Throw on your swimsuits and pile on the Vineyard Vines baseball caps because Greek formal trips are here! You thought the raucous spring break-esque festivities were over, but they’ve only just begun. In the next few weeks, members of Greek life and their chosen “dates” will be heading off for their formal trips. Some have a beach weekend and some spend a couple of days at the river. Wherever the destination may be, these tips for a solid formal weekend will (hopefully) serve you well.

Make a road trip playlist

For the majority of formal trips, you’ll be driving in the car for a few hours. What better way to drown out the awkward car silence than with a killer playlist? Find a theme your group is into and build a collection that everyone can jam to. If you want some classic road trip playlist ideas, throwbacks are vital and nothing beats 90’s hip-hop. When in doubt, find a premade one on Spotify or Pandora and pass it off as your own “” I won’t tell.

Choose your dates wisely

Nobody wants to be the person who brings a horrible date. Don’t be that person. When choosing your formal date, don’t just go for your crazy, party animal friends. Remember, you’re responsible for these people! Maybe don’t bring the friend who’s punched a hole in a frat house’s wall. This trip is all about kicking back and enjoying some time away from campus with your best friends, not throwing a giant beach/river rager. So go for your chill friends. They’ll make your weekend less stressful and “” bonus! “” they won’t embarrass you.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Even if you’re not twenty one and going to be enjoying a giant bubba keg out on the sand or riverside, you definitely don’t want to forget to keep those electrolytes up. Playing beach volleyball all day or hiking up and down a river is guaranteed to make you sweat, and nobody wants to be passing out on their formal trip. Pack a cooler full of water, Gatorade, juice pouches, or anything else you think will get you through the day. For style points, get everyone in your car to help decorate a massive cooler for the trip. Everybody loves a personalized cooler.

Don’t forget food

What’s more important to college kids than food? We blow enough of our money going out to Chipotle and Chick-fil-a during the week, so this weekend, try keep it low key. Most of you will have access to hotel kitchens or maybe even a campfire cookout – get creative! Everyone’s always talking about how they miss cooking or eve

just preparing a homemade sandwich, and this weekend’s a great excuse to actually do these things. Hit up HEB with your road trip mates and come up with a few simple meals for the weekend. Sandwiches are great for the beach (throw them in your cooler to keep them fresh) and a pasta night is always easy to throw together for a big group of friends. Whatever you end up making this weekend, just be thankful you’re not sitting down to your 200th Mabee meal of the school year.