Spring Break as a 5th Year: The Ultimate Test of Patience, Partying, and Power Naps

The Spring Break Crew

Spring break in college hits differently every year, but when you’re a 5th-year veteran, it comes with a special kind of chaos. This year, I embarked on a wild (and exhausting) trip to the beach with seven guys and two other girls, and let me tell you—it was a lesson in logistics, survival, and strategic napping.

The Booking Fiasco: "We Should Probably Find a Place..."

If there’s one thing college students are bad at, it’s planning ahead. We talked about this trip for months, casually throwing out ideas while nobody actually made a move. Then, suddenly, two weeks out, reality hit: We don’t have a place to stay. Cue the frantic search through every Airbnb, Vrbo, and sketchy last-minute rental we could find.

If you have ever been the person responsible for finding the place for spring break, you deserve a Medal of Honor. It’s brutal. Trying to get everyone to agree on a place? Impossible. Finding something affordable that doesn’t look like it belongs in a horror movie? Nearly impossible. And let’s not forget the biggest battle of all: finding a place that will rent to someone under 25. It kicks our butt every year.

This was my second year being given the impossible task of finding a house, and by some miracle, we finally landed on one that checked all the boxes. Thankfully, my friend handled the actual booking because when the time came to lock it in, I was drowning in work drama and life setbacks. (Shoutout to them for coming through in the clutch.)

Getting everyone’s money together, though? A nightmare. Coordinating seven guys to Venmo the right amount at the right time was surprisingly easy—which honestly shocked me. Some paid instantly, others had "technical difficulties," because let’s be real—spring break is expensive. But we finally got it booked and, with our wallets significantly lighter, the countdown to chaos began.

And let me tell you, my wallet felt that money leave. At the time, I might have even shed a tear.

Saving Up for a Week of Excess

Spring break isn’t cheap, especially when you’re going with a bunch of people who are determined to drink all day and party all night (besides me, because sleep is a core personality trait at this point). Between gas, food, booze, bar covers, and mini-golf marathons (more on that later), the expenses piled up fast.

I had been putting money aside for months, knowing full well that this trip would take a financial toll. On top of that, I was taking extra shifts just to make sure I could afford everything. But as the trip got closer, I started to stress—what if I still didn’t have enough? Spring break has a way of draining your bank account before you even get there.

And then, at the last second, something super clutch came through, and suddenly, I had no financial burden the entire trip. Thank GOD for that—more on that later. But let’s just say, the relief was real.

The Beginning of Spring Break: A Sleep-Deprived Journey

Spring break started off chaotic—which, honestly, should’ve been my first clue about how the whole trip was going to go. Before even making it to the beach, Tyson and I made a detour to Atlanta, Georgia. He had a bachelor party to attend, and one of my best friends, Kaitlyn, lives there now, so it worked out perfectly.

From Saturday through Monday, Kaitlyn and I had a much-needed bestie weekend full of catching up, eating way too much food, watching TV, and wedding planning while the guys were off doing whatever bachelor party things guys do. It was the perfect way to start the break… except for one little detail: the time change ruined me.

Did I mention that when I crossed into Georgia, I lost an hour?Then, that Saturday night was daylight savings, so I lost ANOTHER hour?Let me tell you, my body was NOT happy with me. I was so freaking tired the entire weekend, and apparently, my internal clock decided that instead of sleeping until 8 or 9 AM like I used to, I should now wake up at 7 AM every day. It sucked.

But anyways, back to the trip.

The Tyson Wake-Up Call

After my nice little weekend in Atlanta, I was expecting a chill morning before heading to the beach. That was not what happened.

At 4 AM Monday morning, I got FOUR phone calls and a text from Tyson. Half-asleep, I answered his text, and he hit me with:"Hey, we’re leaving for the beach at 9 or 10 AM."

Excuse me??

I was already running on borrowed energy from the time change, and now I had to get up early? I wasn't dreading it, but I definitely wasn't looking forward to it. I got up, got ready, and was prepared to leave on time.

Only for Tyson to not show up until 11:30 / 12.

Then, when he finally did arrive, I took one look at the state he was in and immediately knew he was in no shape to drive. So, being the loving friend I am, I offered to drive the first half of the six-hour trip.

Driving Through Atlanta: A Near-Death Experience

At first, I didn’t mind driving. I was running on adrenaline and vibes, and it seemed easy enough.

Then, I had to drive through downtown Atlanta traffic… in Tyson’s car.

I truly thought we weren’t going to make it out alive. If you’ve ever driven through Atlanta, you know it’s a lawless land. I was gripping the steering wheel like my life depended on it (because honestly, it did).

Meanwhile, while I was risking my life in traffic, my friend Katy was back home getting my paycheck from my boss. And let me tell you, I was nervous—I had no clue how much I was getting. I had been working my butt off, picking up extra shifts, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough.

Then, I got the text: $700.

I could have cried. That money covered my entire beach trip. Bless past Bailey for dealing with that stressful work weekend before spring break because I know for a fact she wanted to blow her head off dealing with everything. But in the end, it was all worth it.

