While College Park and the University of Maryland campus are great places to live and go to college, the long, cold stretch from winter break to spring break can really get you down. Even though we all love snow days, sledding and snowball fights on the mall, there are so many places every college student would rather be than College Park in the winter time.
1. Florida
Going to Florida brings out the little kid in us; between Disneyland and Universal, there’s so much to do! When you’re stuck in McKeldin writing a paper, who wouldn’t want to be hanging out with Mickey and Minnie instead?
2. California
Since most people who go the UMD are from the East Coast, they wouldn’t understand the concept of big states. California is huge and there is so much to do. If you go north you can go skiing and if you go more south you can enjoy the wonderful beaches like Venice beach on Monterey. You can also stalk the stars in Hollywood or see the cute animals at the San Diego Zoo. Who wouldn’t want to see a cuddly panda instead of the crazy South Campus squirrels?
3. Mexico
Want to leave the country but don’t want to spend tons of money on airfare? Mexico is a great option! It’s easy to get there and there’s so much to do. You can explore the beaches, the cities, learn some dances, try the amazing food, the possibilities are endless!
4. The Bahamas
Another place to bring out the kid in you is traveling to the Bahamas. You can explore the fantastic Atlantis with its countless restaurants and amazing waterpark, or you can venture outside to the less commercialized areas and see how the locals do things
5. Puerto Rico
The best of both worlds, Puerto Rico is just a bit foreign for you to learn about some new culture and just a bit American for those of us who have a phobia of change. The beautiful city of Old San Juan looks like a mixture of New Orleans and San Francisco, much better than Route 1.
6. Italy
Italy should be on everyone’s bucket list of destinations. The culture and sites are amazing Between the beautiful cities of Rome and Florence and the rolling hills of Tuscany, no place could be a better escape. Plus, the pasta is 100 times better than the Diner pasta bar and the pizza will have you forget about Pizza Kingdom and Blaze after the first bite.
7. England
Even though the weather is about the same as College Park (if not worse), exploring the crowded streets of London will always be more fun than Stamp Hill. There’s Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye and so many other sites to see, not to mention the awesome accents!
8. Australia
Taking a trip Down Under is definitely an exciting time! You can go scuba diving near the Coral Reef. Or take a trip to Sydney and do the 4 mile Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk along the beach, visit the beautiful Blue Mountains, and of course try amazing Australian food. Make sure you compare the food the Australian Night at The Diner on North Campus.
9. Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a hidden gem. There’s such a unique culture that no one seems to realize, additionally there’s so much to do whether you’re an adventurous person or a “lay on the beach all day” type of person. If you’re adventurous, you can explore the many mountains and the Arenal Volcano, or you can hike through the Cloud Forest and go whitewater rafting in Monteverde. For the person who wants to relax, there are many beach towns such as Playa Carmen where you can relax and de-stress from all the frustration that is the college life.
10. France
Of course, when thinking of France the first thing that comes to mind is Paris. The City of Love, with amazing fashion, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre there is just so much to do. The sightseeing is endless and the cute little cafés will make you wonder why you ever enjoyed the Starbucks in Stamp.
While we can all agree that College Park will always be our home away from home, it’s definitely nice to think about escaping for a while. With this cold weather and the stress of the semester finally starting to hit who wouldn’t want to venture to these amazing places and explore the world for a while! Where are you dying to escape to?