Embracing the Weekend Adventure: Why You Don't Need Extended Leave to Travel

In this episode of Before Breakfast, host Laura Vanderkam challenges the common misconception that meaningful travel requires weeks of vacation time or coordinating with school schedules. By reframing how we perceive our weekends, she argues that we can significantly increase our travel experiences without sacrificing our limited Paid Time Off (PTO).

The “Seven-Hour Radius” Strategy

Laura emphasizes that travel is often more accessible than we assume if we are willing to put in the effort. Drawing from her own recent experience—a two-day round trip from Philadelphia to Cape Cod—she notes that even with "about seven hours of travel both days," the trip was entirely manageable and rewarding. She suggests that listeners "draw a seven hour radius around your house," noting that such a distance opens up a vast array of destinations. Whether by car or by taking a "three and a half or even four hour flight," many locations—from Florida to parts of Canada—become viable weekend destinations.

Challenging the Obstacles to Travel

Many people feel paralyzed by the belief that they must wait for the stars to align, specifically waiting for "the kids to be on vacation from school" or accumulating enough vacation time. Laura counters this by highlighting that "weekends are vacations that happen every week." By choosing to "fly somewhere Friday after work and fly back Sunday," or driving out on a Saturday morning, individuals can bypass the traditional wait for long-term breaks.

Quality Over Duration

While Laura acknowledges that "it would be better to stay longer," she posits that the trade-off is often worth it. The primary benefit of a weekend trip is frequency: "the upside of a weekend trip is that you might be able to do it again before too long." Waiting for a week-long break often results in long gaps between experiences, whereas shorter, more frequent trips keep the spirit of adventure alive. She stresses that she is a "fan of trips that actually happen," suggesting that the perfect trip should not be the enemy of the good.

Shaking Things Up

Addressing the potential concern that weekend travel might be tiring, Laura asks, "what are you saving that energy for?" She encourages listeners to view these brief getaways not as relaxing spa retreats, but as opportunities to "shake things up in a good way."

Ultimately, the message is one of agency and intentionality. By utilizing the time we already have—our weekends—we can visit friends, see new places, and enrich our lives without waiting for the perfect vacation window. Laura concludes with a call to action: think about where you could go this coming weekend and commit to making the most of your time.