The cheap and easy three day vacation

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The difference between a trip and a vacation is that you never feel like you need a vacation after you get back from the latter.  Week long excursions that include airports, huge amounts of money, and an over-booked gotta go see everyone we haven’t seen in awhile schedule aren’t relaxing.  They’re usually stressful, and leave you more burned out once you get back home than when you started.  Ditch that idea and get selfish.  Spend less money and less time away from home, and come out feeling better for it.  Here’s a few suggestions on how to get it done.

• Pick a destination that you can get to within three hours by car
• Choose a resort type town during the off season
• Stay at a non-snobby bed and breakfast Friday – Sunday
• Take the entire day off on Friday.  Spend the morning getting your place ready for your return (cleaning, doing the usual weekend chores, etc…)
• Leave Friday early afternoon
• Don’t have any real plans for once you get there

A three hour drive is nothing.  Leaving early afternoon puts you at your destination in plenty of time to get some suggestions from the innkeeper for dinner.  Go out, have a nice meal, have a few drinks at a local watering hole.  Sleep in.  After the innkeeper makes you breakfast, go for a hike.  Watch an entire football game.  Go see a movie.  Do all the things you love to do to relax at home with none of the obligations of your normal life hanging over your head.  The next morning you’ll get up, eat a great breakfast again, and take off back for home.

Total cost of your stay should run you about $200 – $300.  And that’s with two meals included.  Look for B&B’s that cater towards a younger or more animal friendly crowd.  Even better if they have house dogs that greet guests and take naps on the couches.  These are laid back places that are easy on the knicknacks and heavy on pool tables, hot tubs, and flat screen TVs.  They’re out there, and sometimes you can find incredible deals on stays through discount sites like living social or Groupon.