Spring Break starts tomorrow, and if you don’t have the funds or the energy to go on vacation, here are some great “staycation” ideas to keep you busy.

1. Mini road trips: I love driving around with my friends in the car, but long road trips can be strenuous. Anything can be an excuse for a small road trip. If you got a coupon from a store that’s super far away, maybe you want to drive down to Woodfield mall or visit a nearby college campus. Grab an aux cord for the car, get a full tank of gas and a few friends and have yourself an hour long mini trip.
2. Take a trip downtown: If you and your friends can’t drive, going downtown is always an option. Trains and buses are cheaper than Ubers, and there’s always something fun to in the city. There are cheap improv shows at places like The Annoyance Theatre and One Mind Theatre, and viewing parties for both The Room and Rocky Horror are this weekend at The Music Box Theatre. The city can feel crazy expensive, but if you know where to go, it doesn’t have to be. There’s also an added bonus of watching confused spring break tourists try and figure out the CTA.
3. Treat yourself: Spring break has “break” in the name for a reason. Go get a massage or take a day at the spa. There are several great local spas in the area, or you could take a trip to a big, expensive one. If this sounds out of your price range, Lincolnwood mall has several chair massage places that are very effective and reasonably priced.
4. Volunteer: It might sound unappealing, but if you work a summer job and are involved in a lot of extracurriculars, this might be one of your few opportunities to get your required volunteer hours in. Places like Soup at Six don’t require an application or pre-reqs like some other volunteering opportunities. Volunteering doesn’t have to be complicated, and you can put your free time to good use.
5. Museum Visits: I personally love museums, and Chicago’s museums are the best of the best. There’s the Alder Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, History Museum, Field Museum and the Holocaust Museum. There is a lot to choose from, and one of them is bound to appeal to you. Museums don’t exist exclusively for field trips; you can always visit in your free time as well.
6. One night hotel fun: You might need some close knit friends and have a little bit of money put away to do this, but  you can spend one night in a gorgeous hotel room downtown. Maybe one with a pool and a game room, or maybe check into a haunted hotel and spend the night ghost hunting with a friend. You don’t always need a special reason to stay in a fancy hotel, and a single night stay downtown split between your friends won’t break the bank either.

There’s no reason to stay at home bitterly watching people’s Snapchat stories of their vacations when there’s so much stuff to fill your day with right here. The best part about a staycation is that there’s no pressure to do anything if you don’t want to. You aren’t wasting precious travel time sleeping when you’re at home in your own bed. You have a whole week to do whatever you want, and Sunday night will always be there for you and your homework.