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SENIORS SENIORS SENIORS! Can you believe you are already a senior in college? Probably not. Time has flown and you are entering the final stage of your higher education. This year will be full of fun, hard work, and a combination of the two. A smart and fulfilling way to spend your breaks and long weekends is with a good old fashioned college road trip. Here are some ideas to make the most of your journey on the road!

1. Historical sites. Most states have listings of historical sites or parks online. These are absolutely worth visiting if you haven’t already. By designing a mini-tour of your school state, or a surrounding state, you’ll be able to see tons of awesome sites in one trip. You can probably also use your student ID for discounted admission, if any is charged.

2. Camping. Camp grounds are fun, rustic destinations for college kids on a budget. Reservations for a camp ground usually hover around $25 – check with yours before you head out. National parks are also worth looking into – the United States has 58 official protected park areas located everywhere from Florida to Montana.

3. Document it. This might sound obvious since smart phones let us take pictures of everything, anywhere, any time. However, try documenting a road trip in a more “ancient” way – by unplugging and journaling your way across the country. Road trips are notorious for weird roadside attractions, bad fast food, and claustrophobia-induced giggling. Being in a car for hours on end will do that to you. Write it out instead of trying to capture it all on a tiny lens. You’ll be able to read it years from now, even if your iPhone falls into a geyser at Yosemite.

4. Visit schools. If you are considering graduate school, road tripping to your prospective options can be a fun – for real! If you have several friends also considering grad programs, you could all make the trek to visit these schools together. This is a great way to spend your time preparing for grad school by finding more out about the institution first hand.

5. Visit friends. There must be high school friends that you have yet to visit! Road tripping to see their campus and get an inside scoop on their lives is a fun way to round out the end of your college years. Plus, you’ll probably be able to crash on their couch, thus avoiding pricier hotels.

Road trips are great group journeys that don’t cost you an arm and a leg. Just remember to drive safely!

Thanksgiving

Late November. This is probably your first big break from school. Thanksgiving is also typically a super fun reunion weekend with high school friends who are seeing each other for the first time since going away to college. If you’ve got a break on the longer side, consider spending some time bargain hunting: check out Cappex’s 5 Black Wednesday Scholarships!

Winter Break

Late December. Oh, winter break. The doozy of all college breaks. Usually longer and more luxurious than any high school winter break could ever hope to be. Spend it lazily hanging with your family and friends, enjoying home cooked food and not living in a dorm. Give your brain a rest from all the finals and papers you probably just completed for semester’s end. Read a book. For FUN. GASP!

J-Term

January. Many schools offer what’s called J-Term (January Term) if their winter break extends through the month of January. Schools like the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota offer J-Term travel programs where students can study abroad for the four week break. In fact, St. Thomas requires its students to do this at least once while they attend school.  A student can travel to Greece to study archaeology and art or Ghana to study its transition into modernity. What an awesome opportunity!

Spring Break

March/April. Again, your time off will vary by school, but usually spring break is one week long and full of fun. Hopefully it falls right after you’ve gotten midterm papers or tests completed, but sometimes you’ll need to split your time off with time on finishing homework. You can also use this time doing something fun AND productive by doing what’s called an Alternative Spring Break. Basically, it’s volunteer work and you’ll not only feel good doing good for others, you’ll be building skills and experiences.

Cappex has tons of resources for college freshmen, including scholarship opportunities.

Today’s question comes in honor of spring break:

According to STA Travel’s website, 49% of student travelers this year plan to spend more than $699 on spring break trips.

Is spending bank on big spring break travels the way to go or do you think there are more frugal ways to have a great spring break?

Have a thought or an answer? Leave a reply below.

We’ve also asked our @Cappex Twitter followers to chime in! Here’s what people are saying on Twitter:

For the students who want to have a fun, relaxing, or exciting spring break without going too far from the city you’re currently in, here are 5 ways to have a fun, yet frugal, spring break.

1. Go somewhere you’ve never been before.
Whether you’re staying in your college town or heading home for the week, there are most definitely places that you’ve always said you wanted to go to, and have just never gotten around to it. Whether it’s a museum, a garden, a farmer’s market or a part of town, jot down some places nearby that you’ve actually never gotten the chance to go to.  Plan a spot to hit up each day of the week and your spring break is practically mapped out right in front of your eyes.

2. Hotel it up for the night.
Feeling the need to change up your environment and treat yourself to a little bit of the pampered lifestyle? Make a reservation at a local hotel for a fun girls’ or guys’ night out. Hotel rates can be kinda pricey, but compared to an expensive flight and week in a resort, it’s a bargain-especially if you find a great deal!

3. Plan a food tour!
A good restaurant is like a vacation in itself. So why not plan a food tour over your spring break? You can make reservations for different times throughout the day at multiple restaurants you’ve always wanted to go to. Have breakfast at one place, lunch at another, a snack and appetizer at the place around the corner, dinner some place else, and top it off with a new location for dessert! Whether you do it in one night or over the course of your break, trying new foods in new settings is a much more affordable way to travel the world.

