I have entered panic mode. It’s official. It’s the middle of February, and I’m stressed over summer plans. Having spent the last week hearing friend after friend discuss J1s, exotic internships and far flung holiday destinations whose names I can’t spell, I have entered a state of craziness that is usually reserved for the week before exams. Apparently, while I had been engrossed in the Winter Olympics, an invisible signal had swept through the campus, that had led everyone to begin frantically organising their 16 weeks of freedom. Now I find I have fallen behind, way behind, and I’m desperately scrabbling around trying to catch up. 

You see, I can’t spend another summer like the last. I took an early holiday in June, and then found myself adrift for the following 3 months. Bored out of my tree, stuck watching reruns of Gilmore Girls and the Ellen De Generes show, going days on end without changing out of my pyjamas, I soon began to lose my mind. So desperate was I for college to return, I downloaded my reading lists at the end of August and started making my way through them. It was a sure sign of cabin fever. Desperate to avoid a recurrence of this alarming event this summer, I began anxiously searching the internet and college notice boards for some ray of hope. Unfortunately no lightning bolt of inspiration struck me in the arts block, and with a bank balance lying somewhere around the 34 cent mark, most of the usual options for fleeing Dublin are out of my reach. But rather than merely accepting this limitation, I’ve decided to defy it, and come up with some alternatives to the traditional student summer plans. 

1. Inter-railing... Dart style

The joy of inter-railing across Europe can of course be achieved on a budget, especially in your choice of destinations and hostels. Visiting places like Budapest or Krakow instead of Barcelona or Milan will automatically reduce the cost of your trip, but a four week holiday can still be a drain on the finances. For the exceptionally broke student like myself, there is an alternative, in the form of the Dublin Area Rapid Transport system. The magical green train travels from Bray to Howth and Malahide, stopping at a wealth of destinations along the way. If you’ve ever felt the urge to visit Dun Laoghaire or Sutton, now’s your chance. A day ticket will cost you less than €10, but if you’re feeling really adventurous hop on a commuter train to Dundalk or Maynooth. If you’re looking for something a little longer than a day trip why not call up some distant relatives in Arklow, Cork or Galway and arrange a mini-break. The inter-city trains that will deliver you to their door have some major advantages too, not least the fact that they sell tea, coffee and snacks, and have some exceptionally comfy seats. While maybe not as exciting as flying somewhere (no-one’s going to ask you for a passport at Pearse station, or make you go through a full body scanner), if you have to stay in the city for the summer, the train does give you a chance to escape, if just for a day.

2. Camping... close to home

I’m not a big outdoorsy person, but camping always makes you feel like you’re on holiday...perhaps it’s the not sleeping in a bed part?? The only downside to camping is that the equipment you need can be quite expensive. That’s why I suggest borrowing a tent and pitching it in the back garden. While many of you may argue that this is what an 8-10 year old does, I beg to differ. A younger adventurer would make their tent, most likely out of pegs, a couple of bed sheets and a clothes line. Anyway, camping out the back gives you easy, and most importantly free, access to a wealth of amenities, including a toilet and running water. And while you may not be able to catch your dinner in the confines of your back garden, you can certainly cook it if the family barbecue is close to hand. 

3. Island hopping...out West

Who needs Greece when you have the Arran Islands? Oh yes, the three isles off the coast of Galway give the student visitor a low budget opportunity to do some island hopping. Firstly, the reduced number of islands means automatically there’s less places to spend your money. Also, it’ll feel like you’re abroad because everyone will be speaking as Gaeilge, and you won’t have a clue what anyone’s saying. Again, there are some advantages to staying within Ireland. Randomers will not do a double take in the pub at the sound of your accent, and proceed to approach you, saying “Oh my God? Are you from Ireland? My great, great, great, great grandmother was from there!” 

4. J1s without the paperwork

This option is probably the easiest to organise out of all. It is merely a job in Ireland. All it requires is for you to submit a CV somewhere, attend an interview and that’s it. No messy paperwork, no crazy apartment hunting, no trying to explain what the Gaeltacht is to confused employers. Simple. 

However if none of these options sound very appealing to you, there is always the option of escaping the country by other means. My plan B involves me building a boat from empty butter tubs and sailing to South America. And with every essay deadline and class test that gets thrown at me, this plan sounds better and better.