Top Travel Tips for Making the Most of a Long Weekend

Top Travel Tips for Making the Most of a Long Weekend

As a person in their mid-twenties to be able to feed my hunger for seeing new places, I of course, need to work.  Thankfully, many companies and businesses are moving towards better work life balance and giving ‘unlimited vacation’ policies.  As it goes, my company does not and I have very limited vacation time, therefore making the most of those holiday weekends is essential for me.  

Being located on the East Coast I think I have a bit of an advantage (or at least I like to look at it that way).  I like the time difference when flying from east to west. Typically, I will run (and yes, I mean RUN) from work straight to JFK, having TSA precheck is key in these moments (and hoping the TSA line is open).  Usually upon landing in these new places my adrenaline is running at an all-time high, which helps me push the day a bit longer, even with the 2 to 3-hour time difference.  Now my thoughts…

Planning

Something that I think is key with short weekends is having a not too planned out, plan of what you want to accomplish.  This can help, since time on these weekends is so precious, you won’t wake up in the morning wondering what you should do with your day.  I also find it super helpful to star everything on your Google Maps app. Personally, this has helped me so much, by forcing me to see where all my points of interest are in relation to each other.  I can be a bit…. Ambitious, shall we call it? Sometimes I think I can fit way more into a day, a weekend, a trip than is actually really possible.  Just ask any of my friends who have traveled with me… I can totally be ridiculous.  To be honest, more often than not, I am wishing that I did more research than I have actually done before arriving to a new destination- LEARN FROM MY FAILURES and ALLOT FOR TIME.  

Book Tickets in Advance

Going off the planning idea, booking tickets in advance USUALLY helps to save money, something that is so important to be able to keep up this habit.  Separately, besides saving money, this guarantees there is space and availability. I wish I could pretend I’m always so organized and planned, but I have found myself in quite a few predicaments where I have gotten somewhere and the tour, game, event I wanted to participate in has been sold out- and it SUCKS.  But so is life. 

 Food Prep

Think about your meals.  No, I do not mean make your meals in advance… unless that’s your thing! If you are going to a place that is known for the food scene, try and have an idea of which eateries you want to visit and where these places are located so you can plan your points of interest in relation to what restaurant you are trying to dine at that day! Food is such an important part of travel since it really helps you get a tasteof local life.  If you are going to a major city I would take this a tad more seriously and maybe even go as far as making some reservations if reviews advise as such.  Completely contradictory, I plan most of my meals and have a few places to fall back on, but I heavily rely on locals suggesting a place to me… most of the time this has worked out for me.   

Non-negotiables

I am super ambitious when it comes to how much I think I can fit into a day of travels.  You might laugh, but I truly make a list of things I’m not willing to sacrifice. With such a short time during a weekend away, upon arrival you will realize certain things will need to get cut out, and that is where your list of non-negotiables comes into play.  Having these key sights, shops, restaurants… etc., helps me to budget my time wisely and forces me to move onto the next activity. 

Packing

I think this point is super self-explanatory, but pack light.  I tend to find the more I’m carting around, needing to manage and go through each time I’m selecting an outfit, the more time I am wasting from my brief stay in a destination.  Unless there are specific outfits needed because your trip requires them, I would bring only necessary items and try and get multiple wears from them. 

Accommodations

Completely disregard this point if you are planning to lounge and relax in your hotel or resort for an entire weekend, this does not apply to you.  With such short time away, you most likely will not be spending a ton of time in your room.  Personally, I wake up in the morning, and don’t return till I’m washing up for dinner, and then again to sleep.  Unless you have money to burn, I would try to help your budget (and in turn be able to have more weekends away) and not splurge on the nicest accommodations imaginable.  I like to utilize Airbnb’s for this type of get away, or a budget friendly hotel. Trust me I like a nice room just as much as the next person, but I’ve realized whenever I do these trips I never get to enjoy the room, so why make such a fuss over it?