As senior year comes to an end, we can finally be released from the senioritis that infected our once joyous souls as we look forward to our post high school plans.
Graduation, summer, college, and, most importantly, senior trips are upon us. But to even go on a senior trip, you have to find a place first. There are so many places though, how do we pick where to go?
Don’t fret, here is our ranked list of senior trip locations.
Before we get into it, here is the criteria in no particular order: 1. Wherever we would want to go the most if other factors did not exist (money); 2. Food; 3. How much there is to do and activities available; 4. Distance; 5. Price.
1. Europe (yes, the whole continent)
When thinking of a senior trip, we think of some place bold and grand. Somewhere we wouldn’t go on a random no school day. Somewhere far. Somewhere like… Europe.
Europe is perfect for a senior trip since there are so many places to go in the whole continent so you’ll never run out of stuff to do.
One day you could be in Venice and the next be in Copenhagen. The possibilities are endless. Additionally, with all these famous locations, you’ll never get bored. We all know it would be a lie to say there’s nothing to do in Europe.
Because Europe is so big, you’ll never have to worry about potentially running into someone you know and playing the awkward game of ‘Should I say hi?’ Honestly the only downside to this is the money. Considering the funds you need to get to Europe in the first place, and to purchase food or souvenirs, one would require a heap of money in order to fully enjoy the atmosphere of Europe.
Though during your visit you may fall victim to one of those “I’m European and I hate Americans” storytime videos, we think that the experience of going to Europe and the food you eat will make up for it.
2. Anything Disney (yes, that one)
Now, the next tier consists of everything Disney.
It’s a good destination for a trip, so good that our school even offers students to pay $500 to stay at Disneyland for 13 hours. But honestly, the location itself is a little overhyped.
With the way everyone decides to go to the amusement park in the same week of summer, it’s basically another Bay Area. It’s the exact opposite of taking a trip to Europe.
But we acknowledge that Disneyland or Disney World are valid senior trips, so we’re placing them in this spot on our list. Although the parks are a little expensive, the rides and food are perfect for everyone, not to mention that they give us a little nostalgia as we grow older.
The distance isn’t too far away from San Ramon (at least to Disneyland), and it can make for a great six hour road trip with friends, unless you’re the one driving. Plus, if you go to Disney World, you will be far from Cal without paying the crazy price of a Europe trip.
While not all of the food is a hit, there are still great food options at all Disney parks for you to fuel up with after a long day of sitting down in roller coasters. Please eat some delicious pineapple Dole Whip on our behalf.
If you feel like Disneyland and Disney World are both still too close for you, you can visit one of the international locations, such as Disney World in Tokyo. The price point will be higher, but you get to visit another country as well, which makes it more worth it to us.
Go buy those overpriced Mickey ears and wear your best sneakers so you can run away from the overly obsessive Disney Adults and Disney parks (any of them) will always make for an one of the most awesome senior trips.
3. Beach (yes, simply beach)
As you might be able to tell, this category is for any destination that is a beach or is coastal and known for beaches.
Now, this is third place not because we have a vendetta against beaches, but because this category is so vague. This means there are trips under this category we would rank highly while there are others we would rank zero out of 10.
If your beach vacation is to the Caribbean or Cancun, now that’s a senior trip. They are a beautiful distance from San Ramon, so the chances of you running into your greatest enemy from high school are slim to none.
These places have a huge variety of food, so they get five stars from full-time munchers like us. They’re also beautiful. If you want a beach vacation, these are your best options.
Trips to these international coastal vacations, however, have the same fatal flaw as trips to Europe: the price. Getting there and back is expensive, but on top of that, you have to think about how much you’re going to spend while you’re there.
Now, if your coastal trip of choice is Alcatraz Island, we ask you to rethink your decision. Your senior trip is for celebrating escaping one prison, and you’re choosing to go to another one?
Anyway, while Alcatraz is cheaper than Cancun, the lack of food and activities makes it a major no. If you want to go on a day trip to some place with an ocean, literally any beach in California is better.
While we prefer certain beach oriented senior trip destinations over others, a beach destination can be a great way to wave your high school life goodbye.
4. City Center (yes, the one in San Ramon)
Coming in at last place, we have the City Center. This senior trip is so bad that only online editor Anika Choudhary reported going on it. It’s not hard to guess why. But there are a few pros.
The biggest and most important is that City Center is convenient for everyone. Averaging a five minute drive for approximately $0, everyone in San Ramon knows about it and it’s not a bad place for dinner.
There are seating areas and it’s loud enough that strangers can’t hear your business. If you get tired of the activities, you can cross the road and continue your trip at Target, where you can mindlessly stroll while thinking about how much more fun your friends are having in Cancun.
If this is your senior trip, we send our condolences.
With that comes the end of our objective, unbiased senior trips ranking. No matter where the destination of your senior trip is, we hope all of you seniors celebrate all you’ve accomplished in the last four years.
And for all of the underclassmen, watch out, because even though we’re graduating, know we will be judging and ranking all of your senior trips.
