Everybody needs some "me time."

But "me time," as many of us know too well, is hard to come by when our lives are plagued by an onslaught of papers, midterms and computer servers that move like molasses when we're on deadline.

That's why "me time" often doesn't come until spring break. And although that much-needed week away from academia is still a month or so away, it never hurts to start planning early.

Spring break doesn't have to include Jell-O shots in Cancun or trips to shady hospitals after a third round of alcohol poisoning. (Of course, it certainly could.) It simply needs to fit your idea of rest and relaxation. And that's what we've piled together here: ways to help push you along into whatever you need most in your time off.

Maybe you're short on cash. Like us, you're probably a broke college student, and the current state of the economy-yeah, we're all sick of hearing about it at this point-certainly isn't making your wallet any fatter. But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to for you to make your dream trip affordable.

Try crashing on a stranger's couch in a foreign country. Or prepare your own backpacking trip on Catalina Island. Or, if a painful family cruise is already in the works, figure out how to smuggle on some items to make your own fun.

Just take some time to take it easy. Watch a movie. See a concert. Take your shirt off. Whatever.

You deserve it.

-Jennafer McCabe & Jack Wang