Thursday, February 3, 2011

It's time to GETAWAY!

Whether you live in a warm climate like myself, or in the frozen tundra that has been the east coast, most likely you are feeling the winter blues and are over it.  What better way to get rid of it than to plan a getaway!

I’ve noticed that my blogs are usually coming to me when I’m sitting on a plane somewhere. And as I sat on my flight to Ketchikan, Alaska, I began to really think how thankful I am for the travel opportunities that I’ve had, and how much value I truly see in taking trips.

The number one excuse that people use for not going on a trip is usually money. I can understand that because I’m not some rich businessman rolling in the dough either.  But, I make sure that I do put aside part of my paycheck for fun & traveling.  And if you’re not seeing that little bit of extra money to travel with, consider thinking about cutting some other amenity out to save for a trip.  Take the cash that you are spending on your daily venti-chai lattes (I’m a culprit), and put that money aside into a travel account.

Now is the time to do this.  You don’t know what could happen tomorrow, or the next day, or in a year from now.  Like my uncle always said, “there’s no K-mart in heaven.” I blame and thank my parents for instilling this idea and the itch to travel in my blood with all of the traveling we did as a family growing up. But I’m so thankful for it.  So quit making excuses, and just do it already!

Whether it takes you a few weeks, months, or a year to save up for a trip, it will be worth it.  Half the experience is building the excitement with the planning and looking forward to the trip.

With that—I give you my top 5 reasons why I escape LA, and why you should too!

REASON #1: It’s personal time away. Traveling alone is probably one of the best experiences anyone can do. You do what you want. When you want. Where you want. And you learn about yourself along the way. My most valuable personal thinking time comes up in the air in an aisle seat with a diet coke and a tiny bag of pretzels next to me, and some play-list on my IPOD.  And of course for those of you with significant others—trips can reignite the sparks and fun in your relationship! (Plus you learn a lot about someone when you travel with them)

REASON #2: Exploring new cultures. With every new city that I travel to, my eyes continue to be amazed at how we all live so differently in this huge country and around the world.  I love talking with people in cities, whether it is at a bar, or at the hotel front desk.  Once again—these conversations can teach you about so much and open your mind to things you may not have thought about before.

REASON #3: It gets you away from the worries at home. I’m an anxious person. Sitting at home in the same place and driving on the same roads, gets very stagnate to me. Life can get very flat line when this pattern occurs. When you’re out of town, you quickly forget about the worries you have at home and it switches life up a bit!

REASON #4: Food! This is probably one of my favorite things about traveling.  I love trying the food that the city is known for.  I’ve had some of the best meals on the road in other places!  These dining experiences enhance your food palette and can be inspiring in more ways that one. It gets the creative juices flowing.

REASON #5: R & R.  It’s hard for me to sit still at home.  Therefore, getting away from that makes me actually take time to rest and relax. 

Some of you may be thinking that these reasons aren’t new ideas—and I know that. But I hope that it will at least get you thinking about making that next trip happen. And don’t think it needs to be a very expensive far away place; a new trend is the idea of a hometown stay-cation.  Find those weekend deals at one of the new hotels in town and go there for a night! I promise you—you won’t regret it. You’ll just think…”I need to do this more often.”

And now for my cheesy ending quote that I absolutely loved reading today in an issue of O Magazine just before writing this entry, (I’m not ashamed to admit that one!) 

“The thrill, for sure, is to keep envisioning what can be and then

have the guts to go for it and make it real. Imagine that!” – Oprah

Imagine that next trip and get planning!

-JM