The Spring Festival holiday is coming! From "Spring Breakers" to movies like "22 Jump Street," spring break has gained a reputation as a whole week of relaxing on the beach or partying with best friends all day long. But for anyone who lived through Spring Break in the '90s, you know it was a much simpler time, and you probably spent more time on the couch watching other people partying on MTV than going to the beach in person. Either that, or you're visiting your grandma with your family. At that time, your parents may have more influence on your travel plans.
The 1990s were a very different era, so the way we spent spring break back then was certainly very different. While you may be planning a super fancy week-long adult vacation for yourself this year, the '90s are for another purpose entirely. For example, super colorful t-shirts are cool. Whether you're spending a well-deserved week off soaking up the sun at the beach or watching '90s romantic comedies with friends, here are some ways you can spend spring break in the '90s.
1. In Daytona, San Diego or Cancun
The hot spots for spring break in the 1990s were largely determined by where MTV was throwing its parties. Where MTV goes, crowds of revelers follow. In the early '90s, you'd still make a beeline for Daytona Beach (also an '80s favorite!), but by the mid-'90s, you'd be opting for more obscure locations like San Diego and Panama City, Cali's Palm Springs, Florida The state's beaches and South Padre Island, Texas are becoming increasingly popular. By the late 1990s, spring break went international, and Cancun became a favorite with the spring break party crowd. Depending on when you spring break, these might be your favorite party destinations from the '90s.
2. Watch MTV Spring Break on TV
Meanwhile, if you weren't old enough to actually go out for Spring Break in the '90s, you were watching MTV Spring Break parties and concerts on TV and longing for the day when you, too, were old enough to party with the West division. Pink, Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson, Busta Rhymes, and Blink 182 are all performers you dreamed of one day hanging out with while watching the deep blues of college kids playing in the tropics on your TV box.
3. Try being on an MTV Spring Break show in real life
If you're lucky enough to be able to watch MTV Spring Break live, your only goal is to get on TV. Spring Break in the '90s was all about MTV, and if you don't remember the '90s, please understand that saying "Spring Break in the '90s was all about MTV" is an understatement.
4. Visit your grandma
But spring break in the '90s wasn't all about partying and fun. Of course, if you're too young to go to Daytona Beach, there's also a trip to grandma's house. But hopefully you can at least watch MTV while you're there.
5. Watch a friend’s marathon on TV
Remember when networks would air marathons of TV shows? While we don't yet have the ability to watch entire seasons of our favorite shows at once, that doesn't mean we won't indulge in back-to-back shows like Friends during the holidays. In those days, without DVRs and streaming services, you also had to stay up late to watch every episode, so this really was a great activity for spring break and sleepovers with friends.
6. Cruise in an open-top jeep
If you want to say the coolest thing about spring break in the '90s, you can't ignore the open-top Jeeps and the fact that there were so many people crammed into them, all in swimsuits. This was the image of Florida in the 1990s, so widely disseminated by the media that if you were under 25, you might be begging your parents to rent you a Jeep. If you can't buy a Jeep, any old bright Jeep will do. A yellow top will do.
7. Wear a swimsuit like Jamie Lee Curtis in Circa Perfect
Take a look back at '90s spring break style and you'll notice everyone wearing turtleneck swimsuits that look like they would be more at home in an aerobics class in the '80s. You may be doing this too.
8. Wish you were Jenny McCarthy
There was a time when Jenny McCarthy was your spring break idol. Jenny McCarthy has a loud voice, is funny, and is someone you feel like you could be a good friend with. You probably spent a lot of spring break watching her on "Singled Out" or " The Jenny McCarthy Show" on MTV and wishing you could be her.
9. Look at her like this
If you weren't old enough to go on spring break to your destination, you'd be hanging out at home watching "She's All That." Of course, at the time you might not have fully understood how problematic it would be to make a movie about a woman who has to completely change her entire appearance in order to attract a man, but still...
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