For those of us on the quarter system, Spring Break is right around the corner. And I know at UC Santa Cruz, many of my fellow banana slugs are distracting themselves from the painful realities of finals (and the rain and storms that have ushered them in this year) by daydreaming about their future break plans.

They conjure up images of themselves on a beach, with warm, tropical weather and a cold drink in hand. They imagine the sun and water on their skin, the sand beneath their toes and ocean breezes. However, this is not the image in my mind's eye.

I may be jaded, but I am not the biggest fan of the beach. I grew up in Los Angeles, within rather close proximity of many different terrains, including the ocean. I can recall spending much time there as a baby, as a child and as a teen with my friends during the summer. And because my mom grew living in LA beach towns and her dad and step-mother still live there, I continue to spend even more time in the area for family visits.

Throughout these years of trips to the Pacific, I stopped enjoying myself at some point along the way. I love swimming in the ocean, but the whole concept of being hot and sticky in the sand is not one that appeals to me. And with an almost unbelievably fair complexion for someone of Italian decent, sun burns are a necessary part of the beaching experience. I know I'm partially at fault for this because that sticky and sandy business comes up when sunscreen must be thoroughly applied at regularly scheduled intervals, and when I was younger, being the only one in my friend group who had to pull herself away from the action to go lather up on sunscreen was a level of willpower I simply did not possess.

The irony is despite my beach-loathing, I decided to go to a university by the ocean. And while I've enjoyed many trips to the boardwalk for arcade games and rides and a couple adventures to the shore at night with friends, I haven't actually "gone to the beach" more than a couple times in the three years I've been at school here.

So, while I may be an outlier amongst my peers, I do not find myself fantasizing about my beachy break during the stress of tests and papers, but I do catch myself dreaming about the desert – Palm Springs, to be exact. You see, as aforementioned, LA is incredibly close to every sort of environmental biome imaginable: cities, the ocean, snow and mountains, forests and, of course, the desert.

The desert is a magical place for me. I grew up taking short vacations to the area, which is only a couple hours away from my home but feels like an entirely different world with beautiful skylines of rocky mountains and desert brush.

Short weekend trips turned into spending full breaks here when I started attending Coachella regularly during high school, and my family decided to stay in the area for the week surrounding the festival weekend to get in some nice rest and relaxation.

The best thing about the desert is if you're someone who enjoys the lounging lifestyle of the beach, you can still get in your sun and drinks by the water, just by a pool instead. This has the added benefit of being only walking distance from your housing, where more drinks, food, beds and anything else you brought are easily accessible if you need a snack, nap or new activity.

But if you're someone who is looking for a change of pace from the usual break activities of being lazy, there is also a huge variety of possible activities.

There are tons of great restaurants in the area, and spending a night out on the town when it's warm enough to sport a dress and enjoy the nighttime breeze, only makes sitting on the patio and dining on a good meal even better.

There's also a number of great places to see art, including some of the architecture in the area as well as Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Museum, imaged below.

There are also great sites for music! Like Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace.

For a dystopian adventure, you could travel to the Salton Sea and its surrounding cities to be instantaneously transported to a deserted ghost town on the lake shore. We found a completely deserted car out here as well as a number of decrepit buildings.

Or, you could travel to more touristy destinations that are still more than worth a visit, such as Joshua Tree

or Salvation Mountain.

Essentially, the desert is full of magical possibilities that allow you to have a true adventure during your time away from real life as well as a little lounging if you feel so inclined. So, this year (or next), change up your usual spring break plans filled with drunken youths by the ocean, and come to the desert for a complete change of pace and a world of potential.