Are you feeling burnt out, tired, or ready for a change of scenery? Sometimes disconnecting from your everyday life is what you need, but you don’t have the time or money for an entire vacation. A mini-vacation (3-4 days) can help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated, and planning one is simple!
Here are the key steps to take when planning your mini-vacation:
- Visualize your ultimate escape.
- Figure out your budget.
- Decide on your destination.
- Plan your travel.
- Think about your activities.
- Pick a place to stay.
- Plan out your itinerary.
- Book everything.
- Make everything easier.
Keep reading to learn about the details of each of these steps. I’ve also thrown in some extra tips, tricks, and resources to help you craft the mini-vacation of your dreams!
1. Visualize Your Ultimate Escape
Every good vacation has a vision.
The first step to any vacation, whether traveling across the world or to the other side of town, is to figure out what kind of feel you want your vacation to have.
Set Your Intention
First, you want to set an intention for your mini vacation. Do you want to:
- Take some time to unplug and relax?
- Be adventurous and have new experiences?
- Have some time to yourself?
- Spend time with friends and family?
Your intention is going to shape the rest of your vacation. It’ll affect your location, lodging, and activities, so it’s important to have this in mind before planning any details.
Once you have your intention set and know what you want out of your vacation, you can visualize it.
Visualize Your Dream Vacation
Visualizing what you want your long weekend to look like will make the rest of your trip planning a lot easier. For example, if your dream vacation includes hiking in the mountains, you probably wouldn’t want to start planning a holiday in Miami Beach.
This practice of visualization can also spark your imagination. It can help you realize things you want to do, places you want to see, and other details of your trip that you want to include.
2. Figure Out Your Budget
Once you’ve imagined your dream vacation and set your intention for your trip, you need to decide how much you’re willing to spend.
Mini vacations can range from pretty cheap to very expensive, depending on your lodging, activities, and the experiences you want to include.
Having a budget in place before planning the details of your trip will make the process easier and your wallet happier.
Budget Saving Tips
Even short vacations can put a dent in your savings. Here are a few tips you can use to help save some money on your next trip:
- Stay local: Mini vacations are the perfect opportunity to explore places closer to home that you may overlook on more extended vacations. Take this time to check out different parts of your state or the nearest big city you haven’t yet visited.
- Have a staycation: Staycations are the ultimate money-saving vacation hacks because you don’t have to travel! You can make your home the ultimate destination, or you can book a hotel in a different part of town. Be a tourist in your city. There are probably great experiences close by that you’ve yet to discover.
- Go camping: Camping is a great budget-friendly option for those who want to get out of the house but don’t want to spend a lot of money on lodging. There may even be some fantastic glamping or RV options nearby for those who would like a camping-lite experience.
- Travel with friends: Traveling with friends won’t only ensure that you have great company, but it’ll also allow you to cost-share! Splitting the cost of lodging, activities, and even dining can drive down the overall cost of your vacation.
3. Decide on Your Destination
You know what vibe you’re going for and how much you can spend to get it. Now, where do you want to go?
Deciding on your vacation destination can be one of the most daunting tasks of vacation planning. There are so many choices!
Here are a few things to keep in mind when picking a destination for your mini-vacation:
- Keep the travel realistic. Since this is a mini-vacation, you don’t want to spend half of your time traveling. Choosing to stay somewhere within driving distance or going to a place with a short, direct flight will help you cut down on time spent traveling. Less time traveling means you get to spend most of your time vacationing.
- Change up your scenery. One way to pack an entire vacation experience into just a few days is to change up the scenery completely. If you live in the mountains, go to a beach or lake house. If you live on the coast, go to the desert. Going somewhere wholly new will help you feel like you’re on a true getaway.
- Don’t try to do too much. Remember that this is a mini-vacation, so don’t try to pack an entire two weeks’ worth of activities into two days. Overpacking your schedule can lead to stress which is the opposite of what you want on a vacation! Pick the top things you want to include and save the lower-tier activities for the next long weekend.
4. Plan Your Travel
Now that you know where you want to go, you have to decide how you’ll get there. There are many ways to travel.
Here are a few options that may be perfect for your weekend.
Travel by Plane
If you’re traveling somewhere farther from home for your weekend getaway, you may want to fly. Flying is the fastest way to travel long distances and may be necessary if you have a short vacation to a destination that’s far away.
If you choose to fly, there are many resources that can help you map out your trip and save money on your flights.
If you want to know the secrets to cheap airfare, watch this video.
To make your flight day less stressful and your vacation more enjoyable, check out this video for helpful tips.
These are especially helpful for short holidays when you don’t have any time to waste!
Travel by Car
A road trip may be perfect for your long weekend if you stay a little closer to home. Road trips can be a great addition to your mini-vacation. They can also kick off your relaxation from the beginning if done correctly.
Here are some quick tips for adding a road trip to your vacation:
- Stock up on gas, food, and water. The day before a big road trip, be sure to fill your car up with gas and pack any essential road trip snacks. On the day of your trip, you’ll be ready to hit the road without having to run last-minute errands. Don’t forget the water!
