Alternative Spring Break Options for College Students

Spring break! For the first time in months, you can take a break from thinking about exams and school papers. The deadlines for papers are over and all you want to do is sleep, spend time with family members, and enjoy a short vacation in another state or another country with friends. Spring break gives you what you’ve been craving all semester: free time to do whatever you want.

What Can You Do With All Your Free Time?

Aside from the typical spring break activity of partying, there are more options available for college students, especially those who want to spend their vacation helping others. Why not consider an alternative spring break. You can join an educational mission to a third world country and teach the alphabet or simple mathematics to grade school pupils. You can grab your tools and build a home from scratch with other volunteers for homeless families displaced by natural disasters. You can also volunteer in the local health or rehab center and help with simple care giving or housekeeping duties. Many successful graduates would agree that waking up with a purpose beats waking up with a hangover. Plus, you can add a relevant entry to your CV under “volunteer work experience”.

Volunteering during alternative spring break can be a life-changing experience, especially when you’re matched with a service project that fits your skill profile perfectly. You will be working in groups, which means that you’ll get to interact with other students and more experienced staff members.

Where to Sign Up for Alternative Spring Break?

Volunteering for college students has become popular because there are many non-profit organizations that set up special volunteer missions for students during alternative spring break. A simple search online will give you a list of most of the charitable organizations looking for alternative spring break volunteers. You can also check out your bulletin board in on campus to find alternative spring break options and groups that are looking for volunteers. Some missions are closer to home than others, such as local community projects, and there are alternative spring break options that will fly you to faraway places.

Perks of Volunteering During Alternative Spring Break

Many students sign up for these missions not only because they want to help out the needy but also because of the perks! Alternative Spring Break volunteers are awarded the same benefits as long-term volunteers, such as free accommodation and food. Plus, you get to travel, experience a new culture, test your skills (and develop new ones), and meet fellow volunteers who all have stories of their own to share.

Students that sign up for week-long, out-of-the-country volunteer missions get the most amazing perks. When you’re not working with your team, you can go out and explore a new location, experience the local customs, and maybe even pick up a few words in the local dialect. It’s the ultimate life experience and the best way to make your free time matter.