As everyone around me packs up for a road trip to South Padre, or a flight to Panama City Beach, I start making my spring break packing list as well. For a trip home, that is.
Alright, so I don’t get to drink for 72 hours straight (thank God, actually), lay in the sun, or party for a week with all my best friends, but there are some positives for spending a week at home or staying at school. Those of you going somewhere warm probably would disagree, but at least let me attempt to help those who aren’t as lucky, okay?
1. You get to relax. One full week of you, your couch, and the compete series of Friends. Or maybe its time you read The Hunger Games. Whatever you decide, it is sure to be relaxing. Unless of course you decide to be productive over break, in which case I cannot help you.
2. Family time. Admit it, you kind of miss your family while you are at school. If you went on a spring break, you would miss out on some family bonding (in my house, that includes grabbing a drink at the local bar and watching my dad embarrass himself via karaoke) and family time is always necessary. So grab lunch with your parents, take your mom shopping, or have a movie night. Your parents will appreciate it!
3. Saving a ton of money. A spring break trip is expensive. There’s gas/flight, food for a week, alcohol money, hotel money, and possibly bailing a friend out of jail money. By staying home, you’re saving yourself a lot of time and money that you can use on other things. Treat yourself to a spray tan or a pedicure while at home, and you’ll feel like you went to a tropical destination.
4. Shopping and your favorite food from home. All that money you saved on spring break? I’d be lying if I said I “saved” anything, since all of it goes towards shopping. And food. You know there are those certain restaurants or eateries that you just can’t get in Iowa City (shout out to my deep dish pizza and Portillo’s!) and good thing you’ll be home for a week, because now you have time to have them all. And don’t forget to visit to local boutiques and malls that you can’t find here in Iowa City.
5. Catch up with old friends. Your high school friends? Yea, THEY MISS YOU! Plan a get together with those who are on the same spring break as you. Have a wine night, watch movies, or go to the local bars. Whatever you do, catch up with them and reminisce on the good ol’ days.
6. You can plan something fun at home. Okay, so you have a week to work with. If you’re in Iowa City, get some friends and drive to Riverside Casino for a night. Get a hotel room in Chicago or the Wisconsin Dells for a night or two (you saved money by not going south, might as well do something!) or even get a group to go to yours or a friend’s lake house. Downtown Chicago has a lot to offer, including the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, attending a Blackhawks game, or just spending a day shopping there. There are plenty of fun and exciting things to do around the Iowa and Chicago area, all you have to do is plan it ahead of time.
7. Spray tans…hello. Everyone comes back tan from his or her week in the sun, and you are still eerily similar to Casper the Friendly Ghost. Lucky for you, technology has made it possible for you to fool everyone into thinking you went somewhere warm. For $20-35, you can get an awesome spray tan, or you can even buy a tanning lotion from Target or a drugstore. Avoid the tanning beds though, because they are time consuming and can cause cancer.
8. You won’t find yourself on the next DVD release of Girls Gone Wild. Let’s be real here. Girls (and guys) tend to do some stupid things while on college spring break. By staying home, your saving yourself the potential embarrassment that drinking for seven days straight tends to cause people. Not everyone does stupid things while on spring break, but by avoiding the temptation and situation, you never have to worry about explaining to your kids why mommy is on the cover of a censored DVD.
I know it sucks seeing your friends all ready to jet set to warm and seemingly exotic places, but don’t fret. There are plenty of reasons to smile while staying back this spring break, so enjoy your time way from school, relax, spend time with family, and start thinking of a story to tell when people ask, “so where did you go for spring break?”
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