Local weekends away with minimal planning.

When you’re 19 and going on your first big overseas trip, the planning process is really fun. When you’re older and either climbing the career ladder &/or parenting children, trip planning starts to become less like fun and more like work.

There are many decisions, large and small that contribute towards whether your vacation turns out to be enjoyable or disappointing. If you’re already fatigued by making decisions all day everyday for work or family purposes, then making decisions about your holidays too can sometimes feel like just chore.

Here are some options for trips that don’t require a lot of planning.

Hiking club trips.

If you like to hike/camp then why not join a club where all you’ll be required to do is show up with your gear and some food. The only major decision you’ll need to make is whether to grab a ride in another car that is going or to drive and offer your car for carpool. Universities often have these clubs but you’re usually not required to be a student to join. You might even choose the uni where you’re an alumni.

Piggy backing on someone else’s plans.

If you have a friend or family member who is an awesome trip planner and frequent traveller, you might suggest accompanying them on one of their trips. If they have children and you are willing to share in some babysitting then they might be especially happy to have you along. This could be as simple as watching the kids for 20 minutes so their parents can have an uninterrupted swim at the beach, or run to a grocery store to pick up supplies for a BBQ.

The Mystery Trip

There are several ways to do a mystery trip. One way is to ask for a mystery trip as a gift. This is a great option for those who have adventurous spouses/partners who will be up for this challenge. If you usually do all the travel planning, you could ask your partner to plan a romantic weekend away for the two of you as a birthday or anniversary gift. Sometimes the hard part is trusting them to do it without interfering yourself.

Another way to do a mystery trip is to book a “Mystery Trip” package with a company that specializes in tourism niche. This basically involves just choosing how many nights you want to be away for and what level of hotel you want to stay in.

The Last Minute Trip

Deciding to travel last minute means you won’t be able to do weeks (or months!) of planning. If you’re comfortable with using last minute booking sites then travel planning becomes really easy, because you just go with whatever is a great deal. If you’re booking a self-catering apartment via a sharing economy or holiday lettings type site then you can potentially bargain yourself a great discount off the standard rate. You’ll need to ask for a last minute discount. If it seems like the apartment would go unfilled otherwise then it can be a win-win situation for both parties.

Photo Credit: Michael Coghlan under Creative Commons license. Palm Cove, Australia.