Four Tips for Planning a Post-Bar Exam Vacation

A picture from my current post-bar exam vacation to Puerto Rico.

Looking to plan a stellar post-bar exam vacation? I highly recommend it! A post-bar exam vacation can help prevent burnout while you are studying for the exam (it will be a “reward” that will help you stay motivated to keep going until the end). It can also help keep stress to a minimum when the bar exam is over. You won’t have time to obsess over what the “right answers” were after the bar exam is over – you will be too busy getting ready to go on vacation. Lastly, it provides a nice transition. If you go right from taking the bar exam to working (or waiting for results/job searching), a short trip (or a longer one) will provide a well-deserved period of time to relax and regroup. After all, the bar exam is a huge mental and emotional task. A vacation can help you hit the reset button.

I am on a post-bar exam vacation right now (after tutoring for the February 2015 Michigan bar exam). I write this from Puerto Rico :) and I am seeing first-hand the benefits of getting away after the bar exam is over.

If you are considering going on trip when the bar exam is over, here are a a few tips to plan a stellar post-bar exam vacation

1. First, leave a day or a couple days after the bar exam. Give yourself a cushion of time to pack and plan so your trip does not get in the way of studying for the bar exam. After all, you don’t want to add to your bar exam stress by having another thing to do. Knowing that the vacation is coming up soon after the bar exam will be erfect!

2. Relaxing is the key. Roaming around Europe might be relaxing for you, but stressful for

A photo from my post-bar exam vacation to Spain.

someone else. (I went to Spain with my mom post-bar exam and it is still one of the best trips I have ever been on).  If you do not have the time to plan something in-depth, I personally recommend somewhere warm and not overly-expensive or difficult to plan, like the Caribbean. Puerto Rico is great because it is tropical, not super expensive, and doesn’t require a passport. It is easy to plan as you go.

3. Actually book your trip. Don’t just think about a trip or talk about a trip (or you’ll never actually go). Buy your tickets and book your hotel so you have a set date that you will be leaving.  This will make it “real” and truly give you something to look forward to.

4. If you don’t have much money to spend (you are not alone!), you can still make it work.  Stay closer to home. Or travel in the “off season.” Or go for less time. The important thing is that you are far enough away to get away from bar exam books, bar exam stress, and (ideally) others who took the bar exam.  I think a short and sweet post bar exam vacation can be done on any budget.

If you have any tips or suggestions of your own for a post-bar exam vacation, please let us know what they are.

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