Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
andrew neel z55CR d0ayg unsplash?width=719&height=464&fit=crop&auto=webp
andrew neel z55CR d0ayg unsplash?width=398&height=256&fit=crop&auto=webp
/ Unsplash

6 Ideas To Make Spring Break Fun (Even Without A Big Trip)

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.
Spring Break is one of the most hyped up ideas of the typical college experience: trips to Cancun, Miami, even Canada have been talked about. The movie “Spring Breakers” portrays Spring break as a giant party scene with endless booze and bikinis. These trips, however, are costly and most college students are low on cash.
 
For this spring break, my roommate is going to California for the week. The boys down the hall are heading to Montreal. As for me? I will be stuck in my hometown for a week with nothing to do, and I’m sure a lot of college students will be doing the same thing. So here are some ideas to try and make spring break a little more exciting, even if a big trip is out of the question.
 
Take A Small Trip:
 

Whether it is across the country or an hour from your house, going to a new place is always good to get a change of scenery. Gather some friends together and get a hotel room for the night. You can spend the night with a pool, a hot tub, an arcade—all in a place that’s not in your hometown.

Have A Good Old-Fashioned Girls’ Night:

There is nothing like staying in for a night and catching up with the girls, an activity that is a lot harder to do in college with the constant flow of people in and out of dorms. Getting together for a night of story telling, gossip, and movies (break out the classics—Clueless? Mean Girls?) can be a perfect way to hang out with friends and have a good time. Snacks are always welcome.

Plan A Group Activity With Your Friends:

Over the summer, one of the ways that my friends and I would make a boring day more interesting was by having a group activity. My personal favorite was Dare Night: invite a bunch of friends, write a bunch of funny dares that you can do around town, and separate into groups to make it a competition. To make it even more fun, the team captains (whomever they may be) should draft teammates, pick a team color, and every dare should be recorded. Afterwards, everyone can gather at somebody’s house and watch all of the dares. This is a great, cheap activity that make for great memories. Other ideas could include a cooking competition, or even a murder mystery party.

Pamper Yourself:

Spring Break is a chance to get away from school and come back feeling refreshed and ready for the rest of the semester. What better way is there to rejuvenate than a little self-pampering? Break out the nail polish, the facial masks, maybe even some hair dye if you’re feeling adventurous. That way, you can come back to school feeling confident and prepared.

Embrace Being A Couch Potato:

Between classes, sports, activities, gym classes, and homework, there are hardly any chances to be lazy at school. That’s why there is nothing wrong with using the week of vacation to lounge around. Pick up a TV series that you have never seen before (if you haven’t seen Orange Is The New Black, I would highly recommend that on Netflix), or read a few good books (anything by John Green). Normally, I would not advocate for laziness but, in this case, you deserved it.

Get Lost:

As strange as this may sound, one of the most fun things to do when you’re bored is to take a little road trip to an unknown destination. Picking up a few friends and blasting music in the car is arguably one of my favorite things to do. Even though the weather won’t be warm enough to roll the windows down (unless you’re from a warmer state, in which case, you are very lucky), a car ride is a great way to unwind. Make it a point to take roads that you’ve never taken before and see what you can find. This is a great way to explore, and spend the day with friends while stopping at the random places you find.

As much as I wish I could look forward to visiting a warmer climate over spring break, being at home doesn’t have to be boring. These ideas are just a few ways to liven up the week and enjoy being at home: make the most of what you have, and relax.

Andrea Lee is a freshman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Majoring in Communication, she is planning on pursuing interests in many different fields and taking different classes in order to find what she loves best. Andrea was an editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper, and has loved to write for her whole life. Coming from the small town of Walpole, Andrea was overwhelmed by the large university but has found it to be her new home and loves being on campus.
Contributors from the University of Massachusetts Amherst