As I set off for my own spring break trip to London, I started thinking about the epic lore surrounding SPRING BREAK for college students. Having gone to college in Los Angeles, I observed my fair share of classmates’ road trips to Mexico and Las Vegas. As for me, I usually used the week off to see friends at home—but there is more to Spring Break than hanging out on the couch or the beach. First let’s talk safety, then other ideas for what to do with this mid-semester break.

Exercise common sense and caution wherever you go.
I’ve heard horror stories of college students getting scammed by online deals to go to Mexico or somewhere else for spring break for some sort of deal that turns out to cost double or something along those lines. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Someone else I know decided that signing up for his first credit card would be a great way to pay for a long-distance travel ticket, but quickly ended up with several hundred dollars in debt. And of course, any kind of travel opens up room for unhealthy behavior and accidents. Be careful, be sensible, and make a point to have fun without getting hurt. As I learned from some interesting post-break stories that circulated around campus, what happens in Vegas doesn’t actually stay in Vegas.

Consider an “alternative” Spring Break.
More and more, colleges are offering short-term opportunities to do volunteer work during the week of vacation. Many students from my school went to New Orleans to rebuild houses with Common Ground. Larger universities have centers for social justice or community work, like the Center for Social Justice at Georgetown University, which can provide relevant information and even coordinate groups of students for alternative Spring Break endeavors. Although I didn’t volunteer with Common Ground during Spring Break (I went during the last week of a winter vacation), I can vouch for the fact that short-term, immersive volunteer experiences can be extremely worthwhile.

Explore the area around your college.
You know that restaurant/bar/museum/gigantic music store that you always pass and mean to check out? Spring Break is an excellent time to explore the area around your college and do all the things you normally wouldn’t have time to do. For me, this meant excursions to the famed Rodeo Drive and spending time at the beautiful Huntington Library. I recommend using a city exploration website like Yelp.com to plan an awesome Spring Break without ever having to fork over cash for a plane ticket or a hotel room.

So what are your plans, Spring Break-ers? Exotic travel plans, seeing friends, or maybe catching up sleep and backlogged reading?