So, you finished that assignment, worked day and night to finish it on time. Pulled off the infamous all-nighter from my previous master class, but all that hard work caused some stress. Stress is normal for students, and sometimes we just want to reenergize, forget all about the stress and school work that needs to be done. So, what is the best solution for that? A Sex on the beach (the drink) in your hand, while you are lying in the sun, on the Spanish coast. And in my class student life 102, I will share with you all the necessary information to make that happen.

So why would you go on a holiday during school weeks?

There are a lot of reasons why you should go on a normal holiday, during your well-deserved break. But here we are talking during school weeks when vacation is still on the horizon far away. So firstly, the price. Booking website Kayak has found out that flight tickets can double in price during school holidays, and we don’t want that. You are a student so what you do want, is save some money. Before Corona, I went to Bucharest for 80 euros retour, that is cheaper than a bottle of Moët in the club. I went on Friday after class, partied the whole weekend, and went back on Monday to follow classes again.

The second reason is to de-stress, a Unihealth study found out that 8 in 10 students studying in higher education reported symptoms such as stress and anxiety. Stress can be a good thing, but in most cases, it is not. It is proven that vacations help to reduce stress, by removing you from the things that cause you to stress, in this case, your University. What better way to get away from school, than visiting another country?

Another good reason is to spread your wings, so reason three: get independent. As much as you deny it, you may be prevented from doing so by your parents. Of course, they act in our best interest. Travelling abroad either with friends or alone makes you aware of who you really are. Discover yourself and be in charge of yourself, you are a thousand kilometres away from home so what could happen? Get a tattoo on your holiday (with a meaning of course), that’s what I did, to remind myself to live my best life every day. We don’t know what we want, some may have a path set up but the majority of you probably don’t. Travelling is the best moment to explore your interest, and find your passion. Then come back and maybe have a better idea for yourselves.

Reason four and also the last reason: the weather is better. Okay, let’s face it, we are in the Netherlands. We aren’t known for sunshine and hot weather, Spain on the other hand is. If you go to Brussels Airport, take the cheapest flight to Malaga, then in 3 hours you are at the beach, enjoying a cocktail while getting a nice bronze tan, I mean I know what I would pick.

How to plan your vacation

Pick up your phone, open the BUAS app, and go to your calendar. Now look at the Fridays and Mondays, check if you are free on one of them. This is the key, to check when you can leave for that desired break. Discuss with your friends where you guys want to go, start by writing down what you want to do. Is it clubbing, shopping or maybe you want to experience a different culture, then google those terms to find places. If you can’t decide between 2 places, do an Insta-poll or throw a dart on the map of Europe.

When you find your place, use Booking.com to search for hotels. When you have found the right one, call them, because on Booking.com it is more expensive through fees. I always find it important that it is close to the city centre, and if you want a pool then be sure to select it. Now the only thing that needs to be done is to the cheapest flights. Use low-cost airlines they also have a map, where you can see the overall prices per country, which helps to save your wallet. Be careful that you only select direct flights, saves you up to 5 hours of flight time.

In short

My fellow overworked students, be honest with yourselves, listen to what you want, and listen to me. Vacations are good for you, so why wait? Of course, now because of corona you need to wait but after that, what will you do then? It is up to you, I will be in Spain while you are doubting, drinking my worries away, with a good sangria.

b.t.w.

for my next class student life 103, I want to interview some students about their dating life here in the Netherlands, and what you like on/in your date. So, if you want to help me, find me on Insta and then DM me, my Insta is @guybouman merci.