There’s nothing better than being on Spring Break, going down to Florida, and jumping in the nice refreshing water . . . until your bikini top comes off when you try and cannon ball into the pool. Yes, Spring Break can be the best time of the year, but if you’re not careful, there are some things that can easily turn your break of relaxation into a break of humiliation. Hopefully this guide of do’s and don’ts will prepare you for all of the dangers that Spring Break may entail.

• If you’re going swimming on vacation, make sure your swimsuit fits before you leave. Just imagine: you’re going swimming at the beach and then you’re suddenly missing an important article of clothing. Please, for everyone who may witness that wardrobe malfunction, try on your clothing before you go on vacation. On that same note, make sure you aren’t wearing a suit that is two sizes too small. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and check before you leave.This way you know what fits and what doesn’t before you leave.
• Bring lots of sunblock! We all have that one friend or sibling who insists they won’t get burnt if they don’t wear sunblock, and then suddenly you’re coming home with a lobster red friend after a day at the beach. If you’re going somewhere sunny, make sure to take a couple tubes and stash them in easily accessible places. You’ll thank me later.
• Don’t spend money on things you’ll never use again. If you really want a memento or a souvenir to bring back to your family, don’t hesitate to snag it. Just make sure that it’s something you’ll value or cherish as time rolls on. But if you’re spending insurmountable amounts of cash on candy and food, you may want to rethink your vacation budget.
• Research places you plan on seeing before you go there. This is a necessity so you know what you want to see as soon as you get to your destination. Planning ahead can help you make the most of your time. Furthermore, if the place you chose isn’t as fun as you hoped, you’ll know beforehand so you can choose somewhere else to go.
• Lastly, if something bad does happen, don’t let it ruin your vacation. Take it in stride and enjoy your days off! Even if you stay home, you can read a book, go outside, or just be with your family. The most important part of Spring Break is getting to relax and recover after the tiring days spent overexerting yourself at school.

We asked some students and staff about their worst Spring Break mishaps and these were a few of their answers…

“While on our way to Cancun my mom saw one of my teachers at the airport, so she told him to come talk to me. It was really awkward.” – Jordyn Gasser

“We lost my younger sister at Myrtle Beach. We lost her on a rafting trip. We lost her in Hawaii… she likes getting lost.” – Elijah Hudson

“Last SB we went to Nashville. We went to the pool and there was this really cute guy my age. There was a dog running around the hotel for some reason, and it tripped the cute guy. He fell into the pool and hit his head on the concrete. I was sitting in the hot tub laughing. I got his snapchat.” – Jasmine Pettiner-Hinojosa

Once upon a time a little boy was playing on a sandbar in the ocean off the coast of Gulf Shores. His family waved to him and he waved back, quite excited.  His family assumed he was jumping around and having fun. Eventually, the little boy made his way back to shore. He shared with his family the reason he was freaking out.  He had a crab stuck in the netting of his swim trunks! It was pinching him! –Señora Hollingsworth

Two years ago, my family decided to go on a cruise vacation to the Bahamas. A week before we left, our car broke down. So, we called up my grandpa and asked to borrow his truck. My dad was driving it to work one day and put on the cruise control and the whole truck stopped in the middle of the highway. My dad called my mom and we got it towed back to my grandpa’s house. At this point we had only my dad’s small work truck and only a few days left before the long drive to Florida. Our last resort was to rent a very slick but very tiny Jeep Cherokee. We made it down with no problems and our vacation went wonderfully. -Olivia Jones

My family went down to Florida to visit my grandparents and on the first full day of being down there all three of us kids got a really bad sunburn and we weren’t allowed to go outside for two days. It sucked we all wanted to go outside and swim in the pool that was right across the street from my grandparents. -Brooke Yancey