You finally made it! Assessments submitted, exams complete. No more late night cramming. No more guilt-ridden napping and Netflix-binging. Semester one is done and you’re ready for holidays!

But what to do with four weeks of freedom? And on a uni student’s budget? There’s a lot more to do than you may think.

Harry Potter Marathon:

Obviously, this wouldn’t be for everyone (I don’t know who those people are, but I suppose they exist). Set aside a rainy day, gather your friends, brew some butterbeer, put on your robes and settle in for 19 hours and 39 minutes of magic.

Mini Road Trips:

Whether you just want to do a day trip or spend a few nights away, there are a great variety of places and towns to visit within only a few hours drive from Sydney and Wollongong.

Blue Mountains
Katoomba is the main town where the Three Sisters are located. But if you want to stay out of the main tourist hub, Wentworth Falls is just a ten minute drive from Katoomba with plenty of secluded accommodation for rent.

South Coast
Jump on the Princes Highway and just head south. For a day trip, stop off at Kiama, Gerringong and Shoalhaven Heads. For an overnight trip drive past Nowra and stop in at the more secluded beaches of Jervis Bay, Bendalong or Narrawallee. Not long enough? For two nights or more head past Ulladulla towards the far south coast. The further you go, the less tourists you’ll have to compete with for sand space.

Southern Highlands
Nature walks, cafes, wineries and the real feeling of winter. The Southern Highlands is an easy day trip with plenty of towns and villages to get to know, all with a different personality.

Volunteer:

Don’t let it interrupt you actually making money, but if you’ve got spare time up your sleeve and no ideas of what to do with it, volunteer! It’s a great way to meet new people, do and learn something new and feel good about yourself. Find an issue or event you’re concerned about/interested in and find out what you can do to help. Walk dogs at your local animal shelter, hand out flyers on election day, or collect donations for charities like Red Cross.

Hikes and walks around the Illawarra:

There’s more than just beaches to check out in the Illawarra. There’s the classic hike up Mt Keira, bushwalks through the national parks and plenty of hidden waterfalls and lookouts to explore.

Host a My Kitchen Rules comp:

Rather than going out to eat every time you want to catch up with friends, take turns at hosting and cooking for each other once a week. Set a budget, maybe a theme and score each other out of ten. At the end, swap recipes and practice cooking your new favourite meal.

But if you really feel like treating yourself;

Book a spontaneous trip to the Philippines:

If you’re anything like the people that live in my house, when you get to the winter break and see a cheap-as-chips flights, you’ll convince yourself you’re losing money if you don’t book it.

We’ve found that at this time of year, going to the Philippines is cheaper (and warmer) than a lot of places in Australia. And with a plethora of islands to hop between, you’re sure to find a near secluded beach all to yourself.

Whatever you end up doing this uni break, make sure you enjoy it! There’s nothing worse (that’s right, nothing!) than going back to uni and feeling like you did nothing with the time you had.

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.