Time for A Decision: School Trips or Family Vacations?

Buckle up, you’re going on a ride. You’re crammed in between your sibling and a mountain of luggage, trying desperately to escape the discomfort of someone’s jacket, while also taking care not to stray too close to the snoring brother or sister next to you. The food bags crinkle between your legs every time you move in your seat. You have never been happier to have your headphones on so you don’t have to listen to your parents for another 4 hours. This is the beginning of every painful family road trip.

Just think of how much more you’d be enjoying your time out of class if you were traveling with friends on a field trip! There are almost as many snacks as there are phone chargers. The journey is jam packed with jokes, stories, card games, and music everyone enjoys. The hours fly by and you find yourself checking in to your room with three other close classmates.

From there, your teachers and administrators chaperone you to the first location on the trip. You speed through the educational center to the scenic views for a perfect instagram story photo before booking it to the gift shop to beat the lines. Next stop is the preselected restaurant where you all sit down for a slightly soggy buffet dinner. The teachers let you stop at one more spot on the way back to the hotel, where you will be trapped inside your rooms for 10 hours until they release you for breakfast in the morning. You and every other student in the building wisely elect to stay up and absorb Kanye’s newly released album until 1:30. You pass out after making sure none of the others in the room comes near you with a sharpie.

It’s now 6:45 and you think the door is being kicked down by the teachers. Toast is the only thing you manage to get down because the line for the waffle maker is too long. You are shoved out the door in order to cross the city for an indescribably dull museum tour. Three half interesting historic sites and two bland meals later you stumble back into your hotel room on aching feet; Vans are not suitable for site seeing. You lose rock paper scissors and are third on line for the shower only to find that the first two used up all the toiletries in the bathroom and you can’t go to the front desk for more. Just try and survive yet another rant about which teachers are the worst before falling asleep late again. Rinse and repeat this process about two or three more times and you have another exhilarating, wonderfully planned, and memorable school trip in the books.

Right about now that family trip isn’t looking so bad. Just imagine: you could be sleeping in as late as you please, cancelling and making plans depending on whatever mood you’re in, eating the food of your choice, traveling around to different outlets with your mom and sibling, or going to an amusement park or movie with your dad. Nobody is waking you up early or rushing you from one lame exhibit to another.

As much as you like your friends, nothing beats an easy going getaway with your family.


Alexander Melarti
staff writer

Graphic: Justin Lee

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