Tête à tête: boozing or cruising?

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wo writers go head to head to discuss whether a culture-crammed holiday in Europe beats an alcohol-fueled trip to an all-inclusive party destination.

When else can you drink enough to knock you out every night and not care the next day?

Throughout life, there are many milestones. For our generation, the first holiday is just as important as the first house. One of the best ways to experience the newfound freedom escaping from your parents can bring is on a group holiday. Widely derided and mocked by the press, the reputation of these resorts does not invite discerning travellers. But everyone should take one, if only for the experience. When else can you drink enough to knock you out every night and not care the next day?

[pullquote style=”left” quote=”dark”]It’s nice to have an English community when you’re so drunk you can barely remember the way back to your hotel[/pullquote]I spent a week in Malia with 11 mates, and I can safely say I’ve never had a better time. Every day was passed in the sun (or avoiding it), and every night involved at least seven different clubs and enough alcohol to knock out a horse. Although papers like to point out the horrors of the place, if anything bad happens, it’s usually the individual’s fault.

To blame the resorts is unfair, and the worst thing that happened to us was a brush with the law involving watermelons!

There’s always plenty to do, and ultimately most students can’t afford a “proper” holiday. This offers the experience of an escape without the bank-emptying cost. There are tons of deals on literally everything, and once you’ve paid for the package, everything’s taken care of, which means you don’t have to spend the holiday budgeting. You can get anything from the bare-bones to all-inclusive, and the bars and clubs prepare you for university, helping you to become a (slightly) more responsible drinker.

photo: Kevin Dooley/flickr

Another great thing about a resort holiday is that you aren’t thrown into another culture. We may have been in Crete, but you wouldn’t have known if not for the amount of people who looked like they’d fallen asleep in the sun. Of course, travelling should be about exploring other cultures, but it’s nice to have an English community when you’re so drunk you can barely remember the way back to your hotel.

Admittedly, these are hardly holidays for “culture vultures”, but that’s not the point. For a lot of people, myself included, organising and going somewhere with a load of friends is our chance to experience adulthood – to a degree. And most of them are so managed, that there’s always someone to fall back on should something truly horrific happening. It’s a chance to strengthen friendships, learn your limits and have a good time, ignoring the consequences.

Nicholas Buxey

Interrailing can be a great adventure that helps to cement your independence and allows you to visit the copious beautiful cities dappled throughout Europe

In my mind, traditional sightseeing holidays wholeheartedly outshine lads/lasses-on-tour type breaks. It’s not that I’m averse to the drinking, laughing gas and holiday banter – I’m not entirely anti-Zante either as I’ve been there twice – but it is rather dull and repetitive when the whole premise of a trip is to just drink the night away.

Drinking holidays are an experience that I would suggest people try out during the summer before they go off to university; after first year, you’re probably pushing it. The holiday shouldn’t really differ from your social life at uni except for the better weather and later closing times at the clubs. Moreover, girls: you will undoubtedly encounter more gropey males with an alcohol-fuelled sense of determination to pull whilst on their lads’ holiday (just speaking from experience). After all, the impression of places like Malia and Magaluf as hotbeds of sleazy activity – as portrayed in programmes like Sun, Sex And Suspicious Parents – was not plucked out of thin air. Therefore, as a student with a limited budget to consider, there are a myriad of other places I’d prefer to visit to get the best value for money.

photo: Kirill Shulepov/flickr

For that reason, interrailing is a popular alternative for summer trips and is a high priority on my own bucket list. It can be a great adventure that helps to cement your independence and allows you to visit the copious beautiful cities dappled throughout Europe. Additionally you can immerse yourself in the unfamiliar cultures and customs of each country. Checking out the local pubs also counts as an important cultural experience if you do enjoy a good drink, so interrailing whilst stone cold sober is not obligatory. Yet in places like Ayia Napa, the most “culture” you’ll experience is having to bin your toilet roll instead of flushing it: other than that, you’re just bumping into fellow Brits in an atmosphere tailored to Brits, with signs and menus in English.[pullquote style=”right” quote=”dark”]The impression of places like Malia and Magaluf as hotbeds of sleazy activity is not plucked out of thin air[/pullquote]

Southeast Asia has also become a mainstream tourist destination for budding travellers. Having been to Thailand myself, I can vouch that its status as a crowd-pleaser is warranted. You can easily pick up key Thai phrases within your first day and visiting places like the Mercy Centre in Bangkok for orphans with AIDS categorically ensures that you realise your privileges and puts your good fortune into perspective. In addition, the picturesque temples and exquisite spirit houses dotted throughout the city streets stimulate interest in Buddhism. Or – more specifically – Theravada Buddhism, which is the most prevalent branch in Thailand as well as the oldest surviving division (see, I did my research). You also have the chance to bathe elephants – can you do that in Kavos?

Emily Buckley