One Day Vacations...Just Get Up and Go

By:Bill Thomas

I recently took a day trip with a childhood friend of mine. It was sort of a bon voyage kind of thing in that he's getting married in a few weeks, and I'm going back to Baltimore. We've been friends since childhood, one of those rare relationships that span a lifetime. We both came out here in March for different reasons, and have been sharing an apartment out here in Maple Valley, Washington, since arriving. Since our lives were soon going in different directions, we decided to do one last 'hurrah' for old times sake.

We got up early Sunday morning, and as often the case, we decided to do one of those spur of the moment things and head out with no particular direction in mind. After driving for a bit, we decided that the ocean would be nice and wound up deciding on Ocean Shores. It was a great day. The weather was nice, and we had hours of conversation to reflect on things. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed home in a long and winding sort of way. On the way home, I got to thinking about how the unplanned, spontaneous type of trips oftentimes seem to be the most enjoyable and why is it that we don't do this more often?

Modern life is of necessity a very structured existence. We have jobs to go to, families to raise, and a million other things to attend to. Vacations are something that we look forward to, to get away and break up the monotony of daily living. Growing up in Maryland, I spent several summer vacations in Ocean City, Maryland. It's the most popular summer resort in Maryland.

During the summer, hundreds of thousand of people vacation there. It's been that way for several generations now. I have friends who have vacationed there for the last 20 years. It's a week or two of sun, Putt-Putt Golf, eating, drinking and nightclubs.

After doing this a few times, I noticed that the vacation and activities surrounding them were nearly as structured as daily living. It was the same thing in a different place. Three hours on the beach, three hours eating, a couple hours of hanging out at the place, and a few hours of drinking and bar hopping at night. It was ritualistic. That's why I believe the unplanned, unscripted trips seem to be so enjoyable for most of us. With everyday life being so ritualized, it's fun to just take a day or weekend and do whatever your heart leads you to do. Vacations are hard work, spontaneity is fun. With a vacation, you're under pressure to have a great time. On a day trip, you can have a great time because there is no pressure, no great expectations, just doing whatever comes up.

There is much to be said for putting a little spontaneity in our lives. The best time of the year for daytrips and weekend getaways is upon us. Fall is a great time for travel. The crispness in the air, and the beauty of Fall colors all makes for great viewing and getaways. Why not do something different this weekend? Take a day, just get up and go... somewhere, anywhere, just do it!

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Article keywords: getaway weekend, vacation weekend, break weekend, day trip

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