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Life’s a beach. Spring break is a mentality. You may have made some of the best memories of your life this past week, but just because you’re back on campus doesn’t mean that it has to end. Here’s how to keep the spring break glow alive, even when you’re walking to lecture and not dancing behind the DJ booth in Miami.
1. Live Like You’re on an All-Inclusive Package
It’s easy when dhall breakfast tends to look just like the somber pickings at a resort buffet. Swipe that ID for all those luxurious amenities. Oh, the dining hall? It’s actually the continental breakfast spread. This gym access? Complimentary wellness activities for resort guests. Delusion, or manifestation? It’s all about perspective.
2. Talk About Spring Break at Every Possible Opportunity
You’re going to do it anyway.
“Ugh, back to reality.”
“This reminds me of the time I was in…”
“The island air was just different.”
“Take me back…”
3. Keep Posting the Spring Break Pictures
This one is my personal favorite. I’m guilty of never posting vacation pictures in the moment and instead shamelessly posting them weeks later. Post them late. Post them again. It may be a personal attack to your friends holed up in Lamont, though.
If you run out, everyday moments can also make great travel content:
A walk through the Yard = morning strolls in paradise
Passing the Charles on the way to the SEC = waterfront moments on the way to the spa
Your dhall glass of Powerade = recovery after hiking through mystical pine forests and waterfalls in Mexico
4. Romanticize HUDS
Your HUDS line-up can look just like the unforgettable meals you had during spring break. Again, it’s all about perspective.
You can level up your salad bar creation to be a handcrafted Mediterranean bowl with kalamata olives, salad, pickled red onions, and crumbled feta — just like the one you would enjoy after yoga on the beach in Greece.
The emotional support pasta that has become your go-to when none of the entrées are calling your name is now house-made penne with signature marinara, topped with freshly grated parmesan.
Your bowl of Greek yogurt and berries tastes just like the one you enjoyed on a terrace in Puerto Rico!
The raspberry and mango soft-serve are straight out of a gelateria in Italy.
5. Look the Part
Sunnies are great for both hiding the exhaustion after going out so much and the sadness of missing out on peak UV hours because you’re headed to lecture. You can still pull up in a sundress or the top you wore to beachside dinner to fill the void, though. I’ll let you in on a secret: Summer attire is comfy and cute, and if you look like you’re on vacation, it might actually feel like you still are.
6. Regularly Treat Yourself to a Fun Bevvy
After all, spending a week sitting out in the sun can be so draining. You deserve it. Start ordering pricey, complicated drinks that remind you of the resort that you developed a love-hate relationship with. Think the blueberry matcha from Blank Street, Playa’s Beach Break juice, or anything that Life Alive offers. Bonus points if you sip it while sitting in a courtyard egg chair, dramatically staring into the distance like your Google Calendar is still completely clear.
7. Make Your Spring Break Playlist the Soundtrack to Your Life
You didn’t spend all those hours curating it for nothing. You may physically be walking to Sever, but mentally? You’re still on a yacht in Miami. Airpods in. Sunglasses on. DND mode.
8. Go On Weekend Side Quests
The people abroad don’t have to be the only ones having all the fun and going on side quests. You, too, can collect side quests and add to your lore in the process.
Spend an afternoon in the North End, cannoli in hand, and pretend you’re wandering a tiny Roman side street. Go to Beacon Hill and pretend it’s Prague, with its brick sidewalks, curvy alleys, and historical charm. Enjoy some bread and cheese, courtesy of HUDS, and Parisian jazz in a picnic in the quad, like it’s a French garden. Take the commuter rail to Providence and tell no one. It’s always tempting to be mysterious. No itinerary. Just let the wind take you.
9. Stop and Smell the Roses.
This may be the one completely serious piece of advice I have for you. Just because spring break has come to an end does not mean that you do not still deserve a break. Stop rushing everywhere. Walk with tranquility. Pause between assignments. Read a book for fun. Tan in the Yard. Sip your morning coffee instead of inhaling it. Laugh with your friends like you’re still sitting around a fire pit in Malibu. That spring break glow? You can have it year-round if you just let yourself slow down and live in the present.
Spring break can be forever. You don’t need your passport on hand to feel like you’re living. Just be a little delusional and have a little raspberry soft serve. Let’s make a movement of responding to someone asking how your break was with a smile and saying, I’m still on it.