Remember Spring Breakers—the movie that came out last spring that featured some of our favorite Disney girls (like Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens) all grown up and equipped with face masks and shotguns? While it perhaps wasn’t a recount of a typical college vacay, it actually did carry some worthwhile lessons, especially ones you can apply to your own spring break! Here are a few lessons and tips for your spring break, drawn from Spring Breakers.
1. You don’t have to be rich to have a great spring break.
Okay, that doesn’t mean you should rob a restaurant with your girlfriends… but not all spring break trips are too expensive for your college budget! In order to afford a great trip with your girlfriends, consider all your options. Sure, maybe a week in the Caribbean isn’t likely to happen, but a volunteer trip with Habitat for Humanity or to a less populated beach town may be more feasible!
2. Be careful with guys you don’t know.
Spring break flings can be tons of fun, but be careful whom you’re toying with! Really, just look at whom the girls in the movie ended up with…
If you’re away for break, you won’t be as familiar with the people surrounding you as you may be with the boys at your school. Never give out too much information about yourself, and always make sure you’re in a safe place or you have a friend nearby if you’re alone with a guy you don’t know very well. Taking these extra precautions will ensure that you’re not caught in a sticky (or even dangerous!) situation later on.
3. Have a good group of travel buddies.
Traveling can be a bit intimidating, but if you have a good, small group to go with, it’ll make the trek much less stressful. Don’t put yourself in a situation like Faith in Spring Breakers, who was hesitant to go with the other girls in the first place. Make sure you’re comfortable with whomever you’re going with (and make sure you won’t get sick of them!), because you’ll be relying on each other and spending tons of time together all week.
4. Always be wary of strangers.
We may sound like your parents here, but this little life lesson still rings true in college—especially on break, when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings. Locals may recognize that you’re a tourist, particularly when you’re in another country, which will make you much more vulnerable to those trying to take advantage of you. Locals in touristy locations will know who’s an easy target to steal from and trick. No matter if you run into a grill-wearing, drug-selling rapper or not, you should always be careful when talking to and hanging around strangers; they don’t always have your best interests in mind! Make sure you’re always aware of your surroundings and belongings and you never go somewhere you’re not totally sure about.
5. Have an awesome playlist for the road.
The director of Spring Breakers was clearly a Britney Spears fan, judging by the multiple scenes where the girls are singing “Hit Me, Baby, One More Time” and the one particular random montage of the girls dancing around a piano with guns to Britney’s “Everytime.” Even if you’re not a Britney fan yourself, an awesome playlist for the road is a necessary addition to your break. If you’re spending a lot of time traveling or you just want a soundtrack for your spring break, a good playlist is a must!
6. It’s okay to get homesick.
If you’re like Faith from Spring Breakers, you probably haven’t explored much and are happiest in your comfort zone. Despite what others may think, that’s totally okay. Being on break in an unfamiliar setting can be a bit overwhelming and make you miss the comfort of your home. Make a quick call to your family or friends if you’re missing home, then go out and embrace the nice break you have!
7. It’s one thing to party, but it’s another to commit a crime.
When you think of spring break, bikinis, drinking and partying—a lot of the images we see in Spring Breakers—probably come to mind. But there’s a definitive difference between having a good time and getting out of control. Know your limits before you go out, and don’t exceed them. Tell yourself you’ll only have X amount of drinks, designate someone in your group to remain sober for the night to make sure everyone else is okay and make sure you know how to get back from where you’re going before you go there. We know spring break is supposed to be full of fun and games, but “YOLO” isn’t a good excuse if you wind up in trouble with your parents or the police!
8. Go with the flow of things.
If there’s one thing we learned from the movie, it’s that nothing ever goes as planned. Sure, the girls didn’t seem to start with a plan in the first place, but we think it’s safe to assume that meeting a drug-dealing rapper and robbing their fellow spring breakers wasn’t on their spring break bucket list.
Even if you have your whole trip planned out, it’s possible there’ll be changes to your schedule. Granted, the likelihood of getting in the middle of a drug-dealing feud is slim… but you might miss your flight, or the hotel could be late to check you in. Just be prepared to have things go differently than anticipated, and be mentally ready to adjust! Make sure you have all your travel documents printed out, your phone charged and a full bank account in case you need to alter your plans.
9. Push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Needless to say, the girls in Spring Breakers (especially Faith) aren’t living the typical college life when they go on break. They deal with hard drugs, strip clubs, drug-dealing feuds, robberies and pretty much anything else you don’t imagine your spring break including. You might be better off withholding from these activities, but you should still push yourself out of your comfort zone if you can! Meet new people, try new activities (we recommend windsurfing or bungee jumping, not cocaine) and visit new places while you have the chance!
Though Spring Breakers was an entertaining movie, we’re hoping your spring break doesn’t follow the plotline. Keep these lessons we learned in mind when you’re jetting off to your dream destination. Moral of the story? Have fun, but be safe!