Skip to main content

Vacation Close to Home



Vacations can be expensive. And although everyone enjoys a long trip to a new place far away, our budgets usually cannot handle many vacations such as these. You don't have to travel far to have fun though. Often you can find creative and inexpensive ways to spend your vacation close to home. Try these close to home travel ideas and save some of your hard-earned money this year.

Explore Your Neighborhood
Use your time off from work to visit those places that you never seem to have enough time for at other times of the year. Take a trip to the library and talk to a librarian about programs they offer. These are usually completely free. You will find book clubs for adults, and children's programs that often include free activities like puppet shows, story times, summer book reading programs, and more. Check around for local pools, mini-golf courses, and playgrounds that you've never visited. Have picnics in the park, tour a fire station, or fly kites. Use this time to take things easy. Read a long novel, rent old movies, and catch up on your letter writing. Take time to get a massage and catch up on your sleep.

Explore Your Community
This is also the perfect time to visit all of those tourist attractions in your own backyard. Call your local Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Information Board and ask for information on local tourist sites. If there are any on the list you haven't been to, take time this summer. Visit a museum, go to the zoo, or catch a play put on by a local production company.

Explore Your State
Look into visiting a town just a gas tank away from you. There are usually spots near where you live that you have never had a chance to visit, even if you have been living there for a while. Stay at a bed and breakfast or a small hotel and take in the local sites. The benefit of this type of traveling is that you will only be gone overnight, saving you money. But you can still feel like you've gotten away from it all. If an overnight stay is not in your budget, consider driving a couple of hours in the morning to a place near you. Try visiting a national park, enjoying a day at an amusement or water park, or shopping in a nearby community. To save even more money, bring a picnic lunch, and stop at a park to have lunch.

Vacations close to home can not only save you money, they can also give you a new appreciation for the community you live in. You will probably find that you can't fit all of your plans into a week or two, and the ideas you get from your mini-vacation will last the whole year. Often people come back from a long trip tired and exhausted from all the traveling. When you vacation close to home, you'll end up refreshed and relaxed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE TRUTH ABOUT MENOPAUSE, WEIGHT GAIN AND "THE POOCH"

By Colleen McCleery, MD, OB/GYN—Exuberan® by Virtua Menopause is a mixed bag of little surprises. While most women look forward to saying goodbye to tampons and pads, far fewer are excited to now experience hot flashes and night sweats. And it’s probably fair to say that weight gain is the least popular and often least expected “side effect” of this hormonal shift. Considering many women struggle with their weight on a good day, it’s not surprising that this is the number one complaint from patients who are going through this transition. The biology of menopause During the late 40s to mid-50s, a hormone called FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) increases and no longer performs its job to regulate the ovaries. During this increase in FSH, other hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone decrease. A decrease in testosterone can lead to weight gain and decreased energy. And, not surprisingly, estrogen loss has far-reaching effects beyond hot flashes. It contribut...
Post a Comment
Read more

Banana Corn Fritters

Banana Corn Fritters 3/4 cup  Arrowhead Mills Organic Corn Meal 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon  Swanson Organic Cinnamon 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon  Swanson Organic Cayenne Pepper 1 1/4 cups bananas, roughly mashed (about 3 medium bananas) 1 large egg 2 tablespoons skim milk 2 tablespoons  Swanson Organic Coconut Oil , divided Directions: Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Whisk corn meal, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cayenne in a medium bowl. Mix banana, egg and milk in a separate bowl. Add the cornmeal mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just blended. Heat one tablespoon coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each, space 5 fritters evenly in the pan. Cook until golden brown, 30 seconds to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Cook a second batch with the remaining oil and batter, adjustin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Adopting a Vegetarian Diet

Adopting a vegetarian diet has become a popular choice for individuals looking to improve their health, particularly as heart disease and obesity rates continue to rise in many parts of the world. Vegetarians tend to have lower cholesterol levels and consume fewer trans fats than those who consume meat and dairy products. However, to maintain good health, vegetarians must ensure they obtain the right amount of nutrients from their vegan diets. By taking care to plan their diets carefully, vegetarians can enjoy a satisfying and tasty way of life. While there is no established vegan diet, it is widely agreed that with so many vegetarian diets to choose from, the choice is ultimately up to the individual. However, vegetarians must be cautious not to make their diets too restrictive as this can lead to difficulties in meeting the body's daily nutritional requirements. Commonly deficient nutrients among vegetarians include protein, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and zinc. Soy pr...
Post a Comment
Read more