Every year college students from around the world flock to Panama City Beach for the ultimate spring break celebration.
For my final spring break, I experienced the madness with seven of my closest friends.
It was everything I had hoped it would be. The weather was perfect and the parties never ended.
When we woke up on Sunday morning, none of us wanted to leave.
As we packed up our cars, we remembered what we could of our vacation. In six days we had learned more than any MTV show could have ever prepared us for.
As we took our last pictures and packed away our video cameras, I began compiling a list of helpful hints for next year’s spring breakers.
If we had known on our first night what we knew on our last, our spring break experience may have gone a little more smoothly.
1. People will do anything for a strand of plastic beads. Keep this in mind during your stay as hundreds of wide-eyed, bead-bearing drunks will give you thousands of offers for a strand of beads. Don’t take it personally and don’t get offended. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Remember, it’s all a part of the spring break experience.
2. All you really need to pack is a swimsuit and a toothbrush.
This may seem silly but if you have ever tried to cram four people and their luggage into a car for an eight-hour drive, you understand what I mean.
Less means more, and it’s not like you need any clothes anyway. No matter how many outfits you bring, your swimsuit is the only thing you will wear daily.
Everything else you need, from T-shirts to deodorant, can be earned at various stands along the beach.
3. Never, ever apply tanning accelerator on your first day of fun in the sun.
This will result in unbelievable sunburn and several days of painful peeling. Remember, sun block is not a sign of weakness but a sign of intelligence.
4. If you choose to consume alcohol on the beach all day, which most spring breakers do, be prepared to face the consequences.
These include, but are not limited to, regurgitating uncontrollably for what seems like an eternity, wrestling with trash cans to get laughs out of your drunken peers and participating in contests that may have previously seemed demeaning or embarrassing.
5. No matter how much money you take with you, you will run out!
There are only so many $25 cover charges and $3 cans of beer your pocketbook can handle so try to keep this under control. Try not to forget that your car will need gas for the ride home.
6. If your school’s basketball team is playing an unbelievable game against Wake Forest, you better stay close to a television! (Great game Bucs! We were all rooting from our hotel rooms!)
7. The only people that make fun of East Tennessee accents are people who live in East Tennessee.
Everyone you meet on spring break will love the way you speak.
They may even encourage you to talk just so they can enjoy your “Southern twang.”
This will undoubtedly result in a thickening of your accent. Be prepared for this and understand that the more people tell you how wonderful your accent is, the more likely you are to emphasize it.
You learn more in Panama City Beach than you can ever put into words.
Every college student should experience spring break at least once. It is extremely refreshing to be surrounded by thousands of people, from all around the world, who appreciate this week-long break from reality just as much as you do.

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