Forget about ho-hum New Year’s resolutions like “lose weight” or “save more”, add FUN to your year by vowing to use your Road Trip Planner at least once a month to find adventure near and far.
Lest you think that there’s no way you could afford a monthly excursion, keep in mind that many itineraries can be filled with free activities. A road trip can be for as little as one day or as long as three months (any longer and it’s really more of a life-style change or a walkabout). Whether you’re packing up the car with a picnic basket, a backpack or a 5-piece luggage set, if you’re hitting the road, you’re on a road trip!
Your 12 road trip itineraries might look something like this:
January & March: Imagine a perfect day trip within two hours of your home to an area you’ve always wanted to explore more thoroughly but usually just pass by it to and from your “real” vacations. Sometimes it’s simply that city across the bay or in a neighboring county. You could be near someplace like Day Tripping in Seattle or Explore La Jolla Cove on the West Coast; By Car, Cape Cod or Touring nature's green spaces, Niagara Falls - New York in the East. Consider the places between like Scenic tour from Dinosaur Ridge to Red Rocks Park, Denver or Walking Tour of Downtown, Memphis. Even though the weather might be chilly, as long as you dress accordingly, the fun factor’s equal to the task. Walking along the beach in the winter is invigorating! Grabbing the kids for some ice-skating is a blast and provides a great photo op (think bright-eyes & pink-cheeks). Just do a bit of road trip planning so you’ll have the addresses and directions on hand then fill your itinerary with some activities in the area. Add in a restaurant and some shops and you’ve successfully gotten yourself out from under the pile of household chores and into an all-day adventure, definitely more fun in anyone’s book.
February & April: An overnight stay is just enough time to give you a taste of escape. Here, your road trip planner might include an overnight stay in an 1860 Antebellum mansion B & B (especially around Valentine’s Day). Strolling along a park under an umbrella big enough for two is romantic. Finding your gal a filigree necklace in an antique shop earns you major points. Or you might find yourself in the Tioga State Forest in Pennsylvania, staying Black Bear Log Cabin with your kids just to get everyone outside and hiking along the trails. May & June: Now the weather’s warming up and you’re digging in the closet for your t-shirts and shorts. This might be where you go on a couple of 3-Day Weekend Getaways as teaser vacations. Now your road trip planner might easily include 200-250 miles of road before getting to your destination but when you have 3 or 4 days set aside, 4 hours driving time isn’t bad at all.
July & August: This is the Prime Time of vacations (if you’re north of the equator that is; otherwise you’re looking fondly at January and February to give you that feeling of anticipation). This is where you do your best road trip planning because you’ve got a 7-10 day itinerary to fill. Choose a National Park for an outdoor vacation in July and then a cultural city like Boston or San Francisco for August. This is also about the time you realize that while you’re working for a living, the living’s mighty easy when you’re on vacation.
September & October: You can still get some Dog Days of Summer in September, even if the official day for Fall is September 21st. This might be the time you’ll need that 5-piece luggage set to have the correct clothes on hand for the changing weather. But really, all it takes is layers; make sure you have that extra jacket or sweater in the trunk of the car, maybe an extra pair of shoes. Your road trip planner might include checking out the Fall Colors in the East, the desert in the mid-west, or the always-warm waters surrounding the Florida Keys. Stretch your vacation out as wide as you can because the remaining two months will most likely be filled with holiday travel. Campground choices range family oriented ones like Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground to luxury cabins in the Smoky Mountains in Gaitlinburg, Tennessee.
November & December: Try grabbing an overnight getaway before mid-November. Once the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays grab a hold of your time, it won’t let go until January. So sneak away to a lodge with a fireplace, or get away for a golf and spa weekend.
There you have it… a year’s worth of highways and byways to keep your road trip planner running like a well-oiled machine. Enjoy the rides!
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