Several Harvard students plan to follow the sun southward this Christmas for a tropical vacation, spokesmen for three Cambridge travel agencies said yesterday.

William Meister of Crimson Travel Service said yesterday that Caribbean bookings for this year are running at about the same level they have in past holiday seasons.

"People still like to get away for vacation," Meister said. He added that recent fluctuations in the economy have not adversely affected the number of people taking his agency's more expensive trips, which can cost as much as $150 a day for two travelers.

Meister said that figures on the number of Caribbean-bound Harvard students are not available, but added that Crimson Travel caters almost solely to the student community.

Agents for two other area agencies, Harvard Travel and Whole World Travel, yesterday confirmed Meister's statements.

Jack W. Boisen, a spokesman for Trans World Airlines, said Friday that recent strikes against National and United Airlines may slightly disrupt some students' travel plans. Travelers will have difficulty getting reservations on domestic flights because of the strike, he said, but they should still have no trouble finding space on international flights.

Shattered Dreams

James E. Parrish '79 said yesterday he plans to spend part of his vacation in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Parish whimsically described himself as "as young child, deprived of his innocence by the discovery that there is no Santa Claus...escaping to the winter wonderland of the South to rebuild his dreams."

Unlike Parrish, several other students who were surveyed yesterday said they are planning to spend a more traditional and less exotic vacation at home this year.