Now that you are in college, it is time to start thinking about how to make the most of your free spirited years. Do you join a sorority/fraternity? Do you map out how you will attack every house party throughout the year? Do you go on spring break? The last question always seems to be the big one. "How do I come up with the money, I can't even pay for my coffee from 392 Caffe every day?", "Who will I go with? Tori doesn't even go out with me to Barrel House, let alone go with me to Daytona Beach." There are a million questions that will run through your head. But the true question is "Is spring break really worth it?". I am a junior in college and beyond broke, and I am living breathing truth to tell you that spring break is the biggest must have while you are in college. There a million reasons why, but I have broken it down to the most important.
1. It isn't as expensive as you would think.
You might be shaking your head thinking that I am wrong. That is definitely not the case. If you choose the tap into your coffee or alcohol fund, it doesn't break your bank. If you set aside a little bit of money every week and put it in a jar, it will add up a lot in the long run. Saving your change is a huge thing too! Yes, you can still use your quarters for laundry, but the change that you find on the ground really helps! If you cash it right before your trip, you will be pleasantly surprised as to how much extra money you are bringing along.
2. Your friends become your family.
As cliche as that sounds, it is beyond true. You must already think that now, but you don't know until you carry your friend home drunk from the beach. You are forced to experience being really on your own and being thousands of miles from home. There is no one to call when something goes wrong, you only have the trust of your friends during this act of independence.
3. You don't have to stay in a run down hotel.
Since you are ballin' on a budget, you might think that run down hotels are the way to save money. WRONG! Because you already decided to save your money since the beginning of the school year, you have a few extra dollars. Do your research! Don't always just look at hotel websites. Very important sites that could be used could be VRBO that lets you rent through a private owner. It is 100% safe! Another one that is like VRBO would be HomeAway. These are great resources to save money and still stay at a reasonable hotel. It will be nice enough to make your parents feel a little bit easier that you are traveling far away.
4. You make memories that will last forever.
Once again, another cliche, I know. I can't tell you how many times I have told people about the millions of stories that happened on spring break. I can tell them over and over again! The multiple stories of me showing up drunk to lunch with my girls, taking a million amount of pictures, or parasailing over the gulf coast are the stories that I plan to tell until the day I die. 
It really isn't all that bad of a deal, a few extra dollars saved here and there can help you pay for a trip that only costs about 200 dollars total (that includes food, alcohol, transportation, AND hotel)! It doesn't get any better than that! So, start saving now, and you won't regret it! When you finally set up your trip and actually go, come talk to me when you realized that it was totally worth going on the trip of your life.
