What to know before you go!

1.) If you are flying, you need to call the airline listed on your tickets a minimum of 48 hours in advance to confirm your flights – Inertia will not be responsible for missed flights, nor unconfirmed flights. You are required to show up not less than 2 hours prior to departure – don’t risk a denied boarding! Your flight is an E-Ticket, no paper tickets are issued nor sent to you by Inertia. You must have proper State – issued ID or be denied boarding.You will most likely have a connection in either Houston or Dallas. It’s important that you make your connecting flight, as Inertia is never responsible for missed connections.

Once you arrive in McAllen, Harlingen, or Brownsville airports, you’ll need to seek out the Go with JO! Travel Representative. This rep will provide you with your transfers to Sunchase Mall for your orientation & check-in. If you haven’t pre-purchased (or had included) your transfers, it will cost you $75 per person at time of service. Make sure you are courteous to your driver, and get specific information on your pickup times the following Saturday. Tipping is of course appreciated for your driver, especially if you have heavy bags, be nice.

2.)Wicked Fish travel partner Inertia Tours contact information in South Padre:

Normal Office Line open 11 a.m.-5 p.m CST.

NOTE: Our staff is also at all Inertia parties & events.

This line is JAMMED frequently during spring break.
Email us for faster service!!!

At: tripinfo@springbreakpackages.com. DO NOT repeatedly call our office – we won’t

Assist non-cooperative students. Leave one message & we WILL return your call, why wouldn’t we!

Understand what type of property you’ve booked. If you read through the terms & conditions, you’ll see that an efficiency has 2 beds in one room. Have 6 people in that unit? Well, obviously you’ll be lacking enough beds for everyone – you get what you pay for. Get an airbed at Wal Mart, or you can check one out at our office for a fee.

Check – In Procedures:

#1: Orientations & Check-in’s do not occur prior to 3 p.m., CST on Saturdays. Once you arrive to South Padre, (cross the causeway, or bridge, take a left on Padre Blvd, continue down to the mall on your right hand (beach) side about 1 mile down). You may park your vehicle in the ramp behind Sunchase Mall (next door to Denny’s). Proceed to the Inertia Tours office located on the ground floor of the mall. All check-in’s to all properties occur at our office, never at the property – don’t waste your time trying. If you are coming in on a day other than Saturday, you must check in at our office during regular business hours. You can check out early as well if you desire.

#2: You will need to sign up for an orientation & check in number & time on the first floor of the mall. Have ready your booking/Traveler ID number, as well as a printed confirmation from your account online that you are paid in full. First come, first serve, so sign up first thing to get your number for orientation & check in. We know everyone is tired when they get there, but….we generally have 100’s if not 1000 people to check in in a single day…this takes some time. Everyone will need their extra-heavy duty patience pants for this process.

#3: We have a Welcome Party set up for all of our travelers at Club Chaos..it’s one block from the Mall. If you buy the $5.00 lunch special (which is quite good by the way) you get free tap beer from 11 a.m.-6 p.m….so enjoy your wait & check out our Sponsors! Understand that your wait time for orientation & check in may be as long as 3-4 hours. We know that you’ll be tired, but this is all worth it to party with us.

#4: Once your time for your orientation & then check in comes, go back to mall. Be prepared for a short wait. All roommates must be present for orientation & check in, no exceptions. As a group leader, you will need the following documents/items made ready for check in:

a.) Everyone in your group present

b.) Have in hand to you everyone’s State Issued Identification. We make copies

Of everyone’s ID. If someone doesn’t have their ID, you won’t be checked in.

