Article at a glance
- Plan your winter break activities and prioritize self-care to decompress effectively.
- Spend time with family, read a book, take a trip, get some fresh air, learn to cook, or beef up your resume to make the most of your time off.
- Reflect on your past and set goals for the future, and remember to be present and prioritize sleep to recharge before the next semester.
If you’re a college student, life has been busy over the past few months. Between studying for exams, writing papers, partying, and balancing a job or other activity along with school, winter break is probably a welcome rest from the stress of attending university.
So, you probably haven’t had time to think about your upcoming vacations until now. That means you likely haven’t planned any winter break activities. Thus, the expert vacation planners at StudentCity have put together the following guide to help you make the most out of the holidays.
Tips on How to Make the Most of Your Winter Break College
Before we suggest some fun things to do during winter break college, here are our suggestions on how to decompress after the stress of your first semester.
Plan in Advance
If you have time to kill between taking finals and writing papers, spend it planning your winter break. Consider when you want to spend time with your family, take a short trip, or hang out with friends. You should also allocate a couple of days for yourself to decompress and recharge alone.
Set Goals and Reflect
After spending several months focused on school, take some time to reflect on your past and set goals for the future. You could consider some of the following questions while reflecting:
- What did I do well this semester? How could I improve?
- Did I maintain a balanced lifestyle?
- What goals do I have for next semester (grades, job opportunities, internships, etc.)?
- What is one new thing I want to try or do next year?
- Where do I want to travel next?
De-stress
Even though the holidays are a special time to visit family and loved ones, be sure to take time for yourself. Spend a day without your phone or treat yourself to a coffee alone. Make time to read a book, meditate, or do any other activity that you love.
Make sure that you choose activities for winter break that will help you decompress after a hectic semester.
Be Present
Though it is important to take time for yourself and reflect, try to be present during special moments. For example, focus on your family while you all spend time together. Put away your phone and stay present with the people in front of you.
Sleep
Going to college is hectic. Between partying and studying, you likely have not prioritized your sleep schedule over the past few months. Thus, one of the best and most restorative activities that you can do is sleep.
Allow your body to sleep in for as long as needed on days when you have nothing planned. Try to set your alarm as little as possible so that your body can catch up on much-needed rest.
What to Do on Winter Break | Top 7 Activities
Here are our top 7 winter break activities to help you take advantage of your time off.
1. Spend Time With Family
As we said before, the holidays are one of the best times of the year to focus on your family. Whether you have extended family living out of state or your parents live close to campus, you should try to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones.
During the holidays, you should also take advantage of your traditions. Whether your family’s traditions are silly or deeply rooted in culture, it is important to understand your family’s history and carry on these customs in the future.
2. Read a Book
One of the best activities for Christmas break is choosing a book you plan to read from start to finish. You can either dedicate time daily to reading a chapter or binge the entire book in a couple of days (depending on your reading style). Make sure that the book you choose is not academic so you read it purely for leisure purposes.
3. Take a Trip
A great idea for winter break fun activities is to take a trip. Traveling will allow you to break from your normal routine and explore a new location. Traveling to a new place, no matter how far it is from home, is both exciting and a great way to forget about school for a moment.
Whether you plan a day trip or leave for a week, traveling is a great option for winter break activities.
1. Take Advantage of Local Attractions
Every town, city, and state has its own set of local attractions and festivities that you can attend. Even if nothing is happening in your hometown, there are likely events happening in neighboring towns or the closest city to you. You should research what events will happen in your area and plan a trip by yourself or with your friends or family.
2. Get Some Fresh Air
After spending so much time inside studying, a fantastic way to spend your winter break is in the great outdoors. There are many options for camping and/or glamping that you can reserve so you can disconnect from nature for a few days. You could also do a day hike in your local state or national park, which is just as refreshing and restorative.
3. Learn to Cook
Let’s face it, cooking in your dorm is unrealistic. Taking advantage of your parents’ or other family members’ cooking expertise is a great way to gain more independence when you have your own place. Learning how to make a new meal is a challenge that is not only fun but also rewarding.
4. Beef Up Your Resume
If you feel bored and none of these activities sound like a fun way to spend a break, use your vacation time to do things that will look good on your resume, such as:
- Volunteer at a local soup kitchen, animal shelter, or otherwise for community service hours.
- If you need a work portfolio for the type of job that you want to do in the future, start working on it. This is a great idea for graphic designers, writers, artists, business majors, etc.
- Do a job shadow with an experienced professional in the field that you wish to work in.
- Research study abroad jobs or internships for next semester (or the summer) and apply.
- Gain work or internship experience through a short-term position.
Looking for More Activities for Winter Break or Other Holidays?
If you want to use your winter break to plan for future vacations, StudentCity can help. We are a comprehensive travel organization that specializes in planning trips for university students. If you want to party, explore, and travel to a new place at the same time, we have several cool options for you.
StudentCity offers all-inclusive spring and summer break trips to locations like Cancun, Panama City Beach, and the Bahamas. Our travel itineraries include transportation, hotels, parties, 24-hour emergency communication, and day/night activities (meaning all you have to do is show up). Our trips start as low as $199, meaning there are affordable options for everyone.
Take advantage of winter break activities to plan to ultimate party trip for your next break. For more information, fill out our online form or call us at 1-888-777-4642 today!
