3 tricks to plan a weekend getaway.

Sometimes when looking for something to do for the weekend some of us don’t have an idea where to start. I have 3 things I take into consideration:

1. The time to get there
2. Where to go 
3. How much to spend

The Time To Get There

I usually start off with deciding how much time I’m willing to take to travel. Worst thing you can do is spend a good portion of your time off traveling. This is especially true if your only going to be able to go somewhere overnight. I look at the number of days I have to get away and consider if I’ll be traveling after work or early morning. If it’s after work and for a night or two I’ll usually stick to a maximum of two hours to travel. If I can travel earlier in the day I know I can handle a 3 to 4 hour trip to my destination.

Example: I know I am scheduled to work on Saturday until 2:30PM and I will be off Monday. That means I can plan something with up to two hour travel time and still have more then enough time to enjoy my Saturday and my trip back on Monday.

Where To Go 

Once I decide on my travel time I start to think about city’s that fall into that distance. Start off with something small. Just go to the next state over and look for a city name that catches your eye. Aprt of going away is the adventure that comes along with it.

Example: If I know that my maximum travel time will be two hours, I know I have a wealth options near by. This is just a small sample

Long Beach, NY
Norwalk, CT
Bethlehem, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Atlantic City, NJ
The Nyack area in NY

How Much To Spend

So we’ve decided on how far we’ll be traveling and what city’s we have as an option to go visit. Now the real research begins. We need to look at how much we are spending on a place to stay. On a previous post I wrote about how you can find something affordable and nice without breaking the bank, What’s in a star. We don’t need to always stay at the 5 star hotels to get the 5 star treatment. Many hotels have great accommodations while still remaining affordable. Of course the final price is completely up to personal preference but if you ask me, it’s always nicer to get away and still have something for the next trip.

Last Thought

Now these tips may not work for everyone however in my experience they have helped me break out of my comfort zone and see what different places have to offer. It’s nice to go somewhere without plans that are set in stone and be surprised by the amazing experience that you can stumble one. It has truly helped me enjoy the world outside my office.