Hailey’s Guide to Staying Home for Spring Break

I will be the first to admit that I get major FOMO when I hear about the amazing trips people are going on during their trips abroad, so I began questioning if I should plan more trips myself? But for the most part, I had to realize that I needed to prioritize other work and stay in my home city, Vienna. But then spring break came around and everyone’s trips got bigger and better and of course so did my fomo.

Now, I would like to clarify that my nana and her sister had already been planning to visit me during spring break, so off the bat I knew I couldn’t go anywhere. But after I spent that week with them, I realized that staying in Vienna was such a good option for me and made me want to explain why I think it’s a good option for anyone.

My midterms ended up being  over early during the week, so I was able to plan a short four day trip to Lyon (which I loved and have a different post to write about that trip) which was nice before spending a whole week in Vienna. But what I realized was that there was so much more to the city I live in than I had ever realized. I got to experience different wine tastings and Heuriger(traditional Viennese Wine taverns), new districts, and do so many different activities. So here’s my top tips for spending your spring break in your home city:

1. If you have family coming, plan a tour of your city! It’s a great first day activity to let everyone get settled and show them your favorite parts of the city as well as major landmarks. I loved being able to show my nana where I go to school, the beautiful buildings in the city, the fun areas, and the important monuments.

2. Pick out new places to eat. There is little else that shows you a city as well as eating good food in comfortable, traditional places. It’s so easy to find new places to eat, and personally I like to plan a little bit in advance and find different types of restaurants to experience! You can do a tasting dinner, something super formal, something incredibly relaxed(like eating from the deli of a Heuriger in Vienna!), or something in between, maybe even include an entertainment style dinner. Getting to know the food of your city is so fun and so easy to do.

3. DO everything you’ve said you want to do but haven’t yet. My nana, great aunt, and I did so many fun things together. We went to some of the best museums in Vienna, went on the prater wheel, toured Schönbrunn palace and the museums attached, saw the Schönbrunn zoo, and even took a day trip to Salzburg to see the sights.

4. On that note, taking a day trip or two is also a great option! Most of Europe is so close together that it only takes a few hours by train to get to a new city to experience. Or you can keep it closer to home and explore a city near you. Either way it’s a great way to experience a new place without committing to being gone for too long.

Obviously, there’s a lot more that you can do during spring break as every city is going to be different, and I don’t want to discourage anyone from traveling if they want to—but I want everyone to know that it’s possible to have an amazing time no matter where you are. But I will note, when everyone I spoke to came back, they all said they wish they had made their trips shorter, or that they were burnt out, or that they were so incredibly tired but I felt completely fine, ready to take on the next week of classes and excited to keep seeing my city. To quote The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.”