Spring break. Yeah it’s that time of the year again. A much needed break for the hard working college students. A chance for us to relax, let loose and forget about school.

Hopefully, the plans have been set and the tropical destination of choice is beautiful and sunny.

Now I know everyone’s not the same and some people will be staying home for this break. In my eyes, however, the only excuse you have for not going somewhere without snow on the ground in March (like our beloved C-town) is money.

Students need a vacation, not just from school but from everything else that can bug the crap out of us. This is a break – a time without papers, tests, family (sure we love them, but seriously, “Hey mom, ready to check out Bourbon Street?”), annoying roommates and work.

It’s the ultimate getaway with your bros or girls – the time to let yourself go and do crazy things that you think about later and kick yourself in the ass for. Oh well, we all live life once, and if we live it right, once is enough.

But before all of you go off to Never Never Land, I think there are a few things that are essential in the packing process.

n Guys and girls: Pack the wallet full of money. Checks, credit cards, travelers checks or cash, and don’t be stingy with it. You hopefully saved up for this, so be spontaneous and buy that shirt that you’ll only have the guts to wear once or throw down the money to bungy jump. If you don’t, your mind will always be cluttered with what if’s.

n Guys and girls: Make sure and bring some sun block. Sure we all want to be nice and tan when we get back to Eastern, but you don’t want to burn and spend a day or two in the hotel room because your face looks like a red balloon ready to pop.

n Guys and girls: If possible, a cooler would be handy. No one wants to go out on the beach to layout and turn around to run back inside every five minutes to get another drink.

n Guys and girls: Phone cards are a must. Regardless of what you might think, I’m sure you have someone out there that loves you and wants to hear from you. A quick check in to mom might make her day. Oh, and you better believe if you don’t call your significant other at least once, you quite possibly could be in a mansion-sized doghouse when you get back.

n Girls: I know girls have enough sense to travel in packs, but just to be safe, mase is a smart thing to bring along. A little bottle on your key chain might blind a psycho drunk and save that nail job you just had done.

n Guys and girls: A decent swimsuit selection is a must. Guys, you’ve been working your butts off in the weight room, so now is the time to show off the pecs. Girls, you’ve been going to that tanning bed for a reason, so now it’s time to catch some real rays and bare those tan lines, or lack thereof. Going to the beach and not laying out is like going to a bar without any money.

n Guys: Now I know Eastern has an elite core of upstanding young men, but just in case, bring a Trojan or two. I want all you guys to live it up – I know I want to – but if you meet that one and only someone that you are destined to be with, be careful about it. For your own sake, I hope you know the girl, but if you don’t, just remember -ah forget it, just pray afterwards.

n Guys and girls: Last, everyone make sure and bring a camera or video recorder of some kind, because there is no way you want to miss anything. The memories, good or bad, are still memories that will only happen once. Hopefully they don’t haunt you too much. Plus, it’s a good reminder just in case you were in that state where the memories cells are all gone.

The main message is to have a blast. You’re only this age once. Before you know it, you get old and you think back everyday about the times where you could actually see your feet and control where your hair grows.

There are a couple of don’ts. Guys – don’t get thrown in jail. And girls – don’t wind up on one of those Girls Gone Wild videos. Other than that, everything else is fair game.