John and I have been fans of day trips since we started dating, but our love of them has only accelerated since having kids. But isn’t it hard having kids in the car for that long? Um, nope! Sure, they scream at times and I may or may not have spent an hour massaging my one-year-old’s feet yesterday on our trip to Myrtle Beach, but they are contained and they are usually content. This gives John and I a chance to chat, listen to music and enjoy the open road! To us, life is all about experiencing as much as we can and we feel our best when we’re on the road. Who knows, maybe one day this will lead to a cross-country adventure in an RV 🙂
Saturday morning we woke up and didn’t have any set plans, so we decided to venture over to Myrtle Beach. Being that it’s 40 degrees there, it’s their off-season. We debated staying the night in a kid-friendly resort (for a whopping $40/night) but decided it would be just as fun and a little bit easier to just go for the day. Sometimes, a day trip is better than a full-on vacation…here’s why:
You can go spur-of-the-moment
No packing, no planning, just going for it. An overnight stay does take some planning, especially with kids involved or if you want to get the best deal. A day trip requires no planning at all since you’re essentially only paying for gas. Since having our girls, day trips have been better for us because it allows the girls to still sleep in their own bed. On our five-day cross-country move, we learned the girls DO NOT sleep well in hotels. They went to bed late and were awake and ready for the day at…2:30 am. I would much rather just drive back home and avoid the frustrations of not sleeping.
It costs less money
I’m all about having great experiences without having to spend a fortune. While staying in a hotel doesn’t have to cost a lot, it does cost more than just going somewhere for the day. Some of our most recent day trips included Asheville, NC (twice) and Myrtle Beach, SC. Next on the horizon is Charleston, SC – but that will most likely be an overnight stay as opposed to a day trip. Also, gas prices here in NC are $2.12 a gallon and in SC they are $1.89 a gallon!! What are they where you live??
You can disconnect for the day
I’m on a one-month Facebook ban and it’s been incredible, but I’m still online for at least a few hours everyday. Day trips allow you to disconnect without missing too much work or feeling too out of the loop. Yesterday I came home refreshed and spent the better portion of the evening working.
You get to come back home that day
I love being home, and it’s not just because we live in a big house now 😉 Home is where I’m most comfortable. I love sleeping in my own bed, waking up to my usual morning routine, keeping up with the chores and it’s where I feel like I can fully relax. When we got home yesterday, I was so happy to be here. Leaving for a long day away makes you appreciate your house even more. It’s always nice coming back home from long vacation, but with a day trip you get to come back sooner! (Please tell me I’m not the only one that looks forward to coming home from vacation so I can get back into my routine!)
It clears your head
With two little ones, I sometimes feel like I’m on autopilot – going through the day-to-day motions just trying to stay affloat. If I do get a “break” in the form of a simultaneous nap, I’m working. Time to myself is very limited and time to day dream is practically non-existent. A day trip allows me to clear my head, think about my goals and the future, plan out my week and just breathe. While our girls aren’t perfect angels in the car, they do have bouts where they’re sleeping, snacking or content reading or playing with a toy.
Do you take day trips frequently? Do you enjoy them or do you prefer to stay the night somewhere?