Well, well, well. It turns out flights back home are shockingly expensive (seriously, why is it so much to fly to the Midwest?), and your pockets are a little too empty to afford that all-inclusive trip to Cancun. Thus, you decide you have no alternative but to spend the break within the state of Massachusetts, but that doesn’t mean the world has to know..! Without further ado, here are ways to gaslight everyone into thinking you traveled to some exotic locales while never having left the greater Boston area.

Carson Beach = Miami

If you squint and turn your head a bit, Carson Beach can look like Miami. Sure, the sands will not be anywhere as luscious, and that water is a health code violation at best. Not to mention it will be freezing during mid-March. But look, I’m sure Miami has some snow on its beach, too, right….

Middlesex Fells = Los Angeles

Look, guys! This is Runyon Canyon, in fact. LA barely has a skyline (thanks, urban sprawl), so you can use a bit of imagination and pretend you’re looking at the city of angels, not a random location in the Northeast. Bonus points if you can edit the Hollywood Sign into a picture!

Walden Pond = Lake Tahoe

Okay, so if we pretend there is beautiful scenery hidden in this picture, I can gaslight all my Instagram followers into thinking I ended up in Lake Tahoe. Get jealous, guys. I’ve been trekking all around the Golden State, but I have not gone more than 30 minutes from campus. Hehe, guess who’s living the life?

Boston Public Garden = Singapore Botanic Gardens

I fear I had to use ChatGPT to help me find a destination far away, since I do not know of anything that looks exactly like the Boston Public Garden, which is located in Asia. Yet, it feels like I could just pretend I am on a trip to Singapore! Yes! That looks totally believable, and this absolutely is not the most iconic place in Boston.

Back Bay = London

Well, they do say that Boston is very similar to a European city, right? There’s no need to book a flight to London to see Notting Hill, Buckingham Palace, or Big Ben. Just head to the neighborhood none of us can ever afford to live in, unless we have a trust fund. The most ironic part is that flights to London are probably the same price as flights to St. Louis.

Cambridge = Edinburgh

Old Cambridge Baptist Church passes for Edinburgh any day. Especially if the snow hasn’t melted, which is likely by March 14th (thanks, Punxsutawney Phil!). Fun fact: I never knew how to pronounce Edinburgh until senior year of high school, and when my Bowdoin College interviewer told me he studied abroad here, I thought it was another city. Anyways, live out your dark academia dreams by going here!

Yume Wo Katare = Japan

Let’s not forget! If you can’t fly to Japan for a delicious bowl of ramen noodles, then check out the lovely spots in Boston or Cambridge. Yume Wo Katare, also known as the Dream Workshop, is such a fun and unique place. The place only seats 14 people, you can only eat in the restaurant (no take-out!), there's only one kind of ramen (with a vegan option and special options they’ll announce), and a line akin to the crowded streets of Tokyo. Here, you can share your dreams at the end of the meal… mine, which will be to finally afford a spring break trip.

Well, I hope this was helpful. If you simply follow my tips, you will indeed look like you traveled to a thousand different places within the span of eight days. Yes, I can afford eight flights, and yes, I am Mr. Worldwide.