If you’re a college student, or really any young adult with any sort of connection to the outside world, chances are you’ve compared yourself to your peers before. Whether it be looks, personality, money or intelligence, we have all felt inferior to one or more of our fellow students at one time or another. I’ve noticed another basis for comparison: Spring Break. Each year, thousands of college students migrate like Canadian geese down to Miami, out to Las Vegas or even to the Caribbean. With limited funds and travel experience, though, it’s easy for a fun trip to turn into a horror story. Although the warmer weather may be tempting, I’d like to make the case for a return to simplicity. As overconsumption has become increasingly unpopular and more attainable aesthetics have been appearing on our explore pages, perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate our Spring Break plans.
As I was trying to plan my own Spring Break this year, I was faced with… limited options. Florida? Too expensive, and too crowded. The Poconos? No. As fun as it would be to explore more of Pennsylvania, that would still be difficult to pay for. Home? Not ideal either. Sorry, Mom.
It was then that I came up with the perfect solution. Being a private university, Villanova welcomes many students from all across the United States. I’m from New Hampshire, and my closest friends are from New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio and Wisconsin. What’s a more wholesome vacation than a girls’ trip to your home region? In my opinion, there’s no better way to bask in girlhood than by living out your “Gilmore Girls” dreams in New England.
I know, I know. My Spring Break is going to be lit. But a trip to New England may not be everyone’s ideal vacation, especially if you aren’t a fan of the cold. The message that I’m trying to illustrate is that Spring Break (in addition to bachelorette weekends, prom-weekend houses, grad trips and babymoons) has turned into over-complicated, extravagant and, frankly, very frivolous cross-country expeditions, where the only thing that a non-milestone trip such as that should need is a few friends and high spirits. Aside from that, popular destinations such as Miami and the Dominican Republic have become increasingly dangerous in recent years, leading law enforcement officials to take steps toward safety. According to an article by the Miami Herald, “After two deadly shootings… the city declared a curfew for the fourth consecutive year.” The same cannot be said for all destinations, though, which have not taken the same precautions.
Between being generally broke and the apparent danger of these Spring Break trips, why is this still the norm? Well, for some students on Villanova’s campus, it feels like an expectation.
“It stresses me out, and it imposes more FOMO if you don’t engage in Spring Break… it’s, like, if you don’t ‘Spring Break,’ it’s, like, you’re not doing college right,” freshman Gianna Lauria said. “I feel like it just adds to the unrealistic expectations that we have of the ‘college experience.’”
From what I’ve heard, Lauria’s sentiment is widely shared among Villanovans, but also throughout Gen Z as a whole. In recent years, our generation has become very disillusioned towards trend cycles. Why follow what others are doing? What’s the incentive?
I want to clarify that there is in no way anything wrong with going on a fun vacation in a warm destination. We all deserve that type of rest and relaxation. However, to make trips like this the standard for college students is just absurd. At the end of the day, most of us are still on our parents health insurance and aren’t receiving any type of steady cash flow. Even if some of us can comfortably pay for trips like this, how you spend your Spring Break is ultimately up to you. So, this year, enjoy your break however you see fit. Go to a farmer’s market, spend time doing hobbies that you don’t usually have time for, or be like me, and live it up in your friend’s grandma’s beach house in Connecticut. Whatever you choose to spend your time doing this March, do it for you.
