Summer vacation is typically two and a half months long in the US but it wasn’t always included in the school plans. There are quite a few myths about the origin of summer break.

One of the most common myths is that kids would go home to work on the farm. This myth says that kids went to school during the months with the harshest weather and stayed home during the spring and early summer to help on the farm.

Although this myth sounds credible, it’s actually false. The real cause for summer vacation is actually due to the rising middle and upper classes. Wealthy families would pull their kids out of school during the hot months and escape to the cooler countryside. This would drastically impact the schools’ attendance and legislators decided that adding in a summer break would reflect better on schools.

Sophomore Sabryn Gibson is going to make good use of her summer vacation.

“In June, I start summer school in the mornings on Mondays through Thursdays from 8-11 and I am going on a camping trip with my aunt to Florida,” Gibson said. “Then in July, I am going on a trip to Italy from the 5th through the 19th. When I get back, I will be getting my license and maybe a job.”

Approximately, 4.4% of Liberty students who took the survey shared that they plan on taking summer school classes if they aren’t traveling over the summer. 

Junior Nader Badwan shared that he plans on going to Turkey over the summer.

“I agreed to going to Turkey because there are so many attractions and different foods in their culture that I want to visit and try,” he said. “My parents have been to Turkey once for a getaway trip and told me so much which got me interested and wanting to go there. I really look forward to going to Turkey with my dad this summer, I can already tell it’ll be fun.”

According to the survey, 45.9% of students plan on going on a trip during summer break. 

According to news.gallop.com, 51% of Americans said that they plan on vacationing in July, making it the most popular month to travel, putting August in second for the most popular month to travel. According to thetopvillas.com, Orlando, Florida and Palm Springs, California are the most popular vacation destinations in 2021.

Most people travel, some people work, and some people just relax. The real question is, what do you plan to do with your summer?