As some students seek to escape Pittsburgh’s gloomy weather for spring break, others are opting to stay in Oakland to save some cash.

Travel costs for spring break trips have reached record-high levels this year, averaging more than $8,000, according to Bloomberg. Jade Weller, a junior microbiology major, said she and her friends were going to head to the Dominican Republic but were deterred by the high cost.

“I’m kind of like, I should probably save money and use that time to study for exams,” Weller said. “I have a physics exam right when we come back … so there’s a lot of work to do.”

Instead, Weller said she’ll take a charter bus to her southwestern Pennsylvania home and spend time with her family trying new restaurants.

Annie Brown, a first-year nursing major, said she’s ready to use the break to rest from classes. She said she’s looking forward to visiting her brother at the University of Scranton and returning home to her family. 

“I didn’t have the money to go anywhere elaborate … and none of my friends are going anywhere, so I was like, ‘Yeah I’m just gonna go home, take a little break,” Brown said. 

Some students leaving Pittsburgh are saving money on travel by staying with relatives or friends. First-year business analytics major Braden Barber said he will be traveling to Washington, D.C. and staying at his roommate’s house. 

“I’m really excited because I don’t have anything else to do,” Barber said. “You can do a lot for free.”

First-year nursing major Hailey Kirmayer is taking a similar path by staying with her grandmother in St. Thomas in the Caribbean.

“My grandma lives there … So I was like, why not stay with her?” Kirmaryer said. 

Kirmayer is planning on going alone to see her grandmother, although she’s expecting visits from some friends. 

Even though costs are on the rise, some students plan on vacationing. Lauren Starr, a senior rehabilitation sciences major, doesn’t mind spending more on spring break since it’s near her birthday. 

“I always splurge, but this one definitely,” Starr said. 

In past years, Starr had gone to London, but this year, she is planning on visiting Puerto Rico with her friends. Starr said she is looking forward to the trip for the “beach, sun, sand,” and she wants to “get a little tan.” She was able to cut down on some costs by booking an Airbnb instead of an all-inclusive resort.

“We did an Airbnb so that we could buy food and we can make breakfast and stuff like that, instead of always going out and buying food,” Starr said.