You know those stressful weeks when you are almost positive that all of your professors had previously conversed and decided to all give you a ton of assignments in the same week, due at the same exact time? Yep! Thought so.
I was feeling especially worn down by work and I needed a major destresser after midterms. After much thought and contemplation, I came up with the ultimate feel good activity: a weekend with the girls.
Twenty seems young, but soon enough we will all have full-time jobs. Possibly in a couple years we’ll embark on the road of marriage, and even, just maybe have a couple kids. After all this, we won’t have time to jump in the car and travel 200 miles to someone else’s campus. We won’t have the metabolism to eat every junk food category known to man for a weekend and still fit into our skinny jeans. We’ll have responsibilities to take care of and girls’ weekends won’t be as easy to come by as we would like.
Thankfully, we still have some time on our hands to live out our carefree college lifestyle.
My best friends and I decided that in order to rid us of our anxieties and fulfill our college experiences, it had to be done. It was so very Thelma and Louise, but not as intense and without the whole concept of disobeying the law. Maybe throw in a little Britney Spears’ Crossroads, but ten times better and 90% less cheesy. We laughed until we cried, stayed up all night chatting our little heads off and then literally cried because it was all over before we knew it.
Weekends like these give you a chance to vent and know that somehow, your friends can relate. We’ve all been frustrated with school, been broke as a joke, and been confused by guys. Name me a person who hasn’t and I’ll advise them to write a book. (It’ll be a best seller).
With your friends, you can let loose and know that judgment won’t be made. Don’t close everyone out when you’re feeling down and stressed out. Let your friends in and make some memories – at the least it will give you something to talk about 15 years later.
If you are planning a weekend away as well, let me give you the essentials in what I feel like no girls’ weekend road trip is a success without.
The Drive: A Time for Tunes, A Time for Talk.
I may be the only one who believes this, but the drive to any destination is by far my favorite. The conversation and induced excitement about the arrival is therapeutic in itself. Feeling a little blue? Turn up the melancholy music. Annoyed and want to let it all out? Bring on the banter. You know it’s already a success when you have covered 300 topics with a good 1000 to go before you are even done driving.
If you can, make sure you aren’t driving alone. Navigation is always easier with someone by your side. Stock up on the CDs and get to chatting.
Snack Attack
Everyone who has a sleepover memory where food was involved, raise your hand! That’s right. You can’t have a sleepover without food. We pigged out on snacks and had a fabulous dinner at a local restaurant. I’m recalling burgers, fries, ice cream, chips, and soda. Realizing that I wouldn’t be eating the best that weekend, I made an effort to eat well the week before and as soon as I got home, I was back on track.
As far as restaurant bills go, balance out how much you want to spend at each meal. If your burger is more than $14 and you want dessert, you may want to find something cheaper for the main course.
Expect the Unexpected
We never planned on going 40 miles out of our way for breakfast the next morning or getting lost in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Despite what you may have heard, your GPS doesn’t have all the answers. But what is a road trip without a little detour? A couple suggestions: Check your gas gauge and have a general idea of where you are going! Oh yeah, and laugh it off.
I can’t express to you enough how much fun I had with my girls. Catching up with old friends that I never get to see (and making new ones in the process!) does a world of wonders. We tried to make sense of so many confusing situations and dilemmas that weekend. It was a much-needed vent session. When I got back to campus, I was rejuvenated and ready to conquer the world! So plan a trip, make some inside jokes, and embrace the quarter life crisis.