While half the school is stuffing their suitcases full of sunscreen and bikinis in preparation for their trip to Cabo, those who are left behind are left with the terror of not knowing where to go for spring break. While lounging by a pool in a foreign country and terrorizing a hotel staff sounds like a good time, road tripping with your friends or camping by the beach would be an equally fun and much more memorable experience...and save you a couple hundred dollars. Here are some trip ideas for spring breakers on a budget.

1. Camping by the beach

If you're craving a great ocean view to wake up to, rent a lot at the Crystal Cove Campgrounds and wake up to this amazing sunrise each morning. Going camping with your friends will let you unleash your inner survivor and the sunrises/sunsets will make for great photography opportunities.

2. Road trip to Salvation Mountain

About an hour outside of Palm Springs is the strangest little town you'll ever see. Salvation Mountain is a large mountain in Niland, CA made entirely out of adobe that is painted with colorful images, murals and quotes. There are painted rooms and caves within the mountain to explore.

3. Explore San Pedro's Sunken City

Sunken City is the ruins of a section of San Pedro that began slipping into the ocean decades ago. The cement remains of the city are still there on a cliff full of palm trees and large, climbable rocks that looks over the ocean. The pieces of cement are completely covered in colorful graffiti. There's even a wishing rock where you can stand, looking over the ocean and throw a piece of gravel off of the cliff into the water.

4. Swim in the tide pools at Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna

Disclaimer: there aren't really a thousand steps down to get down to the beach. But there are about 300. No fancy resort pools can compare to this natural pool that fills up most afternoons. You can swim in the tide pool will looking out at the beautiful and clear Laguna water. And you get quite the leg workout walking up and down the steps. Win-win.

5. Hike to Murphy's Ranch

Legend has it that a couple living in Hollywood in the 1940s built this bunker in fear that the Nazis would soon invade Los Angeles. While the the buildings are scattered and many have been almost completely destroyed, this is the main building that still stands. You can explore the inside of the house and climb up a ladder inside in order to get on the roof. It's about a three mile hike to the ranch.

6. Venture into Jim Morrison's Cave

Drive up PCH to Corral Canyon in Malibu and follow the hike that leads to Jim Morrison's Cave. As the story goes, The Doors frontman Jim Morrison spent time in a cave off the hiking trail when he needed to get away from city life. There's even a carving of a scull in the cave that was rumored to have been carved by Morrison. It's about a three mile hike, which overlooks the ocean the entire way, to get to the cave.

7. Visit Claude Bell's dinosaurs

Be a time traveler for the day and visit Cabazon, California, where two dinosaurs (each around 150 tons) stand. They were built from 1960-1981 by sculptor and portrait artist, Claude Bell. The dinosaurs were intended to be used as buildings, but are vacant. The massive sculptures are next to a dinosaur-themed diner to add to the prehistoric vibes.

8. Rock climb and explore at Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Forest has days worth of things to do. Rock climbing, hiking trails, nature walks, photography and star gazing. You can rent out lots to set up a camp site and make a bonfire to warm yourself around and make s'mores. And FYI, the campsite has bathrooms and showers so you don't have to rough it too much.