The clock finally strikes 2:40 and the sharp sound of the final bell pierces through our ears. Students run with a new bustling excitement out the doors of high school into the airy and temperate spring climate. It is finally spring break, one of the few times during the school year where students get an entire week to themselves. It is the perfect time to go on vacation and explore the things you don’t normally get to see in your mundane, repetitive, crammed, daily schedule. According to Psychology Today, after working for hours on end in order to meet certain academic expectations, “spring break offers a well needed mental stress break.” 

 Staying at home for the entire break is always the easiest option because it allows us to be inactive and comfortable in the luxuries of our own home. However, going on vacation offers exploration of new experiences, bonding with family or friends, and overall excitement that the average day in your own house cannot produce. 

It doesn’t matter whether your vacation destination is across the world or merely two hours away. You are still likely to learn and be exposed to something different. For example, going camping with your friends gives you time with the outside world and familiarizes you with skills such as fishing or boating. Even if camping is not exactly your thing, a well-planned vacation that includes visits to historical sites or national monuments is always a great opportunity to learn something interesting and broaden your perspective on history. 

Second of all, spring break is a great time to develop relationships with family or friends because of all the new memories you can create together. It is still possible to bond with people that are important to you while staying at home for spring break, but the time it takes to get to a vacation destination forces you to spend an extended period of time with your family or friends. This forces you to have longer conversations and understand each other better.  

Staying in a town as small as Portage can give people a very cozy and comfortable feeling, but it is important to leave your daily surroundings and explore either new cultures or a new type of atmosphere every once in a while. Whether this entails playing with dolphins down in Florida or exploring a traditional street or market, a vacation is always bound to give people joyous experiences.

The clock blinks at 2:00 on a Sunday, it is the last day of spring break. Will you look back on your break in regret, or in pride for the way your experience changed your life in a small, memorable way?