Chris Woodside, a senior from New Jersey, is used to long car trips. He’s driven back and forth between Lawrence and his hometown of Frenchtown, N.J., ten times since he started school — a trip that takes him about 20 hours. That’s why for this spring break, Woodside won’t mind the 30-hour, one-way drive to Mexico with his friends.

U.S. college students planning a spring break trip with friends said staying on a budget was their biggest determining factor, according to a national survey of 1,100 students compiled by OnCampus Research.

Of the students, 44 percent chose an inexpensive destination, 29 percent chose a location they could drive to instead of fly, and 71 percent said they were paying for the trip with money they earned themselves.

“I don’t mind driving,” Woodside said. “And I wouldn’t have the money for the flight.”

The study found that almost 60 percent of students are staying in the U.S., with 22 percent of student going to Florida — the most popular destination. Only 7 percent will be traveling to Mexico and 2 percent will be traveling to the Caribbean. The survey found that 85 percent of college students polled were cutting back on their spending in some way because of the poor economy.

Woodside said he and his friends are going to Morelia, near Mexico City, to visit a friend he met while studying abroad in Spain last year. Then they will go to Ixtapa, where they are staying at an all-inclusive hotel that costs $800 for four days.

Woodside isn’t renting a car to make his trip — many car rental companies don’t allow their cars to leave the country — instead, he will be driving his 2007 Saturn Ion, which gets about 26 miles per gallon in the city, and 35 on the highway. It should cost about $200 total to drive one-way, Woodside said.

“We’re driving a good-gas-mileage car,” he said. “It’s 3,200 miles round trip.”

Wiles Bobo, branch manager of Hertz Rent-a-Car, 946 E. 23rd St., said he had rented about 10 percent of the Lawrence location’s cars to students this year. Although some car rental agencies do not rent to people under 25 years old, Hertz will with an additional charge of $15 extra per day for anyone 21 to 24. Accident insurance covers the car up to the full value, which is an extra $19.99 per day. Liability insurance is an extra $12.99 per day, and regular insurance is $5.95 per day.

Ryan Bowen, a travel agent at Student Universe, a company that caters 95 percent of its business to student travel, said more students reserved motor coaches than flights in comparison to last year. A motor coach is a 55-passenger bus that costs $1,100 per day, so it costs $20 per day, per person. Bowen said he had made thousands of bus reservations for this year’s spring break.

“Percentages have been up,” he said. “More people are motor-coaching to save money for longer distances.”

Woodside said money wasn’t the only reason he made the decision to drive to Mexico. As a senior, he thought it was his last chance for a good, fun spring break.

Hot spot destination: Panama City Beach, Fla.

Hotel picks: Bay Point Marriott Resort, rooms average at $239 per night

Holiday Inn Select, rooms average at $104 per night

Sleep Inn and Suites, rooms average at $119.99 per night

Source: www.Expedia.com

Attractions: March 13-14, Spring Fling Car & Truck Show, according to the event’s website, low-slung custom pickups, white sandy beaches, and hot babes are the setting.

Distance: 2,000.7 miles

Average cost for gas roundtrip: $211.21

Source: www.GasBuddy.com

Hot spot destination: Las Vegas, Nev.

Hotel picks:

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, rooms average $45 per night

Excalibur Hotel Casino, rooms average $68 per night

Stratosphere Tower – Casino & Resort Hotel, rooms average $62 per night

Source: www.Expedia.com

Attractions:

Las Vegas Night Strip Helicopter Tour, $70

Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam Day Trip, $100

Source: STA Travel

Distance Roundtrip: 2,634.5 miles

Average cost for gas roundtrip: $296.55

Source: www.GasBuddy.com

Hot spot destination: Austin, Texas

Hotel picks:

St. Michael Plaza Hotel, rooms average $80.67 per night

AT&T Hotel & Conference Center at the University of Texas, rooms average $289 per night

Lakeway Resort and Spa, rooms average $205.67 per night

Source: www.Expedia.com

Attractions:

South by Southwest Week 2010: March 12-21, according to the official website, the SXSW Music and Media Conference showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over 80 stages in downtown Austin.

Distance roundtrip:1,401.9 miles

Average cost for gas roundtrip: $148.45

Source: www.GasBuddy.com

— Edited by Kelly Gibson