Like most students when spring break approaches, I always get the travel bug. I want to go somewhere and do anything outside of the regular schedule I’ve had for the last several weeks. There’s only one problem: Traveling as a student isn’t always easy.

There’s classes to work around and vacation requests from work. Another factor is the cost of travel. Sometimes even just the planning process for a vacation can be mentally exhausting.

However, this spring break, I learned about a great way to travel as a student: joining a club. Weber State has many clubs available to students that offer a variety of unique experiences and interactions.

Oftentimes, clubs will get to travel to events like competitions or conferences. For example, some of The Signpost’s staff attended the ACP Spring National College Media Conference in San Francisco.

I was initially nervous, but excited to go. I was worried I wouldn’t truly feel like I got a break, since most of our time would be spent attending journalism panels and lessons.

But as we crossed over the Bay Bridge and I saw all the city lights for the first time, I knew I had made the right decision. I saw gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean, toured Alcatraz, ate more Ghirardelli chocolate than I thought possible and as an added bonus, I got to make closer connections to my fellow staff members.

Student trips like this are a great way not only to make friends, but to gain better skills in their education field.

The conference offered many different classes, from covering protests, to creating TikToks as a journalist, to even covering tragedy. We were shown new techniques that we can implement into the future of The Signpost.

Beyond the conference, we had the opportunity to spend a day sightseeing, where we got to explore the city and try to squeeze in as much touring as possible. While the primary reason for being in San Francisco was learning more about journalism, we still got to have fun.

Because the trip was school affiliated, there were less things we had to worry about than if it were a personal trip. We had rental cars to get there and we got to stay in an Airbnb. If a regular trip is unaffordable at the moment, a field trip through a university club could be just the solution to get you traveling.

If you spent spring break scrolling through your social media feeds and looking at all the places your friends went, maybe it’s time to consider going on a trip with your club. It can enrich your college experience by providing friendships and making the club or organization closer as a whole. You might even pick up a few skills that you can add to your resume.