Photo by averie woodard on Unsplash
I have often found myself needing a weekend away or a mini-vacation when life seems to get a little overwhelming. I have a tendency to put all my energy into work, a habit which can quickly lead to burn out. Over the past few years of working full-time, I have learned that taking vacations can help my anxiety and actually make me more productive at work in the long run.
Knowing I need a vacation is one thing but having the money to fund travel, or being able to take time off from work or other obligations, is an entirely different situation. I have been fortunate to travel and take many trips in the past few years. People often comment to me that they, too, would like to be able to “get away” for a while but either don’t have the time or money.
They’re often surprised when I tell them that many of my trips have either cost nothing except a little gas money.
I learned that in order to make a trip possible, I didn’t have to plan an extravagant vacation but could instead take trips which did not cost a lot of time or money.
Some of the mini-vacation tips I have learned are:
Day trips: Plan a Saturday day-trip with some friends. Check a map for some nearby destinations or Google a simple search phrase like “unique places near [your town]. When I lived in New Mexico, I was surprised to learn there was a cave, hot springs, and national monuments all within just one hour of where I lived. In North Carolina, I have lived within an hour of a hiking trail leading to the historical remains of a 1920s resort, a swimming hole hidden away where swimmers can cool off in the summer, and even an area that is known to be “haunted” according to local legend.
Pack wisely: My friends and I have taken many road trips together, sometimes driving as many as 12 hours to travel to another city, such as the time we all drove to L.A. for a weekend. We realized we could cut out a significant amount of costs if we packed our own food for snacks and meals. Snacks at gas stations and lunch on the road can quickly add up. By bringing our own food from home in a cooler, we saved a ton of money and ate much healthier than we would have otherwise.
Car pool: With different work schedules, it can be hard to find time for your friend group to all take off work at the same time. Weekends are typically much easier for people to take a mini-vacation, and with a little forethought, you can easily get out of town for a little while if you all carpool together. Chances are, your friend group has that one person that likes to wake up before the sun comes out. They can be the driver if you all leave early in the morning and everyone can take turns driving, including the night owl of the group. That way, you cut travel time and people can still rest before returning to work on Monday.
I believe that a little change of atmosphere can do wonders for your state of mind. Making time to get away and hang out with your closest friends, or even taking a solo trip, can improve your mood and your outlook on your everyday life. I’ve often found that I gain clarity on troublesome situations when I can step away from the problem for a short amount of time.
With some planning and small sacrifices, you can start checking items off your bucket list and getting around to seeing some of the places you’ve been talking about visiting for years.
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