Surprising spring break destinations doing big business

Orbitz.com came out with a list of top spring break destinations for 2016 and the top three were the usual suspects-- Orlando, Cancun, and Vegas.

The stats also showed that many travelers are looking for something new.

"I need a vacation," said Tamara Evans of Dayton when I asked her about travel plans this year.

Panama City, Riviera Maya, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, have seen the biggest surge in spring break hotel bookings over the last five years, according to Orbitz.com.

AAA agrees that the popular spring break spots they are seeing this year are anything but ordinary.

"Washington D.C, which is really budget friendly. They have loads of things to do and by the way they are free. So it's a great bang for your buck on your budget," said AAA leisure travel director Micki Dudas.

Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Philadelphia, are also top choices of AAA spring break travelers this year, according to Dudas.

Recalls

This has been a big week for recalls.

Nestle issued a voluntary recall of some frozen foods because the spinach in them may contain glass.

The products include some DiGiorno pizzas, Lean Cuisines, and Stouffer's meals.

"That's really scary. We make these things for our family and we want us to be safe and i can't imagine if my kids would bite into glass or something like that. That's horrifying," said Kristen Spurlock of Huber Heights.

Glass also caused some Corona beer to be recalled, Purdue Foods Applegate Farms chicken nuggets were recalled due to plastic in the product, GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches were recalled due to potential food residue contamination, and more Takata faulty airbag recall list.

An updated list of recalls can be found here.

Checking account fees

Free checking is a thing of the past for many Americans.

A study by MoneyRates found that consumers are paying about $160 bucks a year in checking account maintenance fees.

The study also found that minimum balance requirements to qualify for free checking have jumped over $3,000 over the last four years, and $800 over just the last six months.

While finding a free place to keep your money is becoming more scarce, hope is not lost.

"Free checking is not dead, it's just on the endangered species list. Shop around and you can still find accounts that don't charge a monthly maintenance fee,"says Richard Barrington, senior financial analyst for MoneyRates.com.

Barrington also suggests shopping for an online bank to avoid checking fees.

Rachel Murray is a WHIO-TV consumer reporter. You can watch her reports on News Center 7, follow her on Twitter @RMurrayWHIO, and like her fan page on Facebook.

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

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