College spring break trips have become a rite of passage for most students. During spring break, students have an opportunity to rest from tests and the anxiety of school and can act as a light at the end of the tunnel. This can be a relaxing and regenerating time or just an excuse to party for ten days. During spring break, everyone does different things and goes to different places to relax and have fun, but most everyone has the same idea to go somewhere warm and escape the cold. While most people plan for spring break months in advance, some of the most fun can be the simplest trips with your close friends, but there will always be something for everyone or every group to do.
The most common answer received from University of Alabama students about where they will be going for spring break includes Destin, Seaside, and Panama City Beach. Typically for freshmen, a beach trip with 30 people you might not know is how spring break goes. As you get older and move into being an upperclassman, your group of friends gets smaller, and you may only go with 5-10 of your close friends. For seniors, it is customary to take a more expensive trip to maybe Mexico or the Bahamas because it will be the last time you get to experience spring break and be with your friends at a time when everyone’s schedules will be free.
For the past two years, the University of Alabama has not had an official spring break due to COVID. Two years ago, students were sent home a week before spring break, and one by one, their trips were getting canceled due to the unknown fears of COVID. With hope, students came back to school in 2021 and thought there could be a possibility for a spring break, being hopeful that COVID would be better in the spring semester. Despite these dreams of a spring break, universities throughout the country decided to remove spring break to limit the number of cases brought back to their campuses. So instead of receiving a week to unwind and relax, students at Alabama were given a ‘mental health day,’ which resulted in having Monday off of classes. Despite efforts of trying to keep students from going on trips, this was taken as an opportunity to still take a trip, just with limited time. During the fall semester, people always look forward to Christmas break because the work that is put into school can be draining. During the spring semester, people always look to spring break to have this time, and when that is taken away, it can often lead to a spring slump in which students have no motivation to do well in their classes due to pure exhaustion.
How to prepare for spring break
While this is a week of fun and people typically only talk about the associated exciting factors, planning is crucial in ensuring the week runs smoothly. This planning can start months in advance and may look like girls spending the month of February cutting carbs and sugar out of their diets and increasing cardio or guys hitting the gym to buff up. It is also essential to make sure you book a hotel or Airbnb well in advance due to a multitude of people trying to go also. People often forget that many schools have spring breaks simultaneously, and waiting till the last minute to plan and book can often leave you with little to no options and might force you to make other plans.
Being safe
While having fun is important on your trip, the most vital part of spring break is safety. This can be a hectic time, and being cautious and aware can save people from a lot of trouble that could occur. Practicing safe tactics could include a buddy system, not leaving your drink unattended, letting people know where you are going, drinking responsibly, and not drinking and driving. Doing these things can better prevent you from getting into bad situations that can often ruin your trip.
