In a little more than 36 days, college (and unfortunately some high school) students will embark on one of the most exciting times of the semester: Spring Break.

Like the average NIU student, you’re probably scurrying like a hungry alley cat just to find two pennies to rub together to get as far away from farm country as possible.

Fear not: There are ways to get out of DeKalb, or Chicagoland, even if your daily diet consists of Ramen noodles and saltine crackers:

Travel within the great 50 states While many springbreakers’ first inkling at a fun time is to travel to the exotic lands of Mexico, many of the same luxuries can be found much cheaper in the United States. Places like South Padre Island, Texas, Panama City, Fla., and Daytona Beach, Fla., all offer the much needed boost in UV rays – at a cheaper cost. Unless your rich uncle plans to bank your trip, don’t plan on flying anywhere – drive it. As the days go on, prices for airline flights soar; plus, making a 20-hour trek to the southern U.S. will allow you much more to see than a crammed airplane bathroom would.

Travel in herds

Spring break destination spots like groups of people so much they usually will give you a bigger discount based on the amount of people who go.

Financial aid, financial aid, financial aid

Last week, most students – at least those who didn’t have nest egg saved up for college – probably received a refund check for unused financial aid money. While the noble thing to do would be to put it toward credit cards or other expenditures, look at it as a free ride on spring break. Sure, you’ll have to pay it back eventually, but how else are you going to find a way to be stuck on an island in the sun? Well …

Income tax refunds

By now, every American worker should be starting to embark on paying their annual dues to Uncle Sam. But broke college students usually see some sort of refund for all the hard slave labor they put in working during the year.

Credit

Someone besides college students looks forward to this time of year – credit card companies. While credit card debt still remains a problem for irresponsible cardholders, a few extra bucks for a spring break trip isn’t going to kill anyone. If you’re already in debt, you might as well enjoy being in debt.

Call direct

Many spring break travel companies say they offer the hottest deals of the season, but booking directly with a hotel could end up saving you even more spending money for Spring Break. Before committing to one of the many traveling spring break companies, make a few calls to destination hot spots – any savings is beneficial.

While the thought of lounging in front of the TV during Spring Break might be appealing to some, hopefully you’ll find your way to a hot beach – 36 days from now.

Views expressed in this humor column do not necessarily reflect the Northern Star or of its staff. Send questions or comments to [email protected].