According to a survey done by a CheapTickets research team, over two-thirds of students are not relying on their parents to pay for their Spring Breaks. If they want to go somewhere over break, the students will be paying the bill.

Madison Baustian, sophomore in apparel, merchandising and design, put in extra hours at Banana Republic in order to pay for her Spring Break trip with her friends to Panama City Beach.

They decided on Panama City Beach because “it’s the biggest Spring Break spot,” Baustian said.

They had to budget for gas, groceries, their hotel, a club discount card, club covers and any souvenirs they wanted to buy. They decided to stay at the Majestic Beach Towers that had condos. Each person paid a $100 deposit and $317 for seven nights.

Marita Hudson Thomas, spokesperson for CheapTickets, said that they are finding that more college students are paying for their own Spring Break.

The majority of these students are either working more or intending to spend less money on Spring Break.

The survey was collected through Google consumer surveys and had 501 participants.

CheapTickets is run by the travel agency Orbitz. Orbitz is the 2nd largest travel agency behind Expedia, Thomas said. 

They market toward the value customers that are seeking good deals for their travel plans.

Thomas said “college is a heavy demographic” for the company. She also said that, on average, people can save up to 15 percent on hotels using CheapTickets.

Based on general consumer behavior, Thomas said that consumers tend to buy flight tickets early and then book hotel rooms when it gets closer to the vacation date.

“But if you’re booking a package [flight and hotel], you can save up to $450,” Thomas said.

Baustian said it was way cheaper to drive then to fly. If Baustian flew to Panama City Beach, it would have cost, on average, $435, Thomas said, and she only intends to spend $500.

Janani Ragothaman, junior in chemical engineering, said that she and her friends were paying about $200 each – excluding gas – for a beach house in Surfside Beach, Texas. Thirty-eight people went on the trip and they budgeted $2,000 for food and drinks.

CheapTickets also compiled a list of the top college Spring Break spots, comparing daily average hotel rate and average airfare for the 2014 Spring Break season. The best value, Myrtle Beach, came in at number nine with $77 average daily hotel cost and $312 airfare.