Spring Break: Things to be Aware of

by Taila Ward, Youth Services Bureau

After a long winter and being extra cooped up due to COVID-19 guidelines, families and students are looking forward to spring break. Spring break is generally an exciting time as it means the start of warm weather, time off school, and sometimes getting to travel domestically or internationally. This year may be looking different for you and your family with travel guidelines, general restrictions, and increased risk of spreading or contracting COVID-19. Whether you are staying home this year or traveling there are around 35 hours of extra unstructured time with school being off. This time, if not structured or talked about, has an increased chance of risky behavior occurring.

If you are traveling:

• Be aware that accessing drugs/alcohol/nicotine while traveling may be more attainable, especially if you are in a busy area such as a beach
• The drinking age may not be 21 depending on where you travel. If you are traveling to Mexico the drinking age is 18
• Have open conversations within your family about expectations on overall behavior
• Know where everyone is at all times
• Check out the article TEENAGERS PLAN SPRING TRIPS, BUT PARENTS RAISE CONCERNS

If you are staying home:

• Create a plan
• Have fun
• Stick to a schedule (How to do Spring Break in Quarantine)
• If it feels like everyone else is traveling, check out some ways to spend your time at What to do on Spring Break

Check out these articles for more info on ways to spend spring break, as well as info on risky behaviors:

The story behind spring break

Here are 37 spring break staycation ideas for your kids

Teens gone wild: Spring break and risky behavior