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Vacation
on a Budget
by Suzanne Morey
 Are your vacations so hectic that
you need to get back to work to relax
once you return? Are you still
paying off your last vacation while
booking your next one? Here’s
a way to abandon the stressful vacation
payment treadmill, and relax on the
cheap this summer.
Get away without going
away.
Whenever my husband Skip and I moved
to a new city, we were always surprised
that people never see the sights
in their local area. We’ve
met people living outside of Boston
who have never been to Paul Revere’s
house and people in Colorado Springs
who’ve never visited the Denver
Art Museum.
Instead of flying
to a distant place and paying for
a hotel, why not stay home and visit
near-by attractions? Eat out
at restaurants you’ve always
wanted to try. Hike in the
nature preserve or ride bikes on
the municipal trails. Take
the kids to the water-park on a weekday.
Take time-off to tackle
nagging chores.
My colleague Tina is on vacation
this week; she and her husband plan
to work in the yard. “I
know it sounds ridiculous, but I’m
looking forward to it,” she
says. “We have several
acres, and we’ve been putting
off projects that need doing.” They
plan to mix in some fun, too—playing
golf one day and going out to dinner
a few evenings. “If we
were away, we’d be stressing
over all the things that need doing
at home.”
Scale back.
“Before our baby was born, we wanted one last
fabulous vacation,” my cousin Tom told me. His
wife, Amy, loves beaches and hot weather, so they
hoped to have a tropical vacation, but everything
was too expensive.
Looking online at vacation
spots, Tom hit on the idea of Las
Vegas. “It
wasn’t a tropical island, but it was the next
best thing,” he laughed, “and at half
the price!” Amy enjoyed the pool and
palm trees. They splurged on a show and took
advantage of the many restaurants. “We
had never been to Vegas before, so it was a hoot
just walking around in all the glitz. We have
fond memories of our ‘tropical’ desert
vacation!”
Relax and reflect.
Disney World may be on every kid’s
list of dream vacations, but does every
family vacation need to include packaged
thrills? How about renting a
cottage or camping on a lake with friends
or relatives? Banish the TV
and electronic games. Take time with
your kids and spouse to enjoy nature
and each other. Swim, fish, play
board games, look at the stars. Relax—that’s
what vacation is about, after all.
At WIFE we welcome your comments. Please feel free to contact us.
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