BYU NewsNet - Students Take Road Trips to Relax from School

The Mexican sun slowly enters the window of a low-budget hotel, waking a tired Wes Larson.

"It's nothing like Provo," said Larson a senior from Missoula, Mont. as he looks out the window at palm trees and crystal blue ocean water.

Larson, who decided to leave Provo with a small group of friends during an October weekend, traveled 12 hours to the Mexican border and another 30 by bus to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The reason- well, just to go.

Like Larson, students are finding various excuses to ditch classes and Provo to go on weekend road trips. These short weekend adventures are appealing for various reasons, but whatever that reason is, students can agree they provide a needed break from the rigorous coursework of BYU.

"Sometimes I need to get away from Provo and go somewhere I've never been before," Larson said. "These trips clear my mind because I leave everything behind for a couple of days."

Larson said that although these random trips seem to benefit him emotionally, in the long run they bring more stress because of missed classes.

Larson left on Wednesday night and didn't get back until Monday night, a long trip for such a short amount of time. Even though the trip ended up costing him $350 and spending the majority of his time on a bumpy bus ride, Larson expresses no regrets for using his weekend to travel to Mexico.

While extreme trips like these are not common, students are continually leaving Provo to find alternative routes to a stress-free weekend.

For students whose parents live nearby, going home is a natural route that helps achieve a needed emotional boost.

"It is a very relaxing atmosphere being back at home with the family," said Jonathan Salls, a business finance senior from Las Vegas. "My mom really spoils me when I go home for the weekend."

Salls makes the five-hour trip home about every six weeks to have fun, enjoy a change in scenery and to be with family.

Other students leave Provo during the weekend to follow the BYU sports teams. These BYU groupies enjoy the experience of traveling with a sports team to support BYU.

"Football is a lot more fun watching live than on TV," said Julie Hales, an accounting graduate student from Grantsville, who attends the away football games. "We love the Cougs, and any chance we get to see them play live, we are going!"

Hales went to the Arizona and Colorado State game this year and also traveled to Indiana last year to watch BYU play Notre Dame.

Whether it's going on a far away trip, visiting home or following the BYU football team, students do not need to go on long road trips to enjoy leaving the Provo bubble and homework behind. The Wasatch Mountains offer numerous trails and parks that can calm any stressful week, and some students have already started taking advantage of this pristine environment that is so close to campus.

"Any time that I have, I like to get away from campus and the everyday routine of student life by going to the mountains," said Genna Gardner, a senior theater and film student from Orem. "I don't have the time or the money to take long road trips outside of Utah."

Gardner said she stays on-campus from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day during a typical school week. The weekend is a needed break for her and she uses it to travel to the nearby mountains. She said she usually goes to Provo canyon, Heber or Park City to relax.

As for Larson, he said that he would continue to travel to places he hasn't been before, even if that means he only has a weekend to do it. Last year he spent one of his weekends driving to Miami and back.

"I'm only 23 once and I'll never have the opportunity to do this again," Larson said.