As we enter March, I often hear chatter around campus about everyone’s exciting spring break plans — everything from pouring over flight information in classes to arguing with hotel receptionists on the phone in the University Student Center. In a whirlwind of discussions about passports and airfare, I’m preparing to spend the week bed-rotting and binging the second season of Squid Games.
But when my classmates ask me what my plans for break are, I feel weird admitting I have no plans. Even though I’m excited to embrace the comfort of my house, I feel left out because of the overwhelming expectation to travel and the fear of missing out. Sitting out of these trips should be more accepted by students and society in the “portrayed college experience.”
Based on my previous three years of school, I know exactly what my Instagram feed is going to consist of in about two weeks. I can already see the explosion of posts of people in Cabo or Puerto Rico, swimming in crystal clear blue waters and holding piña coladas against the backdrop of a fiery sunset. I hear stories all the time from my parents about their stays in crappy motels and their days spent lounging on beaches in Jamaica or Mexico during their college breaks. When I tell them I have nothing planned with my friends, they say that it’s fine and that I should spend my break how I want. But I can tell it makes them slightly upset knowing I’m not getting the same experiences that they still look back on fondly because the idea of an extravagant college spring break is considered the norm.
Even if swimming with dolphins sounds like a dream, some people are just too burnt out to want to do anything. I can only imagine the stress of taking 18 credits and constantly doing homework through the semester just to fight the urge to doze off while hanging out in the Bahamas during break. If I were in that situation, I’d probably have FOMO for vegging out on my couch.
For a while, I felt like I was doing college wrong because I wasn’t having those experiences. There are a lot of people around me who are enjoying these lavish vacations but there are just as many people in the same position as I am. We just don’t show it as much because they don’t make for fun stories. FOMO sucks, but there’s a reason why “F” stands for fear. It’s not a real thing. And Instagram is the latest culprit in convincing us that we’re missing out on making memories that we’ll tell our kids about in 20 years.
Last year, some friends and I took a road trip to Syracuse, New York, to watch the solar eclipse. That trip was fun, but planning it was super stressful and we ultimately didn’t get to see totality because the clouds rolled in. Though there’s a photo of me on Instagram with my eclipse glasses on, you would have no idea that we almost ran out of gas in the middle of the highway. Social media doesn’t show you the whole picture, and we tend to forget that.
We also need to keep in mind that travel is a luxury. It’s not actually the norm to travel every chance you get, and GW’s astronomically expensive price tag places spring break in a very weird position. On the one hand, there are people who can easily afford the high tuition costs in addition to a lengthy trip. But for others, it may be too difficult to afford the theoretical college spring break, making it harder for the average person to have a nice getaway.
Don’t feel bad for not going away for the break or even care that you’re not going away for break. Even for those who are staying on campus, go out and explore D.C. Go to a museum or try new restaurants — we’re very lucky to be in a city where there’s always something happening.
Whether you sunbathed on a yacht or played video games, as long as you come back to school refreshed, you know you made the most of your spring break.
Jamie Greenberg, a senior majoring in criminal justice with a minor in political science, is an opinions writer.
