When thinking of spring break or summer, several encouraging thoughts may come to mind: sunny beaches, sprawling cities, exciting and faraway places. These all sound so luxurious and relaxing compared to the piles of snow outside, and there’s no doubt that you’d much rather be lounging on a chaise in Cabo rather than shoveling snow from your driveway for the third time in a single day.
Where there’s no question of where you would rather be than battling blustery winds, the bigger question is who’s tagging along with you for your warm weather escapades? You boyfriend, your best friend, maybe even your sister. While all of those aforementioned would most likely be more than happy to pose for a vacation selfie with you, one person who probably didn’t pop straight into your head is one that definitely should have: your mom.
At first thought, you may be thinking, “Why would I ever go on vacation with just my mom?” when in reality it may just prove to be one of the best and most memorable trips you’ll take, and for more reasons than you’d think. If you need a little convincing and reasoning, then you’re in luck, I’m here to enlighten you as to why you should definitely go on vacation with your mom.
- It’s the perfect time for catching up
For most college students, we only see our mom a few times during the school year. While to us it may not seem like that big of a deal, I assure you, your mom is going to think it really is. Going on vacation with your mom forces you two to spend time together, which is perfect to talk to each other about your lives and really catch up on what’s happening with you.
- You get a break from the drama of school and friends
Vacation is meant to be a period for relaxation and a break from the realities of school and life, so by vacationing with your mom, you really do get the break you need. She won’t talk about how much she’s stressing about that big project coming up, or anything remotely along the lines of “Can you believe what Brad did last weekend?” While drama with your friends’ lives can be exciting, a break from that every once in a while is definitely essential.
- She’ll relieve some of the stress of vacationing
One of the good things about your mom is that most likely she is organized and meticulous, almost overly so (I know mine is). With that being said, she will definitely relieve that stressful part of vacationing: planning and coordinating details such as hotels, flights, etc. Not that your mom doesn’t have enough on her plate at home without you, but you as a college student facing exams every other week will definitely be thankful when she takes over as the travel agent.
- You’ll get some free swag (probably)
The plus side of having a good relationship with your mom is that she’ll treat you every once in a while, whether to coffee, food, or a cute purse from a boutique. If you’re not renting a house or apartment where you can manually cook, most likely you’re eating out for most meals…meals that end with your mom picking up the check. You definitely shouldn’t just do activities with your mom for the monetary payoff, but you can’t deny that this is a little bit of a bonus for your broke college self.
- She’ll go along with your food and coffee cravings
Your mom knows you. She knows what kind of foods and drinks you like, how often you get hungry and need a meal or snack, and that you’re a caffeine monster that needs coffee at least once or twice a day. With that being said, she knows what kind of food restaurants to suggest where you’ll actually get a meal you enjoy and not just tolerate because your friend just decided to go vegan and begs you to get a tofu dish that is “totally different than the other one we had”. To settle your coffee craving, too, she won’t be mad about pulling off the interstate to stop at a McDonald’s so you can order your iced caramel coffee with light ice (plus French fries).
- She’ll be thrilled to take a million photos
Over the course of the year while you’re studying and preparing for graduation, your mom is missing you and your presence at home. To reminisce, she may even look at pictures and photo albums that have been put together (mine has). With your craze of documenting your trip through pictures that will eventually end up on Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, you can bet your mom won’t be mad in the slightest to help capture those moments that you’re spending together.
- She’ll agree to you “treat yo self” mantra…to a point
It’s vacation time, and what goes better with this than dishing out a little money to treat and pamper yourself. Your mom understands this, and while she’ll support you buying a Vineyard Vines car decal and a new scarf, she’ll give you the reality check you need that saving for grad school is a little more important than buying yet another tropical t-shirt that most likely you won’t wear apart from working out. In the end, you’ll live without that shirt and be thankful to your mom for keeping you—and your wallet—grounded.
- She’ll encourage your love for sleep.
Moms tend to worry about you, whether if its if you’re eating enough, staying on track with your studies, managing your stress effectively, or sleeping enough. One of my mom’s mantras while I was growing up is that to perform successfully I need at least nine hours of sleep a night. Vacations are meant to be a break from life, so it’s pretty safe that your mom won’t be argumentative with you catching up on your beauty rest.
- You’ll do things you both actively enjoy
True, you guys probably decided on the location together and thus share that initial interest, but once arriving at your intended destination, there’s going to be a plethora of activities to engage in. Your mom want to see you enjoy yourself, so she’s not going to force you to go do something just because everyone else wants to. You don’t want to walk another ten blocks to go to yet another boutique? That’s fine, the two of you can spend time at the local aquarium fawning over the otters instead.
- You may not have another opportunity like this for a while
Over breaks from school, you get busy seeing friends, running around town, working, taking summer classes, and so many other things. With your busy schedule, you may not have another opportunity to spend this much-needed quality time with your mom, especially if you’re like me who’s about to enter a graduate program that does not have summer breaks. You have a free week for spring break or somewhere during summer? Book a trip with your mom, sit back and relax, spend some quality time together, and most of all, enjoy spending time with one of the most important women in your life. I assure you, you won’t regret it at all.