A Wake-Up Call (Literally)

Fast forward about two hours into the drive, and I was still behind the wheel, exhausted but pushing through. That’s when things got real.

A random car swerved into our lane out of nowhere. I had zero time to think—I slammed on the brakes, swerved out of the way, and somehow managed to keep the car on the road.

That woke Tyson up real quick.

And let me tell you, if I hadn’t been the one driving, we definitely would’ve been “on T-shirts with wings in the back.” No doubt in my mind. Or as my mom would say "There will be slow singing and casket bringing."

After that, Tyson took over the rest of the drive, and thank GOD because I was so over being in the car.

Finally, we made it to the beach, and that’s when the real spring break madness began.

Drinking All Day, Partying All Night (Except Me, I Went to Bed)

The daily routine was simple:

1. Wake up exhausted. Probably from going to bed late or getting back from a long day on the beach (or both).

2. Start the day right. My mornings kicked off at 8 AM with a cold White Claw Surge in hand and a turkey and ketchup sandwich (don’t knock it ‘til you try it). After fueling up, I’d head down to the beach, lather on an insane amount of sunscreen, blast the spring break playlist, and wait for the rest of the group to show up.

   …which took forever.

   By day two or three, people weren’t even making it down to the beach until 1 or 2 PM (pathetic). Meanwhile, I was already three drinks in and fully sun-screened up by the time they dragged themselves outside.

3. Beach activities & legendary memes. The boys threw the football every single day, and I even got in on it a few times. I can’t even count the number of times someone quoted the meme: "Nice catch, cheer. ""Not my name, quarterback." It became an ongoing joke the entire trip, the guys even played with a random little kid sitting with a group next to us, and I won’t lie—it was adorable.

   Oh, and we got in the water, even though it was freezing. Would I do it again? Probably.

4. Head back to the house to regroup. Which took FOREVER. Getting seven guys out of the house at the same time was nearly impossible—especially when we didn’t have a set plan. We’d say, “Let’s go out tonight,” but did we ever establish a time? Nope. Pure chaos.

5. Go out to the bars, party until the early hours of the morning. Well, they did.

   Me? I went to bed early. Almost every night, I tucked myself in while the rest of the group lived their best reckless lives. The one exception? The night we went to Flora-Bama. That night, I was up until 4 AM. I learned my lesson and went right back to my usual schedule of hitting the pillow by 12 or 1 AM.

   To be fair, my diabetes was kicking my ass this trip, so I was extra ready to call it a night most evenings. Plus, spring break sleep is a rare commodity, and I wasn’t about to come home looking like a zombie.

Flora-Bama, Familiar Faces & "Wait... You're Here Too?"

One of the highlights of the trip was hitting up Flora-Bama, the legendary beach bar that somehow attracts every college student in the South. Within minutes of walking in, I ran into people I knew from high school and college, which is both fun and mildly concerning (Do I ever actually leave my social bubble?).

The real kicker? We found out that a group of girls we were all friends with had rented a house one door down from us. What are the odds? Naturally, this led to several accidental run-ins and eventually just having them over at our place. Spring break brings everyone together—whether you planned it or not.

Facetiming My Dog Every Day

While everyone else was worried about their next drink, I had priorities: checking in on my dog.

Not a single day passed without a FaceTime call to my sweet girl, just to make sure she hadn’t forgotten me in the chaos of my absence. If that makes me soft, so be it.

But seriously—if you know me, you know the love I have for my dog runs deep. This was the longest we had ever been apart since I got her back in June, and it was 11 whole days.

Try being away from your child for 11 days and tell me how you feel.

She was staying with my parents and her other pup sisters during spring break, and apparently… she did not make a good impression. She was officially deemed the worst dog there.

Of course, there were multiple accidents, including one on herself. Because apparently, when you’re a tiny wiener dog running under a big dog mid-tinkle, it doesn’t always end well.

It was tragic. But even though she caused chaos at home, I still missed her every single day and FaceTimed her like a clingy parent dropping their kid off at camp. No regrets.

Mini Golf Obsession: Three Rounds in Two Days

For some reason, mini golf became a core activity of this trip. Not once, not twice, but THREE times in TWO days did we find ourselves on a course, putter in hand, arguing over scorecards. Competitive spirits ran high, but at least it was a nice break from the beach-drink-repeat cycle.

The Extra Day: Thanks, Weather Gods

Just when we thought it was time to head home, Mother Nature had other plans. Some nasty weather delayed our departure, meaning we had to stay an extra day. Normally, an extra day at the beach sounds great, but after a week of non-stop energy, and questionable decision-making, we were all exhausted. By the time we actually packed up and hit the road, we had nothing left to give.

Spring Break Verdict: Worth Every Second

Despite the exhaustion, the chaos, and the general lack of sleep and sometimes personal space, this trip was everything a spring break should be. It was fun, ridiculous, and full of the kind of memories you look back on and laugh about for years.

Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. Would I still go to bed early every night? You already know.