1. Home
Whether you and your friends just couldn’t decide between Cancun or the Bahamas or you spent too much money on Roots this year to scrape together enough travel funds, you’ve decided to go home — there’s no shame in that! Spring break could not have come at a more brilliant time than now. Just finishing up midterms? Perfect, enjoy a nice week of relaxation in your comfy childhood home. Outraged because all your professors decided to conspire against you and schedule your exams for after break? No worries, there’s nothing like a familiar setting to give you peace of mind and help you focus. Whatever your situation, revel in the fact that you will be chilling at home with your pets while your classmates are suffering from sunburn.
2. The grocery store
Now that you’re home, you might as well take advantage of all the fun places your hometown has to offer, such as — drumroll please — the grocery store! Back at school, Barracks is pretty inconvenient if you don’t have your own form of transportation, and C’roads has limited options. But the grocery store — your local grocery store — has it all. I recommend stopping by for a good hour-or-so tour to stock up on all your snacking necessities. If midterms gave you the munchies, prepare for the stress eating to come during finals season.
3. Any body of water
Most major spring break destinations are centered around a body of water. If your home is near one of these college-student magnets, you’re in luck! Go to your local beach or find a hidden lake with a conveniently placed tire swing. However, if your hometown is not based in a coastal area, maybe your bathtub will suffice?
4. The public library
Whether you have those post-break midterms or not, the public library definitely has a spot on the “must visit before you die” list. The best thing about the public library is that it’s — get this — public. That means you can just walk in! And read books! Crazy right? Spending a few hours amongst the musty shelves won’t kill you, and you will have the great opportunity to get ahead — or catch up — on some work. Does that make you the nerd who’s doing homework over spring break? Yes. But does that also make you the productive and hardworking student your parents would be proud of? Well, that depends how much studying you actually get done.
5. A skate park
If scanning a QR code and riding around on a motorized green scooter brings you any joy, you need to check out the skate park. Your friends are going to expect you to share something awesome about what went down during your spring break. What better way to impress them than to show off your newly earned scooter skills? Bust out your old Razor scooter and hit up the skate park to perfect your 180 jump and triple barspin. Yeah, they might have just had the “most totally epic week of their lives,” but only you can hit a nollie.
6. A thrift store
A thrift store is one of the most magical places on this floating rock we call Earth. This is because in a thrift store, you can be anyone, anywhere. Slip into a vintage flapper dress that’s missing a few strings of beads — suddenly, you’re sipping champagne with Jay Gatsby. Find a tie-dye shirt and some extremely flowy pants — now, you’re jamming out to rock music at Woodstock. Besides exploring your unique fashion sense, you may just find hidden treasures to take home. Just remember to steer clear of weird stains.
7. Your high school best friend’s house
Another break from school means another chance to catch up with high school friends. Unfortunately, spring break is not as long as winter break, so the likelihood of having overlapping time off with your buddies could be slim. You can always drop by to say hello to their parents though — that’s not weird, right? Or maybe your high school friends probably got their stuff together in time to book an Airbnb, so they are off partying without you, too. Sorry.
8. Your kitchen
This is the bonus feature of “The Home” destination. The kitchen is its own unique travel spot because there is so much to do and smell. Now is the time to break out all those Buzzfeed Tasty videos you’ve been saving on Instagram and try your hand at cooking or baking. You have an entire week and three meals a day — plus dessert — to experiment with! If you’re not feeling the culinary creativity, just take a pit stop at the pantry.
9. A mediocre cafe
Inevitably, at some point during break, you’re going to be itching to get out of the house. May I suggest, a trip to your local cafe? It’s relatively nearby, quaint and has … mediocre coffee. You can’t complain because it does give you an excuse to go somewhere, and it’s always fun to people-watch. But, the coffee and atmosphere will never compare to the sweet, college-town vibe of Grit or Starbucks on the Corner.
10. A travel agency
Spring break makes you realize just how fast summer break is approaching. So whether you are going home willingly or your plans just fell through, it’s never too early to start planning your next vacation. For summer break, travel somewhere distant and foreign or maybe explore some local hiking trails and camp out with friends. Whatever your preference, an adventure can be found in any destination, even at home.
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