Take a Vaction
Matt Villano, has written about the outdoors and adventure travel for the past 13 years. With more than 200 stories for Backpacker, Coastal Living, AAA, Time and Newsweek, Villano is a go-to resource for travel in the American outdoors. He writes a regular travel blog, “Adventures with Matt,” for SeeAmerican.com sponsored by the U.S. Travel Association.
1) Plan a quarterly getaway. Start to consider an overnight. It could be one night, or it could be a weekend-type trip. It doesn't have to be wildly expensive. You could go camping. You could stay at a Motel 6. It doesn't really matter where you're sleeping. What matters is that when you go, you're actually immersing yourself in the culture of wherever it is you head. And by that, I mean, if you're going to go to the Ozark Highlands of Missouri, get out and hike. Get a kayak and go paddle some of the rivers. Try some of the hole-in-the-wall type restaurants with food that you would never in a million years consider getting in your hometown 2) Plan a long-range trip. If you're going to take a big trip and spend $5,000, $10,000, or whatever you are able to spend, make sure you're investing that in an experience that is going to be new. One that is going to enrich your life, and is really going to teach you something not only about the culture you're visiting but also about yourself and about the way you adapt to these new environments.