As February draws to a close, chatter about Spring Break is in the air again. Friends planning flights and booking hotel rooms might make you less than excited about your plan-less Spring Vacation. Already dreading the return to school when you’ll be forced to listen to your tan friends, clad in T-shirts from Cancun and hand-made jewelry from Puerto Rico, exchange stories from two salty and sandy weeks on a beach. Your vacation will be spent at home and will not resemble MTV’s “Spring Break” in any way, but all hope is not lost.
No matter where you come from, there are plenty of things you can do at home to pass the time and, believe it or not, have fun. Unlike winter vacation, Spring Break isn’t littered with holidays and reasons for celebration, but that doesn’t mean you can’t throw a party. Plan a get together for friends and family. Pick an occasion – or don’t – and role with it: your pet’s birthday (even if it’s not, people probably won’t know your cat’s exact birth date), your own half-birthday, or simply Wednesday night. To prep for your soiree you can cook, bake, clean, and decorate–all great ways to kill time!
Even if you don’t have any guests or any party, spring-cleaning doesn’t end with the house. Like your dorm room, you’re probably pretty grungy after half a semester of college life. Take some time over vacation to make yourself look and feel human again. Light some smelly candles, take a bath or a shower that lasts longer than five minutes, paint your nails, and get some sleep. You might not come back to school with the tan of the islands, but at least you’ll be a little bit more refreshed and a little better looking.
Once your house is spotless and you’re beautiful (approximately mid-vacation), I’m sure there are plenty of books you didn’t read, movies you missed, and shows you couldn’t follow religiously because you just didn’t have time at school. Well, now you do! It might not be as glamorous as a recliner on the beach, but the couch serves its purpose. Take a seat and watch or read.
While I do love a good couch, I don’t advise sitting on one for all of vacation. Tour a nearby museum or, if you live in a bigger city, go to some of the more touristy places that, as a local, you’ve never actually seen (I’ve lived in New York my whole life and have yet to visit the Statue of Liberty…oops). Try a new restaurant, a Zumba class, or volunteering at a soup kitchen. If you don’t like new, revisit a favorite place or your childhood stomping ground. There are plenty of interesting things you can do without going far or spending a lot of money.
You don’t need to have your ID and boarding pass ready to have a great vacation. Even if you’re not heading to the tropics, you can still have a hot Spring Break. After all, home is where the heat is.