March 14 marks a very special day for Madison College students: the first day of Spring Break 2022.
I’ve never had a real college spring break. My first break at a different college ended up with all students staying home and quarantine for the rest of the year. My second year of college, I didn’t have a break at all. My school decided to have a rushed semester, no breaks and sent students home early. So this year will be my first real spring break in college.
This isn’t much different from my high school days, though. In high school, I never traveled anywhere or did anything for spring break. This was true for many of my friends. We would see all the rich kids our age travel to Florida, California or Mexico.
Just over half of all Americans travel for spring break. Compared to this number, only about 25 percent of college students in 2021 plan to travel for spring break. Many students spend more than they can afford, and one in five students even take out more loans to finance this trip. This makes sense when you see websites listing the best spring break locations as Cancun, Jamaica or Punta Cana.
Traveling out of the country is expensive. Even traveling within the country can be expensive. CBS News made a list of places to go that aren’t so expensive. The cheapest one listed is at the low price of $929. When the average income for an independent student is $13,880 a year, this is a large expense.
There are still ways to have fun on spring break without traveling far! This is a great time to get caught up on homework or online classes. If you’re already caught up, there are always fun things to do in Madison! You could try new restaurants you’ve never been to, visit parks and trails in the area or find an event to attend, like an art exhibit or maybe a concert.