April 19, 2018 - The difference between Vacations, Getaways and Trips PLUS 6 Benefits of Day & Overnight Trips

Tanya's Daily Scoop​
Covering the West Coast & the World
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 1 DAY

I Love all types of Trips & Getaways

Hello there (insert enthusiastic wave here).

I'm here again and as always I'm so glad to see you!

It's gonna be another packing day for me.  
I'll be leaving tomorrow on my 8th trip of 2018.  

We've actually got back to back to back weekend getaways and then our next big trip in 26 days - which means that I have 3 other trips all within that 26 days!!!

This weekend we are off to Monterey, CA with our main purpose of the trip to pedal in the Coastal Gran Fondo of the Sea Otter Classic Cycling Event. 
​

Monterey, CA (c)travelincousins.com

​The rest will just icing on the cake!

Monterey is a city on California’s rugged central coast. Its Cannery Row, one-time center of the sardine-packing industry, was immortalized by novelist John Steinbeck. Today, it's a popular strip of gift shops, seafood restaurants and bars in converted factories. Also famous is Monterey Bay Aquarium, with thousands of marine animals and plants on display in underwater and interactive exhibits.

And jsyk (just so you know) I've decided that we will in fact stick with the plan of going to check out Pinnacles National Park.
*I better remember to pack my handy dandy National Park Passport!

​Then next weekend we will be off to San Francisco, known for its year-round fog, iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and colorful Victorian houses. 

San Francisco, CA (c)travelincousins.com

With our main purpose of this trip being the 2018 WESTPEX premier stamp show. While I've of course added some other fun things to do - more on this the week before the trip - so basically more on this next week! 

​The following weekend we will be heading to the Big Apple, with the main purpose of our trip being the 5 Boro Bike Tour.

NYC (c)travelincousins.com

And you know that we will be quite busy with all there is to see, do and eat in Manhattan!

While I am grounded locally for Mother's Day weekend the following weekend. We will be off on our Poland, Germany and more trip only 2 days after Mother's Day.      

We'll be visiting cities such as:

• ​Stockholm, Sweden
• Poznan, Poland
• Gdansk, Poland
• Torun, Poland
• Sopot, Poland
• Gdynia, Poland 
• Warsaw, Poland 
• Kraków, Poland
• Wroclaw, Poland 
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
• Vienna, Austria
• Salzburg, Austria
• Rothenburg, Germany
• Berlin, Germany
• Oslo, Norway

And quite possibly more!!!

So what is the difference between a Vacation, Getaway and Trip?

I use the term Vacation rather sparingly - and mostly save this term for trips that are over-seas and/or lengthy. But not to include a trip that is visiting family (East Coast) regardless of length of time.

I use the term Getaway for shorter trips (typically less than 1 week) and usually not a great distance away from home - Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, etc...

I use the term Trip for any of the above and for any travel that was not mentioned in the above descriptions.

Oki Dokie Folks. I've gotta get to packing.

Catch ya later,
-Travelin' Tanya

Elisa's Daily Scoop
Covering Long Island & NYC Boroughs
​NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 2 DAYS

6 Benefits to Day & Overnight Trips

Good day All!!
Have I mentioned how much I love day and overnight trips!!! They can be so refreshing and yet, do not require a lot of effort or money!!

Only two more days to my little jaunt with the girls this Saturday to Stony Brook!

I'm sure you've gathered by now that Tanya and I absolutely love the planning of our trips just as much as the travel itself!!  

Personally, no matter where I go, whether it's to another land or another town in the same borough that I reside, I ADORE doing research on my destination. The history, the points of interest, the eateries, and especially any historical or UNESCO sites to which it may be home. 

I'm totally chomping at the bit to write my next weekly feature (Monday) about this Long Island Town, in great detail with lots of pictures from my first-hand visit

I want to share a little secret with you.  As you know, I recently went through a very difficult divorce.  It resulted in a great many changes for me and my girls in our daily lives and the lifestyle with which we were accustomed.  

From a travel perspective, it has put a temporary damper on me and my daughters' ability to just up and go whenever and wherever we want.

But, I am a firm believer that me manifest what we think about constantly, so I never think about the negative impact.  I also believe that everything in our lives happens for a reason, to teach us a lesson for our higher selves and therefore, even painful and seemingly negative experiences must be embraced and honored.

Of course, having said that and in spite of my deep spiritual beliefs (insert grin), I will not lie, having to refrain from the daily planning and booking of one trip after the next took a bit of getting used to.  I'll admit, I get "travel envy" when I read something about a new and exciting destination or see gorgeous pictures of far off (and not so far!) places.

During the past three and one-half years, as I adjusted to the temporary situation, I was struck with two inspirations:

1) To embrace everything local here on Long Island and the Outer New York City boroughs.
This has been a true blessing since I was overlooking the joys in my own backyard for both  myself and all of our readers regarding the plethora of destination possibilities that these places offer.

and 

2) That not all travel need be long trips.
The joys of the day and weekend excursion is truly an amazing gift that would do more people good. Just because you don't board a plane and travel thousands of miles, does not negate the value and enjoyment of trips in shorter duration.

Both of these lessons, for me, might not have become clear to me, had it not been born out of necessity during this transitional time.

Let's take a look at why short trips are so beneficial.

6 Benefits to
​Day & Overnight Trips

1. Close proximity 
Who says getting away needs to be far? Changing your environment for a day or two, regardless of where is always a nice change. Being in close proximity can be less stressful knowing you are not too far from home.  In most cases, you can either drive or take a short train or bus ride.  No airports, taxis, shuttles or hours of travel.

2. None or very little packing required
Let's face it, as much fun as it is to plan out those sweet outfits for your vacation, there's nothing easier than throwing a few necessities in an overnight bag, or better yet, packing nothing! A different environment, without the hassle of all those bags and suitcases removes so much stress so you can just focus on where you are going and what you will see and eat.

3. Car can provide mobile comforts of home 
If you are taking your car on your little excursion, it's like having a moving home base.  You can load it up with snack, water, pillows and blankees for the kiddos and anything else you can fit in your trunk.  Not to mention, all the electronics your heart desires for music and entertainment.

4. Less expensive
There's no question that once you take air travel out of the equation, the cost of any trip becomes dramatically reduced in price. Short day or overnight trips can be a wonderful way of "traveling" without the expense of extended stay trips and allow for more frequent "getaways" because of how economic they can be.
 
5. Minimal planning 
Although I LOVE travel planning and creating itineraries, it's also a breath of fresh air to just get in the car and go, with a minimal amount of planning. A short list of a few sites or points of interest can fill up your one to two day visit, wherever you are going and prove quite informative and full of enjoyment.

6. Great recharge 
While we all enjoy those "big" trips, spanning days or even weeks, many people don't realize how well a day or two away for your home and regular routine can provide a much needed recharge to energize and uplift one's mood.  Regular, short trips provide something to look forward to on a frequent basis, and as a result feeling joyful and not so overworked.

Well, my dear people - here's to one day until Friday!! See ya tomorrow!

-E
xoxo