Escaping To Mexico for an Unforgettable Experience

Now, this article needs a disclaimer. My first experience into Japan for the summer during my early college years was an absolute growth experience for me and my future. Now, I was still a college kid with some really great friends.

So....of course, there needs to be a few stories to Mexico during spring break! LOL. I'm not sure what the kids are up to these days, but during my college years, heading to South Padre Island or Cancun were on the tops of everyone's list to get away and experience a true college spring break experience. So, this is one of those stories, with full disclaimers that we were young and full of life.

South Padre Island is located at the southern tip of Texas and just a bit north up the barrier island on the Gulf side. The town itself is actually named after Padre Balli, a Catholic priest and settler. This area is typically a family resort area, except for spring break when college students flock to this area from all over. It's affordable, fun, great weather, and just organized all-around to appeal to a college crowd.

Now, my mission to get to every country on this beautiful planet was not set in stone at this time. However, I knew I wanted to get to Mexico while we were there. During the time of this trip, the "two nation vacation" was considered safe vs perhaps nowadays. My understanding is that tourism is down ~75% from what it was in the late '90s. There were shops, bars, and some really great nightlife. Including, the extracurricular activities that you see in the title photo, where my friends learned about electricity through the body in various ways. Definitely not advocating for this, as I'm sure there are side effects that have kicked-in now that we're all very mature adults, LOL. But, it was a blast and I do hope that the border improves not simply for the fun of spring break, but to have peace among neighboring nations seems to be a good plan!

There were trips to Cancun the following year, of which I'm sad to say I don't have copies of photos at the moment. Both of these trips with my college friends were priceless. A time to bond, to attempt to organize something other than with your family, and to be smart and safe, think of others and not just your own selfish desires. To this day, my good buddy Tom and I still keep in touch. He's been an amazing friend to me over the years and think back to not only these experiences but all the ones we enjoyed during our college years. It's a different world now, coming out of the pandemic. So much has been disrupted and it feels like we're starting to put the pieces back together again. For college students, it does feel like it's a more dangerous world now. Perhaps, not, I'm not sure. We didn't have access to information and technology the way we do today. Perhaps it was just a time of ignorant blissfulness. Either way, I still advocate for the fulfilled adventures while you're in your college years. Relax, enjoy yourself, head out on those trips with your friends, you'll have those memories for a lifetime!

Resource Links:

South Padre Island

Mexico Travel Advisory

Matamoros Information