So spring break is upon us all and while we are all just dying to get out and party- or, you know, stay in and watch Netflix- we should be sure that we are being safe during this time. While we mostly roll our eyes at certain tips that people give us, thinking that they’re a bit too much to keep track of and still enjoy ourselves, the least we can do to keep our mothers and mother hens from panicking is to follow the ten tips below.
1. If you put down your cup, get a new one. While we like to give people the benefit of the doubt, try not to do so at the sake of your health. When you put down that friendly red Solo cup and look across the room to see if that cute guy is still there, there is a chance that something could happen to that drink. It could be accidental- like cigarette ash blowing across the room and into your cup- or it could be entirely on purpose- like Rohypnol falling into your cup from someone’s hand. Either way, it is better to be safe than sorry and I’m sure that no one will fault you for getting that new drink.
2. Use the buddy system! It was fun in school because you had a bathroom buddy, but in college, especially while on break, the buddy system is super important! Don’t try to be brave or strong by going places by yourself. You become a more difficult target for just about anything if you’re with a friend, so remember to pair up!
3. Have set plans. Yes, we’re adults. Yes, we now have the ability to just “wing it” if we wanted to. The thing is that we were taught not to wing it because our parents figured out that it wasn’t the safest way to get stuff done. If you want to feel safe, keep from being bored, and enjoy your time out without worry, have an itinerary. It doesn’t have to be a minute-by-minute plan, but it can have vague approximations of plans, times, and costs that could help keep a group well informed.
4. Pack properly for each occasion. Packing is a nightmare for many of us, but it gets better if you take it by day. You can pack outfits that can be mixed and matched, or a separate one each day, but one of the biggest packing issues is the “per occasion”. Keep in mind where you are going. If you’re going to Key West, then bring more bathing suits and less wool sweaters. If you’re going up to Canada, you can basically reverse that and you should be fine. Also, be sure to pack for the food situation. If you’re going to an area where the water if iffy, it may do you well to bring a water filter and some of your own water bottles.
5. Go for the less common vacation. Yes, spring break is the beginning of swimsuit season and yes, we all want to show off our awesome new bathing suits, but for the sake of beating the crowds and taking away the panic, it does pay to go on a less common type of vacation. Freshwater springs, kayaking, camping, and hiking all serve to entertain groups of friends during the day while still leaving them to their night life. While it doesn’t always guarantee pearly white sands, it does guarantee that you lose a large portion of the overbearing crowd that seems to have caused many a problem in past years.
Thankfully, these solutions don’t put any major dents into plans. They’re not asking you to hide away in a hole until the clubs shut down. These rules are merely asking that they be kept in mind when you are making plans for the day or getting up to use the restroom. These tips are simply and easy to abide by, so keep them in mind and have a safe spring break!