- Plan your route ahead of time. Thinking about your course before getting on the road will make navigation less stressful and allow you to enjoy the drive.
- Take your time. Nothing is worse than a rushed road trip. Take your time, stop at a cute diner, stop to see the largest yarn ball in the world, or take a detour you wouldn’t usually take.
- Take the scenic route. Vacations are the perfect time to appreciate the beauty of the world around you. You can use sites like YouTube to find some great scenic drives between your hometown and your ultimate destination. You may even see some views you didn’t even know existed!
Travel by Train
Trains are becoming ever more popular and are an excellent way to see the country. They also allow everyone to enjoy the view and stretch their legs along the journey!
Sleeper trains come with many amenities for your enjoyment. These include lodging, food, great views, and a one-of-a-kind experience. You can use sites like Amtrak to find a sleeper train that works perfectly for your mini vacation.
5. Think About Your Activities
The next step in your planning will be figuring out your activities. Here’s where you’ll decide what kind of restaurants you want to go to, what adventures you want to have, and everything else you want to include in your vacation.
YouTube is a great resource during this step. Searching for videos of your destination will allow you to find unique experiences that may not pop up in a typical google search.
6. Pick a Place To Stay
Now that you know where you’re going and what you want to do while you’re there, you can find lodging that accommodates all you want out of your vacation.
Some of the most popular sites to find vacation lodging are:
Searching on these sites will allow you to filter your rental options on things like location, date, pet policy, and amenities. You can even use these sites to find more unique stays like houseboats or yurts.
There are a ton of unique rentals available that’ll make your trip truly special. If you’re looking for something unique, check this out.
After finding some great options, be sure to check the reviews to ensure the listing is credible and that other renters have been happy with their stay. Most sites have a rating and reviews section, but you can also check TripAdvisor for more feedback.
7. Plan Out Your Itinerary
Planning trip details ahead of time will allow you to live in the moment and enjoy your vacation to the fullest. And when you only have a few days, every second of your vacation counts!
At this point, you know what you want to do, where you want to go, and how you’ll get there. Why not write it all out in a trip planner and get the stressful details ironed out before you get there?
Using a travel planner will help you keep all your trip details in one accessible location. It’ll also help you make sure you’ve thought of everything ahead of time. That way, nothing gets left out of your fantastic vacation, and the trip itself goes as smoothly as possible.
8. Book Everything
Once you have all the places picked out and have decided when you’re doing what, it’s time to book everything!
Booking accommodations and activities ahead of time will lock in your rates and reserve your times. Removing this uncertainty in your trip will help your vacation be less stressful.
Imagine dreaming for weeks about eating at a fancy Italian restaurant just minutes from your vacation home only to find out that they have no availability the entire weekend of your trip.
What a vacation catastrophe!
Calling ahead and booking reservations will ensure that you have the pasta of your dreams waiting for you when you arrive.
9. Make Everything Easier
You have everything planned and booked, so now it’s time to relax, right? Almost!
The last step to planning your ideal mini-vacation is to look through all your plans and see if there are other things that you can do to make your life easier. Can you arrange to have a car pick you up at the airport? Can you have dinner waiting for you when you get to your rental?
Thinking of the small details will help your vacation run seamlessly and give you the freedom to enjoy every minute of your long weekend stress-free.
Final Thoughts
You now know all the steps you need to take when planning your mini-vacation and some helpful tricks, tips, and resources to use when planning.
Let’s recap:
- Set your intention and visualize your vacation.
- Set a budget and stick to it.
- Decide where you want to go.
- Plan how you’re going to get there.
- Pick activities and things to do.
- Decide on your lodging.
- Create a rough draft of your itinerary.
- Pay and reserve accommodations ahead of time.
- Think of all the ways to make your vacation run smoother.
You’re now ready to dream, plan, book, and experience your perfect mini-vacation!
Sources
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: 5 NEW Staycation Ideas // How to Make Your Staycation Feel Like a Real Vacation
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: Hotel booking secrets from the pros [MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE]
- National Park Service: Find a Campground
- Glamping: Homepage
- RVshare: Find the Perfect RV Rental
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: HOW TO GET THE BEST PRICES ON FLIGHTS// The secret to cheap airfare
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: 6 TRAVEL PLANNING SECRETS FOR A LESS STRESSFUL FLIGHT DAY // Tip #6 is Key!
- Amtrak: Homepage
- Google: Hotels
- Airbnb: Homepage
- Vrbo: Find the perfect vacation rental
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: 8 Crazy Unique Places to Stay in the USA [and where to discover even more]
- TripAdvisor: Homepage
- Crafted Travel Company: VITAL FOR TRAVEL 2021 The Ultimate Travel Planner + Organizer
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: How to Plan A Trip [Professional Travel Planning Guide]
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: 14 NEW Vacation Ideas in USA [New ideas for corona vacations USA]
- YouTube: Crafted Travel Company: How to Pick a Travel Destination for Your Next Vacation *PRO TIPS*
- Crafted Travel Company: How to Plan a Vacation Like a Pro
