Is spring break really the relaxing vacation we think it is?

My friends and I have been counting down to our upcoming spring break trip for months, and we’ve been preparing for weeks: trips to Target, bathing suit shopping, booking nail appointments. If everything goes according to plan, we will all look and feel perfect for this trip: We should have a perfect trip.

Taking vacations in college can be an emotional rollercoaster. You hype it up so much in your mind, but the trip never quite lives up to your expectations. The sun at the beach is as nice as you imagined, but you get sunburnt on the second day; you plan activities for every day of your trip, but by your fifth museum trip you would rather just stay home, and by the end of the trip you’re sick of the nice restaurants on your itinerary and just want Chick-fil-A. I compare it to New Year’s Eve: What is supposed to be the most fun night of the year often falls flat precisely because of the high standards we set for the night.

We have these expectations for good reason: Spring break is expensive and for most of us requires a lot of saving, among other things. Working extra hours, skipping your weekly off-campus Grubhub, taking money out of your summer savings or whatever extraneous measures you take to afford your trip mean that it better be a good trip; after all, months of sacrifices should be for a worthwhile cause, right?

Along with the financial burdens, planning a trip with a group of friends is an ordeal in and of itself. Taking time away during midterms to do group FaceTime calls, compare flights and even order necessities on Amazon (shopping is a little less fun when it’s sunscreen and travel size shampoo), can add to the stress of the season. It’s hard, but we do it: Spring break has to be worth it? Right?

I’m not trying to ruin your excitement for your big trip. After all, college is one of the only times in your life you and all your friends will have the same week off and be able to so easily take a trip together, even if it’s before you all have the funds to comfortably take a vacation. My point is simply that we have to acknowledge one thing — spring break isn’t just a “relief” from school: It actually adds to our burdens in many ways. Even people just going home for the week (which I have also done and honestly recommend) have extra laundry, flights to book and overall life adjustments that have to be made in advance of the trip.

My advice is to leave as soon as possible and make your trip end a few days before you return to class. Everyone has that one professor who assigned a midterm assignment due right after spring break, and you’re going to be tired when you get home from all the traveling and excitement. There’s nothing worse than coming home the night before a busy week with a suitcase full of dirty clothes and piles of outstanding assignments.

I also recommend choosing a relaxing destination over an action-filled one. I’m a person who always believes a true vacation is lying on the beach, not athletic endeavors or sightseeing, but even if you love skiing, hiking or some other physically demanding vacation, you should choose peace for spring break. All we do at this school is go, go, go. For once, I think we all need to sit, sleep and eat.

If you’re anything like me, you need something to look forward to if you’re going to get through this week; midterms with no end in sight would be exhausting and possibly impossible. Don’t downplay the relief that spring break is going to bring; just remember to take it easy and keep an open mind about how your trip will go. After all, you aren’t going to get a vacation from this vacation. You’re coming back, full speed ahead, to midterms 2.0.