It’s finally here! Spring break is upon us. Seven whole days we can use to be good, responsible little college students and rest up for that last push to finals. We could even use the extra free time to study and work on term papers. Think of the fulfilling hours we could spend quietly reading at the library. Yay!
Oh, who am I kidding? We’ve been waiting for this week since January. Get out there and enjoy it! Let’s show ‘em we can totally handle being left to our own devices for an entire week.
But what is the intrepid spring-breaker to do for those seven glorious days? Budgets are tight and trips cost actual money. Surely there are a few things the broke student can indulge in during this time of Bacchanalia and revels. Here are a few, totally worry-free, cheap ideas to get you out of the dorm room next week.
What could possibly go wrong?
Camping
There’s no better way to celebrate the return of Spring than to get back to nature. Pack up your pup tent, grab a few friends and check out what the nearby campgrounds have to offer. You could head up north to Yosemite. Hike through the beautiful redwood forests and marvel at the wonders of the Bridalveil Falls and Half Dome.
Of course, this one requires a little planning. Looks like we had to book camp sites for April last December. Hmmm…then there’s all those big yellow signs warning about bears and how to store your food properly so as not to attract them. Any “vacation” that involves intricate regulations pertaining to the storage of potato chips probably isn’t so restful.
Going camping always brings back memories of cowering behind my popcorn bucket while watching The Blair Witch Project anyway. That stupid movie ruined forests for so many people.
Six Flags!
There’s always a coupon circulating around for good ole’ Six Flags Magic Mountain. Take a day and drive over to beautiful Santa Clarita and ride the roller coasters. There’s something for everyone. Colossus and Apocalypse are great old, wooden coasters for people who want a roller coaster experience without all the loops; just terrifying 3-story drops. Ninja and Tatsu will flip you around enough so that “right-side up” is really just a suggestion. The Riddler’s Revenge is great for a completely stomach-churning, white-lipped, I’m gonna-die kind of a time.
Fun for everyone!
Road Trip
Take the car in for a quick tune-up, gas it up and head out on the open road with a couple of old study buddies! Explore our little corner of America. Check out the world’s largest ball of string, or find that house out in the desert completely built from beer bottles. Travel historic Route 66 and eat at every In-n-Out you see. You can even take turns driving, and deciding who chooses the music. Remember, life is a journey, not a destination!
Well, until the old, piece-of-crap car finally gives up and the radiator blows in the middle of the Arizona desert. You and your three closest friends will end up walking 30 miles to the nearest service station only to find that there’s no working phone and it’s staffed by a big guy in cover-alls who looks like he kills people just for shits and giggles. Also, he’s the only mechanic in a 60-mile radius. If you make it out of there alive, that radiator is gonna cost a fortune.
Y’know, long car rides just make people carsick, and you spend a lot of money on gas to get nowhere in particular. To hell with road trips.
Get out of town – Cancun!
Cancun, Mexico is supposed to be one of the go-to places for spring breakers to party down for a week, especially if you are underage. According to the US News Travel Guide, there are nightclubs and bars all over the place. Many of the hotels offer all-inclusive packages featuring food and drinks, so your travel dollar is stretched. Last-minute booking saves money, too. They want to fill those empty rooms! Hotel swimming pools and lots and lots of beautiful beaches make for a day and night extravaganza. Think of the amazing tan you could cultivate while you siesta in the sand.
What could possibly go wrong when a bunch of stressed-out, overworked 20-somethings get together and drink for a week straight? I’m sure no one ever passes out and needs immediate medical attention for alcohol poisoning or anything like that. And everyone is super responsible and knows how to behave themselves with all that freely flowing liquor and party-party atmosphere. Yup. Nothing to worry about there.
Save money, stay home
Then again, the new Bioshock and Walking Dead video games are out. All this school work has really cut into some student’s World of Warcraft time, too. Not to mention all the TV we need to catch up on. The DVR is overflowing with shows we haven’t had time to watch because of all those darn midterms to study for and papers that needed writing.
Let’s just stock up on popcorn and beef jerky and see how many episodes of The Big Bang Theory or Game of Thrones we can really watch in one sitting. And hasn’t baseball season started? I bet there’s a game on almost every day, sports fans! Imagine the amount of programming that could be absorbed on the multiple ESPN channels offered by our cable companies.
We’ve got a whole week to do with as we please! Make the most of it.
-Michelle Reuter intends to spend as much of Spring Break as possible catching up on her sleep. There are many naps that need taking.
