This Company Wants to Plan Your Fall Break
For college students everywhere the breaks in the fall, winter, and spring are enormous opportunities for travel. In the United States, spring break is notorious for being the basis of wild movies and crazy stories. However for students abroad, like those at AUP, international travel is more accessible, making it easy to hop a border for a weekend via train, plane or automobile.
When it’s so easy to travel around Europe for students how can you switch it up and do something different? If you've ever thought about camping, sailing, surfing, and any other adventurous activity over a break, chances are The Stoke Travel Company has an experience for you.
Determined to maintain their "life is an outrageous adventure" company motto, Stoke invites attendees to party with them in a variety of different locations. The company specializes in vacation planning for twenty-somethings, organizing experiences en masse for students and young people to join. They aren't trying to water things down either for the sake of seeming family-friendly - their website says that if you join on their trips, "You're doing things that would freak your parents out, that your best friends wouldn't understand," and they even add that no babies were conceived at their events last year, except for the ones that were conceived "because less-safe sex is the best sex."
One of their latest events was at the 2022 Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, which they considered to be a success, "with more travelers, beer lovers, students and party animals joining us for bottomless beer, late-night dance parties, and general beer-fest shenanigans." Oktoberfest is known for its insane beer focused festivities and the celebration of craft, where millions flock in dirndls and lederhosen to party, and the package Stoke is offering for the next iteration of the festival includes things like accommodation in tents, an all-you-can-drink beer and sangria bar, and campsite parties with DJ's and live bands.
Stoke also says it's committed to creating an inclusive experience for those who choose to attend, going as far as creating a "Ladies' Island' within their campsite for those who would feel safer staying around other women at no extra charge. "This initiative is to encourage more female solo travelers and groups of women to Oktoberfest – an event that is often considered to be the domain of men, but we know that the love of beer doesn’t adhere to gendered boundaries," said the company in its 2023 Oktoberfest listing.
For many, Stoke's experiences can be the smart way to get the most for your money while also attending one of the biggest festivals in the world. AUP senior Alyssa Poole said she, "booked Stoke with my friend Maddie since we wanted to go to Oktoberfest but wanted to do it the most economical way possible. When we got to the campsite, instantly we knew we made the right choice. There were djs, live music, food trucks, bottomless beer, wine, and sangria and the energy was just unmatched."
For an event like Oktoberfest, the ambiance of the event itself is important at every level. Where you sleep at night and how you spend your time during the day shape how you experience a trip as a whole, and what Stoke does through their campsites and private experiences is to provide a curated form of that experience for anyone who signs up. Basically, they want you to leave the planning up to them and trust that you'll have a good time.
Maddie Crowther, an AUP junior, recommended Stoke and their campsite, saying, "it was super affordable and you got to meet a lot of international students who also were abroad in Europe. It felt like a nonstop party all weekend. I really enjoyed my experience with Stoke so for Fall Break I am going to book their Surf House experience in San Sebastián! "
Stoke has many experiences throughout the year, and upcoming events include the San Sebastián Surf House trip, an Andorra Après-ski, and a Costa Brava/Barcelona Adventure. To find out more, you can visit their website at stoketravel.com.
