Trend Toward Combining Visits With Vacation
- By Kurt A. Stahura
- 01/01/17
A current trend involves families
incorporating college visits
into traditional vacations. For
example, at Niagara University, we find
that students often tour the world-famous
Niagara Falls and the surrounding area
during their visit.
College visits often take place during
students’ sophomore, junior and senior
years of high school. Many families book
these trips during spring break or in the
summer in an attempt to gather information
about institutions to find the perfect
match for their students’ next chapter.
With so many great college cities and
towns across the United States, combining
a family vacation with the all-important
campus visit makes sense for three reasons.
First, financially, a campus visit already
involves hotel and transportation costs,
so parents are getting the most from their
investment. Second, from a time perspective,
parents have a finite number of vacation
days each year, so combining the two
is efficient. Third, it may be the last time a
family is able to travel together for a while,
so it makes the journey memorable and it
serves as a bonding experience for parents
and siblings: Everyone gets to be part of the
prospective student’s “adventure.”
About the Author
Kurt A. Stahura, Ph.D. is dean at College of Hospitality & Tourism Management in Niagara University, NY.