As a broke college student, money is an area in which I can always use more. However, I have become fairly decent at saving money, and as such, I always have a little bit left over at the end of every semester. I’m able to use it to buy or do things that I want and need. One of the things that I have used this money for the most often, especially later on now in my undergraduate career, is to travel with my friends.
Early in 2019, one of my best friends and I bought tickets to go see one of our favorite bands in Dallas perform. We stayed the night with some of her friends, had a great night and next day, and then went home that next evening.
That went so well, that when our very favorite band announced more concert dates in the U.S., we were quick to jump and buy tickets. However, we soon discovered that the closest they were coming to Oklahoma was Soldier Field in Chicago. After a brief discussion, and a quick look at our bank accounts and schedules, we decided to go to Chicago and see them perform. We made it into a little vacation, adding 3 extra days to our stay, and took some time to explore a city we both had never been to. It was a fantastic time, with a lot of our activities being a spur of the moment decision and unplanned (However, I definitely recommend planning more in advance and buying plane tickets if you’re going that far because driving 13 hours there and 13 hours back was extremely difficult).
The third and most recent trip in which I went on a semi-spontaneous (and sparsely planned) adventure with a friend was the recent weekend of the 31st of August to the 1st of September, in which we decided to make a two day trip to Wichita to explore another city we had never been to. That trip was also amazing, with us going to Wichita Botanica one day, followed by an affordable hotel stay that night, and then a trip to a local zoo and the Wichita Museum of World Treasures the next day. All in all, it was a great short and refreshing trip that was exactly what we needed to relax and refresh after the first couple of weeks back to school.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “why spend money like that when it could be saved and put towards other, more important things,” and if I’m honest you’re not wrong in your wondering. However, the trips that I have been on with people whom I love and cherish their company have brought me closer to them and made our friendships stronger, as well as allowed us to see and do things we have always wanted to do. While I’m not suggesting you spend outrageous amounts of money and/or never plan trips in advance, I am encouraging you to be a little more spontaneous if at all possible. Traveling, even just within the U.S., has expanded my horizons just that much more and has allowed me to make memories with some of the people whom I love the most. Work hard in college, take time to study and do well in your classes, but also, enjoy being young while you can.