During the Christmas season, students usually do one of two things during break, stay home for the holidays, or travel during their two weeks off, traveling during the holiday is most beneficial to students’ health and mindset. 

   According to travelex.co.uk “Traveling has the ability to take you out of our daily routine and into new surroundings and experiences and this can reset your body and mind. Even planning a trip can have a fantastic effect on the body – it boosts happiness and feels rewarding. Not only does travel reduce stress but it expands the mind.” 

   Traveling during the holiday break can be beneficial and enjoyable for mental health and is far more important than staying at home and replaying the same events repeatedly throughout the two weeks. 

   On Sat. Dec. 18, Jilian Thompson (24) plans to travel during winter break. 

   “When winter break comes by, we have reached the first half of the school year complete and as a pause from all the stress endured from school and home activities, I plan to go on vacation to leave my stress behind and get a clear mind before returning back to school for the 3rd quarter,” Thompson said. 

   While staying home during winter break and sleeping in sounds relaxing, realistically it is harming your sleeping schedule for the return of school. 

   According to Danielle Pacheco on sleepfoundation.org “A brief nap can be refreshing and restorative, especially if you are sleep deprived, but longer naps late in the day can negatively impact your sleep quality and duration. A primary key to taking a successful nap comes down to timing. For most people, the ideal nap lasts 10 to 20 minutes,” Pacheco said. 

   When a student stays home over break most of the time there is no reason that the student should wake up at the same time they do for school, causing them to sleep in later than usual and in a lot of cases during the daytime. While on vacation the student may wake up a bit later than their usual routine but still have things to look forward to in the day and have a planned schedule.  

   Traveling for winter break is sufficient for students to receive a break from school and everyday routines, while at the same time maintaining a beneficial sleep schedule.