In Honor of the Weekend Trip

It’s been a while since my last post. Like a lot of people these days, I’ve been stuck to my couch trapped in a flood of emails and back-to-back-to-back Zoom meetings. I had barely left the house in weeks and was alternating between my work computer, my phone, and Buffy reruns…In short—it was time for a weekend trip.

As much as I love getting away for several weeks, I really appreciate a good weekend trip. They’re cheaper, easy to plan, and allow you get to know the awesome places nearby. We hear so much about people who quit their jobs and travel the world for six months, and that’s cool. But hyping up super-short-term trips opens up travel and exploration to a lot more people (especially now that flying halfway across the world isn’t really an option).

I always plan my weekend getaways backward. That means that before thinking about what I want to do, I think about…

How long?

The first question when planning a weekend trip is how long do you want to be gone. I usually think of day trips (where you leave in the morning and come back at night) as within a two hour drive or train ride. Anything over that and you might want to start thinking about overnight accommodations.

Where?

I often literally open Google Maps, zoom out from where I am, then click on the spots within the driving distance I already determined. It’s easy to forget about the cool spots that are only a few hours away!

Then Finally…What?

Do I want to visit a state park and hike? Go see a historical monument? Check out the next town over? Destination yarn shop (seriously)? Nothing’s off limits for a weekend trip. 

Once you figure out those details, the other pieces will start to fall into place. You can start thinking about if there are any spots you want to stop into on the way or whether you need to pack a bag.

As always during travel, it’s important to consider the health and safety of yourself and others, so look up local guidelines and try to find low-risk destinations. Luckily, a weekend trip usually involves driving solo to somewhere outdoors, so it might be the perfect way to get out of your apartment during the pandemic.

The beauty of a weekend trip is that after a little bit of planning, you can throw it together last-minute. So open up Google Maps, grab your mask, and get out there!