As winter quarter comes to an end, spring is on its way. During the week-long spring break, there will be CWU students traveling or staying here in Ellensburg.

Food science and nutrition major Alex Ray will be traveling to Ireland with two of her roommates this spring break.

Ray said she has spent her spring break in Cancun with her sister for the last three years.

She has been planning this trip since the end of December and has been saving $100 per week to go towards the trip.

Ray and her roommates will be flying into Shannon and staying in Limerick, Killarney and Dublin. They will be spending two days in each location.

They leave March 16 from SeaTac to arrive in Ireland just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.

Ray is excited to try the food, experience St. Patrick’s Day, go pub hopping and see the cliffs of Moher.

“In one of the towns, we are staying in a castle and I am really excited about that because I have never been in a castle,” Ray said.

Ray’s recommendation for any student that wants to travel is to budget and find package trips.

“When you first get paid, budget out your paycheck right then,” Ray said. “Always set aside some money for travel, put it away and don’t ever touch it.”

David Judge is a junior IT major from Vancouver, Washington. Each year you can find Judge using his spring break to work and save money to bring back with him. Judge works at TJ MAXX and said they are really flexible with his school break schedule.

“I am thankful for them, and I am excited because I get to spend some time off campus,” Judge said.

If Judge wasn’t working at TJ MAXX he said he would most likely be doing a lot of yard work or side jobs and spending his time at home.

Virginia Painter is the communications director/spokesperson for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commision.

According to Painter, camping in the Yakima area will be hard over spring break due to the weather conditions. She recommends going on the Washington State website and poking around. Reservations can be made on that website as well.

The campgrounds in Yakima and other areas usually open up towards the end of April and in early May.

A Discover Pass is required to enter or stay at state parks in Washington. Discover Passes are $10 for a day and $30 for a year.

On Tuesday, March 19 the Washington State Parks system will be letting people into state parks for free to celebrate its 106th birthday.

Painter recommends that younger people, especially those in school, experience nature because it is healthy and allows students to de-stress from a difficult quarter.

“School is really stressful and being outside can put a perspective on your problems and reminds you that you’re doing the best you can,” Painter said.