Winter break is the perfect time for catching up on sleep, reconnecting with friends home from college and cranking out some homework before the end of the semester.

Traveling over winter break can be fun, but at the same time, it is hard to catch up on sleep, reconnect with college friends and catch up on homework from a place besides home. Also, depending on how far one travels, there can sometimes be a time zone change, which can throw off sleep cycles and cause people to lose sleep or return home jet lagged.

Senior Lauren Goldstein enjoys staying home during break because she gets to sleep a lot. “When I was younger, I always wanted to go away for winter break, but now that I am older and I need more sleep, I prefer staying in the comfort of my own home and getting 10 to 12 hours of sleep every night,” Goldstein said.

Winter break is also the perfect time for catching up with friends who were away at college all semester. There is nothing like celebrating the holidays and reconnecting with distant friends. This cannot be done from another state, country or continent.

“I love the holidays because everyone comes home from college. It is nice to see people who I do not see all semester,” senior Gabi Moran said.

Finally, winter break allows for time to catch up on homework and study for midterms. Also, some teachers assign projects over winter break, so students can use those 12 days off to complete them. Traveling over break often cuts into homework and studying.

“I plan on doing my whole psych project over break and also since [winter break] is so close to exams, I can start studying,” junior Sara Adam said.

Traveling over the holidays can be hectic. The airports are always crowded and there is a lot of traffic on the roads. “Every Christmas Day my family meets at my moms and I don’t like traveling on the holidays,” English teacher Sharon Lee said. Traveling over winter break is a great opportunity, but staying home can also be just as nice, especially if friends and family are around.