Before seniors embark on the next chapters of their lives, many celebrate their milestone of graduating high school by going on a trip. These excursions are usually taken with the people who have been by their side throughout the journey.

Since senior festivities come to an end during May, a month before the rest of the school gets out, many graduates take this time as an opportunity to truly celebrate all their hard work. What will they do? Where will they go? Will they go with friends or family? Each senior has their own idea of what a senior trip consists of and how to make it an adventure to remember.

“I’m going with 10 of my friends,” senior Nadia Calder said. “We are going to Acadia National park in Maine for five days.”

One of Calder’s friends organized the celebratory trip for them as she thought it was a good idea because they all share a love of nature. They plan to go hiking, camping, white water rafting and walking around the Bar Harbor area while in Maine.

“I love it there because it’s so beautiful,” senior Silvija Grava said. “It’s right by the ocean and there’s mountains everywhere.”

As they faced many hardships as seniors, they hope the calming scenery provides them with a well-earned escape from their long journey of deciding their plans for their next four years along with thoughts of not seeing their friends on a daily basis.

“I’m going to make it a trip to remember by taking in the little moments with my best friends before we all leave for college,” Calder said.

Other seniors, like Phoebe Greenway and a few of her friends, plan to go on multiple, small trips throughout the summer at their families’ summer spots in order to keep it easy and budget friendly.

“I would say a good weekend at each house is really the ideal amount of time,” Greenway said. “We like to keep it short.”

They plan to stay at Greenway’s house on Block Island one weekend. Other weekends they will be at her other friends’ houses on Martha’s Vineyard and Lincoln, New Hampshire. They plan on going to the beach, eating good food, hiking and even possibly going to a water park.

“It’s just really fun to spend time with friends during a good time of the year because everyone is in such a happy mood,” Greenway said.

Unlike Calder and Greenway, some seniors, like Sean Goodfellow, plan to hop on a plane and travel far. Goodfellow and his 10 friends are organizing a trip to Aruba towards the end of June and start of July.

“We are planning a vacation to Aruba for four days and staying at a resort,” Goodfellow said.

They chose this spot due to the bright sun and love of playing beach games with each other. They hope they will be able to create long lasting memories while on the trip.

“I’m not looking forward to the plane ride home,” Goodfellow said.

Whether it’s staying close to home or traveling far, spending time with your closest friends and family the main purpose of a senior trip is to do the things you love.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with everyone and being on our own,” Calder said. “It’s before we all leave, so it’s like a last hurrah.”