROADWAY AT THE BEACH ^ MYRTLE BEACH, SC • 843444-3900 _ HALF-PRICE ADMISSION i ■ Friday-Ssturday. Must present coupon. ■ Iumrt 6 persons per coupon. Not valid with any other specail or discount. ■ Certain restrictions may apply. Contact Celebrations for complete details. ■ CELEBRATIONS MTEUFE BROADWAY AT THE BEACH MYRTLE BEACH SC • *43444-3900 | Breaking LEND -a HELPING HAND Spring break program provides community outreach abroad BY Z’ANNE COVELL THE GAMECOCK USC’s Alternative Spring Break Program offers stu dents the chance to plan and perform a community serv ice project during their week-long spring vacation. “The Alternative Spring Break Corps is a group of students who raise money to go a on a spring break — sometimes fall or summer — trip to do community service in or out of the country,” Pinckney Epps, coordinator of Community Service Programs and Alternative Break Corps adviser, said. “The pro gram is about more than citizenship and service to others. Students are also learning from the service.” This spring break, stu dent groups will be travel ing to Mississippi to work with a Collegiate Build branch of Habitat for Humanity and to the Dominican Republic to aid with an orphanage out reach program. According to Epps, Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Build will bring groups together from col leges across the country to repair and build homes. Maura Kurtz, co-trip leader for the Collegiate Build and a fourth-year ac counting student, decided to organize the trip to ben efit both students and the non-profit organization. "I actually went on the same type of trip two years ago in Georgia, and I had such a great experience that I wanted to offer that expe rience to other students as well,” Kurtz said. “Habitat is also a great organization, and I wanted to help them.” Kurtz said she believes working with Habitat for Humanity gives students the opportunity to accom plish much more than they normally would have dur ing the break. “It’s much more reward ing because you are actual ly able to see an end result for your work in a week,” Kurtz said. According to Epps, stu ♦ BREAKING, SEE PAGE 7