4. Movie marathon with friends.
With homework, studying, rehearsals, practice and whatever else you got on your plate during the school year, it’s incredibly hard to make time for yourself to watch all those movies your movie buff friends keep telling you “you have to watch!” So if you’re doing the staycation thing over spring break, it’s the perfect time to catch up on new movies, or re-watch your favorites. Invite some friends over, pick out a few movies, make some snacks, and you’re set for the day and night.

5. Take a mini road trip!
You don’t have to travel thousands of miles away to get a taste of something new. There might be some fun sight-seeing worthy spots just a couple hours away, so why not plan a mini road trip? Go with a couple of close friends and you’ll not only save on gas and hotels, but the ride will be as fun as the destination. Just remember, drive safely!

How are you spending your spring break? Share what you’re up to in the comment section below.

On the home front, you’re probably going a little crazy inside.  After all, you’ve spent half of your high school career trying to figure out how to get into college, how to score higher on the ACT or SAT, and how to write the perfect college essay.

Your nerves could eat you alive as you refresh your admissions status on your college of choice’s website.  So, instead of biting your nails down so low you can’t even open a can of Coke, take our words of wisdom on how to handle the wait for your college admissions letter .

1. Get a hobby.
Most high schoolers have access to tons of extra curricular activities.  If you’re already involved in something, maybe it’s the musical, the mathletes or lacrosse–whatever it is–pump up your involvement.  Make a goal for yourself to improve in something. Challenge yourself to sustain a note longer, do harder math in your head or run a quicker mile.  That way, your mind will be less focused on your admissions letter and more about how you can achieve what’s actually in your control at that moment.

If you’re not involved with an after school activity, make your own.  There’s one resource most every high school has no matter what and that’s students. Join up with friends who have the same interest as you and form your own club.  As long as you’re involved in something that piques your interest, your nerves will have the chance to relax while you await the college’s decision.

2. Treat yourself.
Treat yourself to something that you don’t usually allow yourself but has proven to relax you.  Perhaps it’s an extra hour of television, a box of chocolates, or a massage.  With the stress of high school and the college search, so many students barely have enough time to just sit down and relax.  Allot some time for yourself to do what eases your mind.  For some people it might be getting in exercise during a time when you usually force yourself to sit at your desk to do homework.  For others, it’s just allowing some time to veg out.  Either way, give yourself a little relaxation during the week if you find yourself freaking out about your college acceptance letter.

3. Plan your spring break.
No matter what you’re doing over spring break, you can focus your nervous energy on planning it out day by day.  If you’re heading to an exotic destination, do some research to find out which tourist attractions most excite you–snorkeling, ropes course or beachside yoga class.  If you’re staying put during spring day, plan out some things you’ve been meaning to do for a while but haven’t had the time–clean out your closet, visit that museum you’ve always wanted to explore.  Wherever you go, planning a detailed schedule for spring break will most definitely give you something fun to do while keeping your mind off of that admissions letter.

Here are 5 things every college-bound senior needs to do before Spring Break ends:

1. Visit Your Schools in Question: If you’re unsure about which college or university is the right match for you, you might to avoid simply flipping a coin. “Heads? Okay, State it is!”  Make an informed decision, not a random one.  If the schools in question are in close proximity to you, take a mini trip during Spring Break to remind yourself why you liked them in the first place, or even, why one school might actually be a better fit.

2. Contact Current College Students: By Spring Break your senior year, you’ve probably done considerable college research already.  But since the deadline to making a decision is approaching, finding out about nitty gritty stuff might help your decision-making. Send an email or a Facebook message to a friend, or a friend of a friend, or person you had gym class with junior year who’s already enrolled and attending a school you’re interested in. Ask questions about the social life, how much homework they have, where they like to hang out on campus.  For many, college is a passion and they’d be more than willing to chat with you about it.

3. Find Scholarships!!!!: A break from a school gives you the perfect opportunity to dig up as many scholarships as you can.  If you’ve already received your financial aid award letter, you’ll know how much more of your tuition you’ll have to cover.  Finding scholarships is a great way to cover a big portion, if not all, of your tuition.  There are easy-to apply-to-scholarships out there, especially on Cappex.com, so get going!

4. Talk with Your Family or Guidance Counselor: Flesh out your college or university options with people who are looking out for your best interest and education.  Go over your choices, the different tuitions, locations, and find out what your biggest advocates think about your college choices.  Since higher education is such a big and important decision, and a costly one, listening to input from people who want to see you succeed can help you make the right choice.

5. Avoid Going Crazy Waiting for an Acceptance Letter:  The final word of wisdom we hope to instill in you is to avoid mental breakdowns over an acceptance letter.  Many acceptance letters arrive over Spring Break, so try to avoid biting your nails off or freaking out your friends with your anxiety.  Getting into a school or not will not make or break you.  No matter where you land, you are in charge of making your college career what it is. So relax ,and enjoy your Spring Break.