Spring Break season is here, which, for those lucky enough to be guaranteed some vacation time, means some much needed R&R back home, sprawled on a beach, or trekking through the streets of a European city, for the more adventurously inclined. Regardless of the location, there is nothing quite like a week of no class. In homage to the most anticipated week of the semester, here are eight things that happen on every spring break trip. Cheers to that ever-elusive perfect Instagram! (You know you’re trying to).
1) Travel Mishaps
You always hear about that one kid who forgot his passport ten minutes before his flight to Paris. Or your friend who gets their entire suitcase unpacked and searched at security to hold your group up for half an hour because they forgot to put one tiny bottle of conditioner in their liquids bag. We all know traveling is prone to disaster.
2) Snapchat Explosion
You will never have to wonder what your peers are up to on break, thanks to a never-ending stream of landscape shots, selfies, and prank videos that blow up snapchat for the entirety of the vacation. You probably will complain at many points about the obscene amount of snap stories in your feed. Nevertheless, five minutes later you, too, will be posting that “#nofilter” sunset view for your followers. No judgment, because Spring Break!
3) Drama
What is it about spring break and its magnetic attraction of dramatic moments? Maybe it has to do with a group of college kids with a lot of sun and too little sleep spending every waking moment together for a week, or maybe it’s just not spring break without Jake hitting on Jessica right in front of Katie—the nerve of some people!
4) Sunburn
If you went for the tropical location, chances are you’re getting more sun in one day than you have for the past four months…and unless you’re naturally blessed with olive skin, there’s a 99 percent chance that first glorious day on the beach ended with a painful shower on fried skin. The first day gets you every time.
5) The bikini Instagram
Perfectly orchestrated pyramids, backs facing the camera, “candid” casual laughter—all slight variations of the same Instagram you are guaranteed to see (or post) on spring break: girls in bikinis on beaches. You’ve just got to embrace them.
6) Food Obsession
Maybe it’s the gnocchi in Italy or the ice cream on the beach that you can’t go one day without on the trip, but vacation always has a way of spurring some kind of food addiction that you didn’t realize you had until you found yourself intensely craving gelato on day one back home. At least you’ll always have the pictures…
7) Photo-Shoots
Spring break is all about the photo ops. Suddenly, every activity is transformed into a photo shoot, which you’re into, for the most part. But if your friend asks for one more “artsy” picture facing the sunset, you might have to stage an intervention.
8) Inside Jokes
As much as you can’t stand the people that reference “you had to be there” moments at every possible opportunity—we all know the type—it’s somewhat inevitable that spring break is built with private (or not so much anymore, with social media) memories shared with friends that just can’t be explained or appreciated by those not present for the experience. These are the ridiculous, possibly absurd, and absolutely amazing collection of highlights you are going to remember months later with laughter. Thanks for the mems, SB2K16.
