This week, IU students are finally getting the week of relaxation they have been waiting for since 8 a.m. on Jan. 11: spring break is here! While many students may be headed to Panama City Beach, Gulf Shores or Cozumel, some people - myself included - get to spend the week in our hometowns. I’ve headed back home to Northern Indiana, where I can probably expect to have just as luxury of a vacation as those people who headed south. Home cooked meals, less adult responsibility and snuggling with my dog top the list. However, there are some things that must be considered when heading home for a staycation during spring break. If you find yourself at home this week, make sure to keep these two simple things in mind:

1. Do not, under any circumstances, leave your house.

This may seem a little dramatic, since after a week in your house you might think you’ll go stir crazy. Trust me on this one, though. Especially if you’re from a small town like I am, the second you leave your house there is a 100 percent chance you will run into someone you know. It might be your friend’s mom, a former high school teacher or your old babysitter’s sister’s husband’s niece. It does not matter, you will see someone you know. When you see this person, there is also a 100 percent chance they will ask you one or more of the following questions:

How’s school going?

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

What do you want to do after graduation?

You will then be forced to answer these questions to the best of your ability, which may or may not be enough for the person who asked. You may have to go into more detail. You will regret stepping foot into your driveway. It’s much better to be a hermit this week, trust me.

2. Make the most of your hermit life.

You might think you are good at being lazy and procrastinating on the weekends at school. That is no contest compared to what you’ll be doing this week. Make a list of every show on Netflix you’ve ever wanted to watch or heard good things about (or even bad things about). This week is the week to watch all of them. Think you can’t make it through all the seasons of "Friends", "How I Met Your Mother", "Parks and Rec" and Gilmore Girls this week? Think again. You can do anything you set your mind to, especially when no effort is involved. Bonus points if you can get someone to bring you snacks and drinks, so your only required movement is standing up and taking a lap once a day to make sure you still have circulation in your legs.

While going on a seven-day cruise around the Virgin Islands might be exciting, chances are you’ll enjoy your staycation more than you had imagined you would. All-inclusive resorts are nice too, but so is having the comforts at home available to you after a long, stressful week of midterms. As long as you carefully follow the guidelines above, your staycation will be a success and you will finally be able to talk to your friends about all the shows you weren’t caught up on yet when you get back. Happy spring break!