Unlike some college students, I decided that taking a big trip over spring break might not be the best idea. Taking big extravagant trips may be super fun and super cool, but I believe that sometimes taking a few days to go to multiple places, even if they are local, can be just as fun.

Growing up in a small town, I never really got to go many places unless they were part of a huge planned trip with my class, or if I was traveling for dance competitions. I grew up living for those days that my family would take small fun trips to places around the state, or going to the states that surround Michigan. It was those day trips to Chicago or Indiana to go to White Castle that would make my day. Those are the types of trips I live for now, even as a college student, because finding joy in the little things is something to really cherish. Small trips can allow you to go more places over a shorter amount of time, even though taking big trips can give you rare exciting things that you may only see once in a lifetime.

Small trips may not be as grand as going to Europe or a tropical beach, but they create memories just as strong, because usually you are going with a car full of people that you love, who are also really excited to go see something they have never seen before. Some of my favorite trips have been to random places in Michigan, because even though I grew up here, there are so many places and spaces I have yet to discover and see.

When I think about just how small I am in a world full of billions of people living in different countries with very different lives, those small trips make me feel just a little bit bigger, because now I have seen something or experienced something that someone else has. Taking trips out to one of the many lakes can be just as fun as sitting on a beach in Florida (and it doesn't cost nearly as much).

There are beautiful places all over the world; some are far, and some are less than an hour away. If people take the time to explore and look around instead of rushing through life, we will realize just how much beauty really is out there, and how exciting it is to see it, if even just for a second. Life moves by so fast, and when you are in college, it seems to move even faster, and the trips you want to take may cost you more than a semester worth of college tuition. Those small trips are the kind that students like me live for. Those little life breaks that make you appreciate all the sights and people around you.