Column: This Side of The Fence; Spring Break safety more than just buckling up
It’s the final stretch of midterms, and I tell you what – my brain hurts. After hours of studying, writing and homeworking, I am really looking forward to a week without all of it, where I can sleep in a little and relax a lot, where I can just turn off my brain.
For me, this is a valid option. I’m not venturing anywhere exotic for my break. The comforts of my La-Z-Boy recliner and the book I’ve been meaning to read for the last three months doesn’t require much pertinent thought and very little planning. But for those traveling outside the confines of their own living room, spring break is going to require a little brain power…well, at least it should.
Whether you are sitting in class imagining a sandy beach with palm trees and cocktails or another adventure with more substance and site seeing involved, safety is always something to keep in mind.
I’m sure everyone has heard at least one spring break horror story. Therefore, I don’t see the need to recount any. We know that bad things can happen while you’re cutting loose in the Caribbean or mingling among the locals in Mexico. Travel, while one of the most exciting things you can do, can sometimes be an unfortunate experience.
So let’s be careful. The Seattle Times issued a story on Sunday with tips from Global Tracks, a professional travel agency, on how to make your spring break safe and successful. They suggested things like making sure you check in at home periodically, not carrying extra money and credit cards with you, before you drink something know where it came from and not wandering off with someone you don’t know, no matter how tempting.
I had a few thoughts of my own. If getting drunk is your idea of spring break fun, make especially sure you are among friends that can make sure you don’t pass out in the pool, get dragged away by strangers or drive anywhere. If travel is your thing, don’t go anywhere alone – a bus, a bathroom, a bedroom – always be with someone you know.
Of course, these tips are likely not going to cover every circumstance you come across during the break.
In fact, I read somewhere once that every time someone goes on a trip, they come across two instances when they are required to make sound judgment, no matter where they happen to be traveling.
For these instances, I have one last bit of wisdom, a personal motto of mine I learned my first year of college … don’t do anything stupid. This may sound a little trite and incredibly obvious, but I am constantly amazed by the stupid ideas that suddenly sound brilliant when uttered by a friend.
This is starting to sound a little like the standard parent lecture on traveling. And the last thing we want to do before heading out on the college student’s rite of passage is admit our parents were right. For now is the time to discover what we’re made, to prove we can make sensible choices without the supervision of teachers, classes, parents or drinking laws.
I hope everyone finds their version of paradise, and most of all makes it back safely. Happy trails to you all!
Mikaylie Kartchner is a senior in print journalism. Comments and questions can be sent to
mikayliek@cc.usu.edu.