How to Have A (almost) Free Vacation

By Cori Russell on May 9, 2012

After the school year ends and summer begins, how do you plan to spend your free time? For me, I like to take minimal summer classes, so I can still keep my brain semi-awake, but also to relax! The school year builds up so much stress from balancing school work, house work, internships, a job, a social life, and a personal life. I use summer as a way to focus more on relaxing in warm weather or an air-conditioned movie theater rather than juggling as much as I can in my free time. But what can I do if I can’t afford that 2-week Bora Bora trip?

It may sound counterintuitive for a vacation, but when planning for cheap it is best to start looking for places closest to home. You could stay at a friend’s house for a few nights just to change up the setting. Or you could drive down that road you always pass but never think to turn on. Go outside not knowing exactly where you will end up—of course be prepared incase you get lost. If that’s not quite exciting enough, you can take a day trip. Day trips and overnight trips can be a college student’s best friend. Whether you live near the beach, city, mountains, caves, or vast planes, there is room for discovery.

Most vacations I imagine are an escape from my daily routine, and are places as far away from where I live as possible. But I’ve come to realize that I don’t have to physically leave an area to mentally escape. Use free time to explore the natural landscape you live in. I live in a dense suburban area, but fortunately there are many remnants of the earthy, lush hills and trees that are natural to this part of the continent. When I first moved here all I could focus on were roads, houses, cars, and other buildings. Yes I saw trees, but I didn’t think of them as connected in any to each other, to me, or to the landscape. After a few backpacking trips to the mountains my perspective has changed even at home. The big hill I coast down on the way to school isn’t just a hill on a road, it’s a depression in the earth that, if not paved, would be quite a hike back everyday!

Not having the cash for a fancy vacation has left me little choices, so my interest in nature was greatly expanded when I realized that hiking is free.

 

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format