When you’re a college student, you can feel a lot of pressure to spend your summers wisely.

After all, if you don’t, then you’ve potentially earned no money, and you’ve got nothing to put on your resume either. Perhaps this isn’t what you’re thinking about. Maybe you just want to travel and see the world during your college summers? Whatever it is that you want to do, it’s a good idea to think about your options before you head off for the summer. Here are some ideas, if you want to make the most of it!

Go traveling

Traveling is one of the best ways to spend your college summers, and it’s a good idea if you’ve got a bit of cash saved up already. This won’t necessarily give you anything to put on your resume, but you will know that you’ve experienced some more of what the world has to offer, which means that time spent traveling is never wasted. You could also go on road trips around the country, if you want to travel on a limited budget!

Work and travel

Working and traveling is another one of your options, and you can do this pretty much wherever you go. Perhaps look into getting a freelance job, such as writing or blogging, that you can do anywhere? Or you could work in a bar or a restaurant? Another great option is to work in a summer camp like Camp Regis AppleJack, so that you have something to show for your summer, as well as traveling and meeting new people along the way.

Get an internship

Getting an internship over the summer is another good idea, especially if it’s only your first year at college. This will mean that you have the experience of working in a professional environment, and that you have somebody to act as a reference for you, too. Think about a field that you may want to go into in the future, and get in touch with the relevant people, to see whether they could offer you a short-term placement over the summer period.

Volunteer

If you want to do something that gives back to your local community over the summer, then volunteering may be a good idea. Whilst you don’t have to do this on a full-time basis, it’s a valuable addition to your resume, and it makes you stand out as somebody who puts themselves out there to help. This will also be greatly rewarding for you, as you can help people, and really feel like you’re doing your bit for your local, and perhaps global, community.

So, if you want to spend your college summers wisely, then keep these things in mind. From traveling – and working whilst you travel – to getting an internship or volunteering, there are many ways to make sure that you’re getting out there, and making the most out of your summer break. Ultimately, you should aim to have fun, whilst also adding something great to your resume if you can!