Everybody has stress in their lives. Whether it's work, school, or even family. One thing that can push the stress away is a weekend getaway with a group of your friends. Right now you're probably thinking, "But I don't have the time for a trip". Well, guess what? Chances are your friends are busy too, but they invited you to go because they want you there! I took a recent weekend getaway with my friends, and I almost didn't go. But I did, and I NEEDED IT. There are so many reasons why we all have to go on these trips, so I've broken it down into 5 major reasons.

1. We Work Ourselves To Exhaustion

Okay, but Cinderella is a FAT MOOD. As a college student who works every day during the summer to help pay for the everlasting expenses for college, I can soundly say that I relate to this GIF. Every person who has a job knows that when you work every day, it can be exhausting. That is how I was feeling before I went on my weekend getaway trip. Having a whole weekend to sleep in and wake up with your friends for breakfast was incredible. It made me realize that even though I have responsibilities, I have to take the time for myself to catch up on sleep so I can be at my best.

2. Life Is Stressful

We all have stress. There is not a single person on the Earth who can stand there and say "I am totally fine and have no worries at all". Life just doesn't work that way, honey. Life has its way of overtaking our lives until we feel nothing but stress and anxiety. For me, a trip with my friends allowed me to take a step back, and just breathe. Trying to juggle college planning, a job, my family, and a social life was getting to be too much. Going to a cottage up in the woods with no connection to my life, helped me de-stress and pick myself back up off the ground.

3. It's A Chance To Reconnect With Your Friends

It was only natural that when talking about friendship, I used a GIF from the show "Friends". We all have a group of people that we call our friends. But sometimes we get so caught up in our lives, we lose touch with each other. I don't know about you, but I get down when I don't see my friends for a long time. So when my friend/roommate Brandan invited me to his family's cottage with some of our other friends, I had to say yes! I hadn't seen him or my other friends all summer. I was so happy to see my friends after so long apart that I felt like crying. Yes, I am emotional, I cry like once a year.

4. The Road Trips Are Epic

Jake Lucareli

Haven't you ever seen one of those movies where the friends all go on road trips for a big group vacation? Well, that's what my friends and I all did! My friend Devin drove while I sat up front, it was just the two of us. Picking who you ride with is essential when it comes to a road trip because it sets the atmosphere for the trip! When I say atmosphere, I mean the music, the stops for food, even the air temperature. Riding with Devin was perfect because we like the same kind of music, and we each love Starbucks so much that we stopped there TWICE. Oh, we also encouraged each other to buy pastel pink and periwinkle cups! Overall, the road trip was one that started the trip off on a good note and is a memory I will remember for life.

5. The Memories Will Last You A Lifetime

Jake Lucareli

You might look at this picture of me and see somebody who just wanted a good Instagram photo. But when I look at this photo, I remember forcing Brandan to get into the freezing cold lake, and laughing while trying to capture that perfect photo. I see this photo and laugh because right after I got out of the water, I forced my friends to make room on their towels for me. One look at this photo makes me remember that it started to rain on us right when I was beginning to dry off! This photo invokes all sorts of memories for me, along with the other photos that I took on the trip. Every memory that we created on this trip is a memory I hope I never forget because it was such a happy time for me.

We all come up with excuses why we SHOULDN'T go on these little weekend getaways with our friends. But what we should be doing is trying to come up with excuses for why we SHOULD. I was hesitant at first because I didn't even think about what kinds of fun I would have. All I could think about all of the responsibilities I had and what if I didn't have any fun. But I went on the trip and couldn't have been luckier to have had the weekend that I did. The next time your friends push you to go with them somewhere for a weekend, do yourself a favor and say YAAAAAS LET'S GO.