We need your REAL ID, not a fake, we’re a Tour Company, not a bar.

c.) (2) valid credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, or Discover ONLY) that we run, but do not charge, in case of damages above & beyond your damage deposit amounts. Don’t have 2 credit cards in the group? You won’t be checked in, so be prepared for this. We also make copies of them, & require signatures.

d.) Damage Deposits. If they aren’t paid in full, ($50 due per person) prior to arrival, you & your group must pay a $100.00 cash service charge, as well as the damage deposits due, in CASH. We do NOT accept credit cards or personal checks…Avoid the fee, pay in advance (it’s due by February 15th, not 2 days before you get there. This will also automatically place you at the end of the orientation numbering system, since your check in will take longer, and it’s not fair to our other travelers to have to wait.

e.) Each person will sign (3) forms, one is a damage deposit request form, one is a house rules & cleaning, & one is a liability release form (not surprisingly, you’ll be liable for your own actions, not Inertia Tours) You’ll also be given a check-in inspection form similar to a check – in form that you’d receive if you were renting a new apartment. You & your group need to inspect your condo right away, note any damages/missing items on the check in report, and return it signed by everyone to our office by 12 noon Sunday. If you fail to return the form, we’ll assume that the unit is in perfect condition, & you’ll be held responsible for any/all damages or missing items. You may be filmed at any Inertia event, FYI.

f.) Money. If you decide to purchase our optional party package, you’ll need cash or travelers checks. We don’t accept personal checks or credit cards for it. Get events others cannot at a discount.

You must proceed through orientation first. This takes 15 minutes, and you’ll be told important items pertaining to condo & eviction policies, and common sense advice on the best deals & parties. If someone in your group is unruly or extremely intoxicated, your group will be removed by security & not checked in until the end. Next, we discuss our party package offering. You’ll want to buy it if you’re smart – Inertia parties do sell out & with the package, you’re guaranteed line-cutting & admittance, no matter what. (last year we witnessed literally hundreds of students that waited in line & couldn’t get in) We have both Showtime Network (Rashan & Casey) & MTV Real World (Brad from San Diego) celebrities on site, and are hosting a Reality TV show, a documentary film, the Blue Network from Canada, 92.7 FM, and a nationwide model search with EliteLooks at our events. This is your big chance….

You’ll also be given your meal & party package tickets. Treat them like cash (i.e…a concert ticket) if you lose them or get them stolen, we don’t replace them without a full charge ($29 on the meal tickets). The meals do not include $1.50 tax/tip for the breakfasts, and $2.00 tax/tip for the lunches/dinners. We encourage you as we were past servers to not be rude and not tip properly – Inertia & its students are seen as the elite travelers & party people by businesses on the island, act accordingly.

This process takes about 10 more minutes. Once you are done with orientation, you’ll have a 5-10 minute wait for your check in at our check in office. You’ll be given your hotel security wristbands at that time. Do not lose them or take them off, as you will have to pay a $35.00 replacement fee & security might hassle you.

Finally, you’ll be given your keys, and a map to your condo property. Don’t lose your keys (again, there’s a fee, South Padre will fee you to death). Remember our office hours are 11 p.m.-5 p.m. 7 days per week at the Sunchase Mall if you have any problems, and our staff are at all of our events.

Condos do not have daily maid service. Remember, theft can be common when doors are not locked! You will be issued one parking space per 6 individuals or condo.(i.e…2 bedrooms & less = one parking permit, 3 bedrooms = 2 permits). You check in Check List/Inspection form is due within 24 hours back to our office.

Check out with all keys returned to the drop box at our office by 9:30 a.m. the following Saturday or earlier, if you so desire. If you fail to return your keys by that time, you will forfeit your damage deposit, and your credit cards will be run for any excessive damages and/or cleaning. A perfect unit is considered a unit with all towels in the tub, all trash bagged & tied, floors swept, and dishes loaded in the dishwasher. Excessive cleaning charges will be billed to open credit cards.

Other Quick Tips:

If you are arriving March 13th or March 20th, expect a two to as much as eight hour wait to get across the causeway (bridge). The good news is…75,000 students will be on the Island…the bad news is…traffic is a pure joke it’s so bad. Be prepared psychologically for the wait time.

