The Joy Of Traveling Holiday Weekends

According to the calendar, it’s President’s Day today! For me, it’s a day when we do not need to be in school, and can take a minute to consider the incredible sacrifices of our founding fathers, and be grateful for everything we enjoy as Americans. AAAAAAAaaaaaannnnndddddd it’s an opportunity to be traveling, like all holiday weekends…

I can take a weekend trip.

So I did.

Like I usually do.

Us Travel Nuts Try To Plan Ahead…

When you are as much a travel nut as I am, you seek out days off on the school calendar as early as it is finalized. Yes, I know when Spring Break 2024 is going to be! Once my initial planning is done for the year, I look for “holes” in the calendar, and start filling them up.

“Holes,” meaning any time I am not away from the home.

So, I’m out of town this weekend. It’s actually a Girl’s Trip, which I totally need to blog about sometime in the future—love my girlfriend trips!!! Back on topic, let’s go over the fabulous and the difficult things you will encounter as a holiday weekend/week traveler! 

Why Traveling Holiday Weekends Is awesome!

Basic Logical Reasoning…

I’ll begin at the logical point—you’re getting away for a few days! That should be enough to make you start planning for Memorial Day (I’ll be gone then, too!). 

Special Events

When you travel during peak holiday times, you are likely to encounter special events at the location of your choice. You might enjoy trick-or-treating by the beach (done that), walking through Disneyland during the Christmas Parade (yup, that, too), enjoying the Fourth of July Parade in another city (uh huh) or go to Easter Mass somewhere new (very interesting).

This makes travel during peak season very attractive!

Holiday Deals

Another reason it’s awesome is that sometimes deals around during these mini-holidays. This weekend, I’m cruising for dirt-cheap, even though it’s a holiday weekend! I’m not sure if Carnival didn’t realize it, or it’s a remnant from COVID, but the price made it worth it for us.

Hotels need to fill as many unsold rooms as they possibly can, so keep checking for outstanding rates. I needed a quick room this past Monday to today on the Las Vegas Strip, and Bally’s was $33 a night. Not a typo—$33 a night!

Why Traveling Holiday Weekends is NOT Awesome…

Weekend Traveler Crowds

Crowds. There, I said it. You are likely to encounter additional crowds when you are traveling holiday weekends.

Some Holiday Gouging

Let’s face it—you can’t ski without snow, so the Catskills are super cheap in the spring and summer, but those winter holiday weekends, the price skyrockets.

A very close friend owns a fabulous Bed & Breakfast in Vermont (check out the Strong House Inn at https://www.stronghouseinn.com/) that commands a very high price during the fall due to the unbelievable sites of the autumn colors on the trees. That said, I highly recommend the location, and the experience to you year-round, really! 

Pro Tip: BOOK EARLY

Wherever you decide to spend the upcoming holiday weekend or week, make your plans early! Plan with enough time to hopefully get a good price and get your first choice of hotels and events!!

Tips to help you with the travel

I feel confident that I have some pretty solid advice to share with you, which is why I am doing this blog. I am always honest, however, so I will freely admit when I don’t take my own advice. Here is one of those times…here is the advice…and as you may have read in the past…I don’t always follow it…

Pack lightly

My Story

Yeah, me not so much. I am a massive over-packer, because I like to be prepared in case of any eventuality, and I mean any.

For example, for this three-day cruise, I’ve got five days worth of clothes, because I don’t know what I’ll feel like wearing. I’ve got a bathing suit because…well just because! On top of that, I’ve got a full bottle of hair product, in case I get frizzy. I’ve also got some extra cash, because one time, five years ago, I went somewhere that didn’t accept credit cards. Yeah—it happened once, so now I always worry!!!

Packing for a two-day journey?

Okay, it’s me overthinking again, but what if we get into a huge traffic jam? There’s only one highway between Vegas and California—man does it get backed up!! Yes, I need snacks for sweet and salty urges, and at least three beverages: Water, Vitarain (Costco Vitamin Water) and Coke Zero…just because. I need a magazine for when I don’t have internet on my iPad and a book in case I don’t feel like reading the magazine.

Oh, did I tell you I overpack?

Your Story

For you: Pack lightly

You’re not going to a deserted island, are you?? The most important time this tip is crucial is when you are flying. You could waste a good half hour of valuable vacay time waiting for the bags to come down the carousel. And, there is always the thing we never put into words: lost luggage!!! Try not to check a bag.

Be prepared…that’s all I’m saying…be prepared!

Tips to help you with the experience

Even when I’m taking a spontaneous weekend trip, I try to think it out, and plan for the things I can.

I need to know that El Taco (San Pedro, Ca) closes at 9 pm now, not 11 pm. It’s important to get timed tickets to the Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago), even though it’s free (HIGHLY recommend). There is nothing worse than rolling into town after a five hour drive on Friday night and not be able to get something to eat, so a little advance planning is a great idea.

For our beach weekends, for example, it is our tradition to bring lunch onto the beach—always beach sandwiches, chips, drinks, and cookies for dessert. Since I know this is the plan, it helps me be prepared by checking the distance and opening times for a Subway or nearby grocery stores.

What If Something Goes Wrong?

The experience will definitely be negatively impacted if something small goes wrong. A bad headache or blisters on your feet can really negatively impact how much fun you have, so please pack your own small first aid kit.

It’s frustrating to have a fabulous, relaxing trip planned, only to be sidelined with something manageable. Pack light, but pack well.

Tips to help you keep your sanity

Over the years I’ve planned an incredible amount of long and short trips over holiday weeks and weekends. They didn’t all go perfectly to plan, by any stretch of the imagination. Virtually none of them went exactly, precisely as I envisioned them. But I loved every single trip!

It’s my attitude that makes me love the trip no matter what.

Pro Tip: Make it your attitude, too!

But, be ready to “punt” if something goes amiss.

Our favorite hike was closed last time we went to Zion National Park—there are other hikes. Favorite rides have been “temporarily closed” on many trips to Disney and Universal—there are other rides. We’ve missed meals in about 30 states in this country that we had planned—but we never went hungry.

Cultivate an attitude of gratitude; cultivate an attitude of flexibility.

Enjoy every step of the journey, whether the destination lives up to the commercials or not. 

After all, it’s always been about who I’m with, anyway. The rest is the cherry on the cake.

Now, I’m off to find a use for this bathing suit in February…

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out some other travel strategies, here, where we talk about planning a Disney trip in 1 week! Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

Please leave a COMMENT about any tips you may have!! Or comment what your favorite tip of mine was! Where to YOU plan on traveling next? Let me know.

Feel free to contact me or leave a COMMENT with anything you would like to hear more about! Or reach out with any unrelated questions, comments, concerns, or random outbursts of excitement by clicking here.