Two years ago, Bryce Schaffter and Adam Bormann decided to go to Cancun, Mexico for spring break.

But, the roommates said, the trip wasn’t exactly what they expected.

Bormann, senior in management information systems, booked the trip through a company that a friend of his worked for.

“Even though he never gave us any fliers or much information, we initially trusted him and didn’t ask much about the trip itself,” Bormann said.

As time went on, their friend kept coming to them and asking for more money, and once they arrived in Cancun, there were many disappointments, said Schaffter, senior in marketing.

“The first disappointment was our hotel, the second was the food and the third was the whole entertainment situation,” Schaffter said.

Bormann said he regrets not doing more research before booking the trip.

“The beach in front of our hotel was nothing but jaded rocks and sand; it didn’t look anything like the picture we saw before we came,” Bormann said. “We thought it would cost twice as much to go through a travel agency. We never checked on it.”

Travel agency representatives have advice for students thinking about going on a spring break trip.

Jim Bianchi-Rossi, vice president of Bianchi-Rossi Tours, said a couple of things come into play when a student is shopping around for a spring break trip.

“Most of the companies like ours have been around for a vast majority of time,” Bianchi-Rossi said. “Students can usually get a better deal from us, and our staff is always on site to ensure they are getting what they paid for.”

Bianchi-Rossi said a client shouldn’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions, because the most important factor in choosing a package is the value of the vacation.

“In our industry, people leave with good and bad impressions,” he said. “So many things in travel can go wrong, but if you are the supplier, you have to make good on what you are saying.”

Tyler Anderson, campus manager for Student City, another student travel provider, said students might get a better deal and a better trip if they go through a spring break company to plan the trip.

“You’ll be able to meet a lot more people since all of the college students stay in the same hotels,” Anderson said. “Also, you get a package deal with everything included.”

He said it is good to book the trip as far in advance as possible.

“The earlier you book your trips, the cheaper the prices will be,” he said. “You also have more options on where to stay.”

Anderson said to be careful because there are a lot of smaller companies that take different pieces of spring break packages from other companies and put them into one.

“Stick to the big names and do your research,” Anderson said. “Companies that do the most business can mostly likely get you the best deal.”

Shana Bredensteiner, branch manager for STA Travel, said there are advantages to booking your spring break trip through a travel agency.

“Once you put your deposit down, we guarantee the price will not change,” Bredensteiner said. “Sometimes spring break companies don’t tell you about the fuel surcharge and that could cost you $25 to $200 at the airport.”

Bredensteiner said STA Travel offers a lot of the same hotels and VIP party packages that spring break companies offer.

Bianchi-Rossi said Acapulco is the most popular spring break 2005 destination.

“All destinations are unique, but students are starting see Acapulco as the best option,” he said.