If you’re anything like me, you’ve been day-dreaming of chugging margaritas on the beach as your toes go numb on the long and snowy walk to class. Spring Break could not come soon enough and many a student has been counting down the days until they leave for those sandy beaches (I’m talking to you, girl who’s been updating her status every day since September).

But while many view the traditional MTV Spring Break as an essential, critical, and irreplaceable college experience, lately girls have been unpacking their bikinis and trading them in for work boots all in the name of Haiti.

I don’t have to remind anyone (I hope) of the disaster that struck there just a month ago. Officially considered the largest earthquake ever recorded, the death toll is estimated between 212-230,000 civilians. That’s equal to the deaths that resulted from the 2004 tsunami in southern Asia. That number is not only shocking on its own, but it makes it one of the two most horrific natural disasters to happen to North America in the last ten years (yes, Haiti is part of North America!), the other being Hurricane Katrina. And just as special Spring Break programs were created to allow high school and college students to travel to New Orleans and help with disaster relief, there are plenty of programs out there for Haiti. Read More »

There are a few normal things to do after you graduate:

1. Get a job.
2. Go to grad school.
3. Live at home and freak out about the future.

I don’t know about you, but none of these options sound very appealing to me. I prefer an option that is a bit outside the norm: travel.

That’s right. If you’re graduating, I’m here to convince you to put off getting a job and spend at least three weeks (and preferably more) in a new place or country. I went to India for five weeks right after I finished my post-grad fellowship, and it was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever taken.

There are always reasons not to travel. It costs too much. It’s impossible to get that much time off. Your best friend won’t go with you. But those aren’t good reasons, and there are definitely ways around them all. If major post-grad travel is cost-prohibitive for you, consider doing a volunteer program in another country that will cover the costs of your airfare and lodging (surprisingly common).

If you already work a job and don’t have high hopes for getting time off, sit down and have an honest talk with your supervisor. If you seriously want to travel, your enthusiasm will come through, and as long as your supervisor isn’t a jerk, he or she should be willing to work with you to figure out how you can do it. Read More »