Spring Break: every student’s favorite time of the school year. Whether you’ll be spending it at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, in the infamous party zone at South Padre Island, exploring all that mother nature has to offer in America’s National Parks system, or focusing on self-care and me-time at home, it is all time well spent. With spring break ’20 is just around the corner, we put together a list of how to prepare for your spring break.
P.S. Before we get into the details, if you’re spending your break at home, it’s the ultimate best time to book all of your doctor appointments and get them done for the year. Go to the physician, dentist, and oh yeah, the eye doctor! We have availabilities for spring break NOW – so call or schedule online to reserve your slot today!
- Quality Sunglasses
- Sunglasses are a *must-have* for your spring break adventure – whether they’re prescription or non-prescription. Maybe you’re looking for something that amps up your style, or maybe you’re on the search for something to improve performance. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll help you find your perfect pair. We even have some on sale right now!
- Sunglasses are an extremely important tool for protection against the incredibly harmful UV rays that come from the sun. When you don’t protect your eyes from the invisible rays, you’re at risk for developing cataracts, macular degeneration, and more sight-impairing and/or stealing eye diseases. Shielding your beautiful eyes from the damage of UV light will keep them healthier longer. Sunglasses also cut glare from reflective surfaces like snow, water, and light sources.
- Sunscreen Stick
- A stick of sunscreen is way better than a bottle of liquid sunscreen! It can’t leak out anywhere and ruin anything in doing so, it’s not a liquid so you can put it in a carry-on bag, and it takes up less space. There are many different kinds on the market, including ones formulated specifically for your face, sensitive skin, and aren’t greasy.
(image from colorescience.com)
- Sunscreen is a very important tool used to protect your skin from the damage of the sun’s UV rays. It shields your skin from dark spots, wrinkles, burning, and of course, skin cancer. Consider how likely you are to burn when selecting your sunscreen. 30 proof is a good place to start and don’t forget to reapply according to the directions. Did you know you can get a sunburn when it’s cloudy outside? In fact, it’s recommended that everyone wear sunscreen on exposed skin daily (aka your face) to keep your skin healthy and youthful as long as possible.
- Clean, Safe Water
- From our own wilderness to foreign countries, always make sure you have access to clean and safe drinking water. It’s recommended that you drink half of your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 120 lbs., you should be drinking 60 oz. of water each day. We definitely take clean drinking water for granted in America, so make sure you consider what situations you may find yourself in when you’re away from home.
- Opt for bottled water you are familiar with, or if you’d like to choose a more sustainable option, you can purchase a purifying water bottle that filters out protozoa, bacteria, and even viruses from your water.
- Scopolamine Patches Warning
- Do you suffer from motion sickness or seasickness? Are you going on a cruise or a boat this spring break? Scopolamine patches require a prescription but are a common and preferred way to prevent nausea associated with motion sickness as opposed to over-the-counter options because of their effectiveness.
- Be careful, though, because if you apply one of these patches and proceed to touch your eye, the medication will dilate your pupil, resulting in impaired, blurry vision. Do not use this medication if you have open-angle glaucoma, are allergic to similar medications, and please notify your doctor if you have glaucoma.
- Wash Your Hands Properly
- This requires no explanation, but with COVID-19 spreading around, it must be talked about. It’s recommended that when you wash your hands, you do so for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Hand sanitizer is an anti-bacterial product and will have no affect on viruses. Take a look at the figure below to see where the most commonly areas are on your hands and make sure you don’t miss those from now on!
(image from worldwide.saraya.com)
- The choice is yours if you want to still travel to your spring break destination in the midst of this viral breakout. Whatever you do and wherever you go, wash your hands frequently and properly, avoid touching your face, cough into your elbow/sleeve, and don’t freak out. Your health and safety are always the #1 priority!
- Protective, Waterproof Phone Case
- If you’re traveling, it’s a top-notch idea to armor up with a heavy duty protective, even waterproof phone case. If you get caught in a sticky situation with a broken phone while in a foreign country or out in the country somewhere, you are bound to struggle. In some minor cases, you could shatter the screen by dropping it on a rock or run into the ocean without taking it out of your pocket – anything is possible. It’s best to avoid getting yourself into that by simply protecting your phone properly!
- Notify Banks and Credit Card Companies of Your Plans
- If you’re traveling a decent way, you’ll want to notify your banks and credit card companies of your plans: that’s where you’re going and the specific dates. If you don’t, you run the risk of getting your cards declined and accounts frozen because they suspect fraud. Make sure you always have some cash on hand, so make sure to tell the bank when you go withdrawal some spare change.
- Pack a Plastic Bag
- If you’ll be swimming in a Mexican cave, Miami pool, the Pacific ocean, or a woodsy creek, pack a plastic bag to put your suit in when you make the trip back home to avoid getting the rest of your belongings soaked, because sometimes your suit isn’t fully dry when you have to pack up and head out.
- Schedule Automatic Bill Payments
- Depending on how long you’ll be gone and in vacation mode, consider setting up automatic bill payments for whatever bills you may have due while you’re away. If the bills are under your roommate’s name, you’ll want to suggest they do so, or simply pay the bill before you leave to avoid any late fees or taking a hit to your credit score.
- Download Digital Entertainment
- Whether you’re hitting the road and driving across the country or sailing through the skies, it’s a fantastic idea to download your desired digital entertainment while you have access to Wi-Fi before you embark on your journey. You can download audio books, e-books, podcasts, music, movies, tv episodes, and more. Don’t risk going over on your data plan – that’s never a good idea. P.S. Don’t forget your own earbuds or you spent all that time downloading for nothing!
- Clean Your House Beforehand
- It’s strange, but I promise it will be worth it. Organize your room, clean the house, do your laundry, run the dishwasher, and clean out the fridge before you leave. The last thing you’ll want at the end of your break is to come home to 10 loads of laundry, a tornado-stricken bedroom, overflowing dirty dishes, and a complete mess of a place you’ll have to deal with upon arrival when you’re exhausted and have to unpack, among other responsibilities. You’ll thank me later.
I hope these tips help you prepare for your spring break adventure, whichever way you chose to spend it. Make it count, stay safe, and have an incredible time!