Bring sufficient money on your vacation. You’ve spent good money on a room, drove maybe 24 hours, and have $100 to spend ---that’s not smart. South Padre will cost you some money, having fun almost always costs money, so plan ahead. $300-$500 is our recommendation, use your personal judgment as well.

Speaking of money, some money saving tips:

There’s a Wal Mart in Port Isabel. Buy your stuff there, right before you cross the bridge to the Island.

The Blue Marlin IGA is the supermarket out on the island. The prices actually aren’t that bad cuz’ of the wal mart on the mainland.

Use Ben’s Liquor Warehouse down by the Radisson & Saida for your bevies. Don’t buy glass, you can’t bring that on the beach. Want a keg? That’s cool, they’re legal on the beach in Padre, get one from Ben’s. Want to bring a keg to your condo? That’s not cool, you’ll be automatically evicted. Under 21 & drinking bevies? Stay off the beach with em’ that’s our advice to you.

Keep munchies handy…almost all units have at least a kitchenette. Chips & salsa are super cheap, as is a case of Coke or Bud, & sandwich supplies.

Use our parties to party. If you party in the condos, you’ll get evicted. If there is a noise complaint, you’re evicted. Guess what? We don’t offer refunds or any assistance for evicted travelers. We have a zero tolerance policy. Make friends with the condo/hotel staff. They can make your vacation even that much better.

Do our events. You came on spring break to have fun, not lay in your condo wasted all day long, how boring is that. Let’s party & do some killer events & parties. Inertia is respected as the student travel leader & event provider on the island, not the ones that bring down dudes that drive around all day or sit in their condo.

Be friendly. Nothing will get you further fun & excitement wise than saying HI to everyone (every single person,) you meet (guys & girls) & introducing yourself. Most people forget that the perfect ice-breaker is saying Hi! If you’re stuck up, you suck, and your trip might, too. Be cool, invite those hotties with you to the party! You’ll notice immediately that other, non-Inertia students seek out our students because of this.

Be honest with your friends. This is spring break. People hook up. People get drunk. Don’t make pacts (we won’t separate no matter what, etc.) cuz they don’t work. We have 3000+ at some of our parties…you can & will get separated – don’t panic. Have a plan. We recommend the buddy system, which means one person you can be honest with as to where you are going. If you’re that buddy, don’t back YOUR buddy into lying to you! We want everyone to be fun but safe. Oh yeah, have you heard of this invention called condoms? Don’t bring home an unwanted souvenir! What happens in Padre, stays in Padre, in all ways, AGREED?!!

P.S. Mexico is safe where we go. AND you don’t need a passport to go. I don’t care what your Dad said either; as a matter of fact, I never did.

All Inertia events to party package ticket holders are guaranteed admittance, and are 18 years of age or older to attend. The drinking age is 21……don’t buy/use drugs in Padre. Texas PD are hard-core on that.

Have a moron friend that’s always “the drunkest guy?” – take care of them, because we won’t, we are adults. The clubs get so packed, the security is fairly unforgiving. Don’t drink before our Mexico trip, or the Party Cruise. Why would you use your party materials instead of ours, silly! Know when to stop, people!

Inertia staff are there to assist & help you have fun, but not listen to, nor be blamed for, your bad attitude or minor problems. Yes, you might have a small inconvenience, or problem, you’re going somewhere that’s nuts-busy. You might laugh, but we’ve been blamed for even a cloudy day. Lighten up! You only have one hard-earned week, right?!!! If you have a problem, go to the office, be civil, fill out a Resolution Form, and we will address your issue if it’s reasonable --- if it’s not, we’re not apt to address it.

Please don’t bull-rush our Celebrities. All of our Travelers are GUARANTEED to meet our celebrities with a party package. Be polite, you’d be surprised that they want to meet you just as much. We don’t hire jerks. We have lots of camera crews at work for the movies & shows that are being filmed live at our events. If your being asked to move for a shot, think about how cool of a story that will be when you get home..so help us !!!