I’ll admit it. I’ve never been on a big, planned spring break vacation. My freshman year was heavily impacted by COVID, so travel was discouraged, and my sophomore and junior years I went back to my hometown of Colorado Springs, Colorado to take some time for myself. Traveling would have been fun during spring break, but after a busy first half to the semester, I always thank myself for going home and taking some time for myself before the last, hectic month of the school year begins. Here are some reasons why I think spring break at home is a good choice.
- Save money!
Going home for spring break is a great way to save money. My parents have never offered to fund a spring break vacation for me, so if I wanted to go somewhere, it was all coming out of my pocket. Instead of going out, I opted to go home and save money so that I could travel over the summer, get a new car soon, or meet any other financial goals I have for myself. Also, going home means you have a free place to live and likely free meals.
- Speaking of meals, they’re homemade!
I work as an RA on CU Boulder’s campus which means that I’ve been on a meal plan for three years. As much as I enjoy the convenience of just walking into the dining hall and having a variety of meal options to choose from, I’ve grown sick of the same several options and it just doesn’t taste as good as meals you cook yourself. When I’m home, I get to enjoy my mom’s cooking and I also challenge myself to cook some meals for my family as well.
- Spring cleaning!
When else are you going to be able to do your spring cleaning if not over spring break? I tend to go through my room at school and take home things I notice I’m not using, and when I get home, I like to go through everything of mine. I’ll reorganize bedding and clothes and toss out any old beauty products I’ve been avoiding throwing away. Going home and doing some spring cleaning makes me feel lighter and better about things. It de-stresses me and gets me excited for the warmer months to come.
- See your pets!
I’m a dog person and my dog, Goliath, is everything to me. He’s the favorite child, my hot girl walk partner, and just so stinking cute. If I decided to travel instead of going home, I would miss my dog and I would like to think that he would miss me too. Going on walks with him and watching him roll around and cover himself in dead grass in my backyard was a highlight of my break.
- Develop some hobbies!
We all know that school can be stressful, and when you’re working on a paper or studying for an exam, you don’t always have the time to do the things you love to do. I love to go climbing, but between the rec center climbing gym being closed and my lack of free time, I don’t get to go very often during the school year. While I was home, I was able to climb three different times at my local gym. It was something small, but a great way to move my body and do something I love to do.
- Rest!
When I go on vacation, I always feel like I need to make the most out of my time in the new destination. I’ll stay out late, wake up early, and feel guilty about taking naps. In reality, by the time college students hit spring break, most of us are burnt out. We need time to rest and relax in order to prepare for the final month of school. Going home gave me the opportunity to sleep in, have some lazy mornings, and take guilt-free naps.
If you aren’t going to Florida or Mexico for spring break, don’t feel like you aren’t doing spring break the right way. There’s no shame in taking some time to yourself to relax and enjoy being at home.