What should a college student do for Spring Break?

You’ve heard it all before: spring break is the time when college students fly somewhere sunny to party it up for a week. However, what you probably didn’t hear is that not ALL students do this – in fact, many students have made it a point to engage in alternative spring break activities. A very popular alternative is to go on volunteer trips, because they still allow students to take a vacation and spend time with friends. Here are five reasons why a volunteer trip should be part of your spring break plans:

Everyone else is going to Cancun. Simple question: What happens when everyone wants to fly to the same place at the same time? Plane tickets rocket to sky-high prices, as do hotel reservations, transportation, and even meals. You could save yourself a fortune by participating in a service project in beautiful Guatemala, while having a different experience than everyone else.

You’ll have a much more unique experience. Decades of pop culture and teen movies have established spring break as the time where undergrads party non-stop for a week. No matter how amazing people might make their spring break trip sound, there’s still a “been there, done that” vibe for most. Not many people can claim that they’ve spent a week in Greece helping the poor. By participating in volunteer trips, you’ll give yourself a spring break story to REALLY talk about.

Start a tradition. Your school may never have participated in a spring break volunteer trip, but all it takes is one group of friends to try it out and have a blast to establish a lasting tradition. Hearing stories packed with excitement from people who never thought they’d go on such a trip is enough to get a few more people to sign up the next year.

Give back. As a college student, you are blessed with so much: fun adventures, exploring your independence, the opportunity to make new friends, and receiving an advanced education. The majority of the world – and even many in the United States – aren’t fortunate enough to attend college. Therefore, give back by stepping out of the classroom and the comfort of home to learn from people whose culture is different from yours. And while you’re at it, the people you visit will be able to learn from you too.

Feel awesome. This last one is self-explanatory. Volunteering on a service trip will make you feel great about yourself – simple as that.