As a passionate traveler, sophomore Clare Knoester has seen the world.
With that, Hawaii has earned a special place in her heart. After traveling to the Big Island last year with her cousins, aunt, and uncle, she is returning to the islands again for spring break to relive the natural beauty of Kauai.
“Snorkeling was my favorite part because I’ve done it multiple times before but never in Hawaii, and it was very different from the other times and I got to see more coral and fish,” Clare said. “We went to four different places, and there is a public place we went to that was really nice.”
Although snorkeling was undoubtedly a highlight, Clare also participated in a lot of hiking and cliff jumping; this year on the island of Kauai, she plans to do similar activities with the addition of guided surfing lessons. Because of all the outdoor activities that Hawaii provides, Clare and her family plan to spend a few nights in multiple places. Last year, they stayed at both hotels and an Airbnb to fully experience as much of Hawaii as possible.
To actually reach Hawaii, Clare and her family have to take multiple flights and experience the unavoidable jet lag that comes with traveling over 4,300 miles away from Michigan.
“First we are going to Chicago, and then we are flying to Arizona,” Clare said. “We did that last year, too. It actually wasn’t that long—from Phoenix to Hawaii it was long, but I just looked out my window the whole time.”
Although Clare’s travels are keeping her in the United States, senior Ava Ackerman has plans to sunbathe in the turquoise waters of St. Lucia of the Caribbean with her friend, senior Chiara Bergsma.
When originally planning for her senior spring break, Ava considered many places in the Caribbean like Aruba and Jamaica to stay; St. Lucia, however, worked out in the end after searching the internet for places to stay. She has been to St. Martin and St. Thomas in the past, so St. Lucia will be another trip to add to her growing list of Caribbean experiences.
“I’ve seen photos and TikToks, and the beaches are so pretty, so I want to sit out on the beach and enjoy the sunshine and the weather,” Ava said.
None of her plans are concrete, but Ava is expecting her and Chiara to participate in typical Caribbean activities: relaxing on the beach, hiking to waterfalls, and snorkeling among the vibrant reefs.
Although it is only February, Ava has already started her year by traveling to Florida for dance team Nationals and is heading to Florida again for dance once again. Before spring break, which officially starts the last week of March, Ava plans on traveling to Minneapolis, New York, and Nashville, making the months of February and March busy with activities and out-of-state ventures.
As a senior anticipating graduation, school and tests add to the existing workload that Ava has from her busy schedule, making spring break a bright spot in the future.
“I think the purpose of spring break is to just give people some time off, especially with school and the workload it can be a lot mentally,” Ava said. “I like taking trips to kind of reset my mind and my body and just take time off because I know I need it.”
For sophomore Aubrey Leetsma, her travels are also taking her to the Caribbean, but instead of staying on one island, Aubrey is going to island hop in a unique, memorable fashion. Similar to Ava and Clare, Aubrey is looking forward to the feeling of sunshine after being stuck in winter.
“Me, my family, and my cousin and his family chartered a boat in the [British Virgin Islands], and we are kind of just traveling between the islands,” Aubrey said.
On her five-night boat excursions along the cluster of British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Aubrey and her family will have their own captain and cook to make the experience fun and void of the stressful job of navigation and cooking. Aubrey has no current plans for excursion or exploration once they arrive at each of the islands and is expecting to figure it out later.
For Aubrey, the stretch from winter break to spring break has been a long one, and above anything, she is excited to take some time to relax and unwind.
“I think it is just a good break, especially during second semester because second semester is a lot more stressful, so I feel like it’s nice to get a week to relax somewhere,” Aubrey said.
