Warm breezes, damp sand and cold drinks are just daydreams for the next four days, but Spring Break is just around the corner, which means an escape from the tedious hustle and bustle of college life for many students.

Tyler Barrick, a senior in parks, recreation and tourism, said he is looking forward to doing a little hunting while he and his motley crew of six venture down to Ft. Lauderdale for the week. Not just any hunting, that is. He will be seeking, as he puts it, “two-legged deer.”

“I plan to spread my seed,” he said.

Joking aside, Barrick said his senior year has been pretty stressful and he is going to the beach to “relax, sit out in the sun and get a tan.”

“I am looking forward to not doing a damn thing,” Barrick said. “No homework, no tests, no projects.”

Michael Downer, a junior in industrial engineering, is planning to take a trip to the Bahamas. Although Downer, who will be vacationing with his girlfriend and another couple, has no plans on participating in any type of “deer” hunt, he and Barrick share similar motives for going south.

“I am doing a co-op this semester and it’ll be nice to get away from everything for a while,” he said. “I am going to sit on the beach, maybe go snorkeling or something cool like that, maybe take some tours if they aren’t too expensive and, of course, drink.”

Downer also said they are going out of the country because he isn’t 21 years old.

“This way, it will be legal for me to drink and I will stay out of trouble,” he said.

Sitting on the beach and partying until the break of dawn are not the only options for eager Spring Breakers who don’t mind coming home with an empty wallet.

Jonathan Miller, a senior in accounting, is taking his girlfriend on a cruise to Key West, CocoCay and the Bahamas.

“Neither of us have been on one and we figured that it would be a nice celebration right before we graduate,” Miller said.

Miller also said he is looking forward to getting away from Raleigh and doing some sight-seeing.

He said this week is going to be tough.

“I’ve already broken down and have zero motivation to accomplish anything this week — I’m pretty sure the rest of campus is the same way,” he said. “The cruise will rejuvenate me for the second half of the semester and give me somewhat of a second wind.”

Downer said next week’s vacation is one of the last chances for rest before the end of the semester.

“I think Spring Break is an important time for college students to relax before exams coming up,” he said.

Krista McNeil, a junior in business management, isn’t going tropical for her break, but across the Atlantic to Europe.

She is traveling to Spain to visit her twin sister, a student at UNC-Chapel Hill, who is studying abroad in Seville.

McNeil is looking forward to taking a hiatus from her busy schedule.

“We will be relaxing a lot. I am taking 18 [credit] hours this semester, plus I work about 25 to 30 hours a week, so I can’t wait to sit in 70-degree weather and relax,” she said. “I’ve been to Spain before, and it’s really nice to wake up and do some traveling, take an afternoon nap, shower and eat late and then party until the early hours of the morning.”

Barrick has a similar game plan, although he is uncertain of his final destination.

“My ideal day is to wake up at noon, go to the beach until four, relax until nine or 10 and then go out until the sun comes up — and wake up somewhere other than my hotel room,” he said.

Of course, not all this fun happens free. Students have been saving up for a while to go on their trips.

“I have been saving since October,” Barrick said. “I only work a part-time job, so saving money isn’t easy.”

Barrick said he and his friends only plan on going out “hardcore” two or three nights, but their roundtrip flight is $350 per person, $250 per person for six nights in a hotel and “less than $300 for general spending money.”

Miller said he will incur similar costs as the cruise is about $400 per person and activities can cost as much as $200.

Downer said he will probably drop close to $750 when all is said and done.

Students agreed that coming back to school will be a let down.

“Coming back to Raleigh, and coming back to the real world is definitely going to be a bummer,” Downer said.

As he leaned back, smiled and put his hands behind his head, Barrick offered an alternative scenario to returning home.

“If all goes according to plan, I will meet a sugar momma and never have to leave Florida,” he said.