For some of us, spring break means beach plans with our friends, visiting our family, catching up on our favorite shows or cleaning and reorganizing our spaces. For others, it’s an opportunity for adventure, and we daydream about extraordinary alternatives. Regardless of age, and whether you are in school or not, spring is a great time to shake off winter stillness and kick off physical activity, to challenge ourselves and build friendships that will carry over into summer and beyond.

Here are 10 reasons to choose a wilderness expedition for your spring break:

1. Spend Time in the Outdoors

How often do we get to unplug from our phones, emails and news outlets? Even in our quietest spaces we may still hear the hum of traffic, electricity and activity around us. But in some of the most remote and precious pockets of wilderness, the gurgles of creeks and the songs of birds become our audible backdrops. Spend your spring break witnessing sunsets and stars instead of screens and ceilings.

2. Exercise and Physical Fitness

Photo by Alice Burgess

In the outdoors, we can set aside manic attempts to change ourselves. Without mirrors or that super fit athletic influencer on your Instagram feed, we slowly unwind to stand toe-to-toe with who we really are. When your days are met with movement from sun up to sun down, you become stronger in mind and body. And don’t let your inner voice tell you that you aren’t in shape enough to have a wilderness experience. The outdoors is a great equalizer. It’s where people of all sizes, abilities and histories can come together to support one another in their challenges and celebrate each other’s triumphs.

3. Make Friends and Create Memories

Whether you choose to sail in the Keys for seven days, or learn to climb at Smith Rock, the people you share your outdoor experience with will quickly become your friends for life. Small groups (usually around 10-15 people) create an intimate environment where you can support one another and keep track of everyone’s progress and well-being. Through this, you will not only have the opportunity to share with friends, but you’ll get to be there for someone else as they conquer their fears and achieve more than they ever thought possible. “Hey, remember when we paddled that rapid together? I’ll never forget how hard we were laughing when the waves crashed over us!” These are the kinds of stories you’ll take home that cruises just can’t compete with.

4. Time for Reflection

Photo by Rikki Dunn

Outdoor experiences offer a special pause button in our busy lives, where we can write in a journal instead of a Facebook caption. Spending time away from our default world offers space for gratitude and allows us to reset. Solos, a safe, structured guided alone time in the wilderness, are especially impactful periods of reflection and often the favorite part of an outdoor expedition.

5. Be Your Best Self

Photo by Joel Reid

On an outdoor expedition, every member of the group sets and works toward goals, pushing each person slightly out of their comfort zones in order to achieve success. For some, this is leading your group using a map and compass; for others, this is sleeping outside for a week or learning how to cook on a portable camp stove. You will not go home the same person you arrived. Expect to be more confident, independent and compassionate toward yourself and others by the end of your experience.

6. Be of Service

Outdoor expeditions provide a structured time to be of service to our greater community. Our Schools coordinate with local entities in order to set up service projects that vary in nature from trail maintenance to visitations in elderly communities. These service projects offer us moments to think outside of ourselves and see the impact we can have on others and in our communities.

7. Master Skills

Photo by Larry Mishkar

Whether kayaking, sailing, canyoneering, backpacking, or dog sledding, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the basics and progress to more advanced skills. Just like with learning anything new, you’ll be coached first and will gradually take off those training wheels to allow room for growth and mastery. You’ll feel confident in your new skills and know how to prioritize safety too.

8. Explore and Adventure

This is your chance to fall in love with an unforgettable destination. While most of us only get to see beautiful places from a car window, a cruise liner, or a drive-by tour bus, when you walk, paddle, climb or sail through an environment, you develop a special bond with it. And when you venture deeper than the side of the road, you get to see and experience places in ways that aren’t possible otherwise.

9. Invest in Yourself

The ripples of an outdoor expedition crest and trough throughout the rest of our lives. We often don’t realize how much our lives have changed until months or even years have gone by and we completely digest and process our experiences. These intangible offerings are investments that can’t be found in a resort, and while spring cleaning feels productive, its impacts aren’t quite as adventurous or long-lasting.

10. Be Unique, Do Unique

There are some great spring break ideas out there. You could go on a cruise, visit an amusement park, pick up a new hobby or have a neighborhood BBQ. But the reality is, the daily choices we make dictate the spirit of how we live our lives. We encourage you to come back from spring break brimming with tall tales of how you pushed past your perceived limits, of the adventurous, passionate, amazing people you met and how you dared to defy your fears and self-doubts.

Spring Break transcends age and it’s not just for those attending school. Outward Bound expeditions reflect these principles. Our courses vary in length of time from five days and beyond, in age groups and abilities. Find your spring expedition here.

Thanks to generous donations from alumni, parents, corporations, foundations and others, Outward Bound’s network of regional schools provides financial aid and scholarships to more than 6,000 students each year. Students in potential need for financial assistance can learn more and apply for scholarships here. If you would like to take part in the Outward Bound movement and financially contribute towards a life changing experience please donate here.

About the Author

Trevor McKee embodies and models the spirit of Outward Bound every day. As a three-time alumni, Instructor since 2009, and Course Advisor for the Northwest Outward Bound School, Trevor has served many sides of the School. He can often be found volunteering and says he doesn’t feel fulfilled without incorporating service into his life. Trevor also believes in making Inclusion and Diversity a reality in his community. He co-produces the Queer Adventure Storytelling series in Portland, Oregon. Trevor credits his pivotal experiences as a student for giving him the tenacity to pursue his dream of hiking from Mexico to Canada twice. He believes every person should have the opportunity to challenge themselves on an Outward Bound course to realize they are capable of more than they ever thought possible.