The Art of Mini Vacations

About Tori Thurmond

Tori Thurmond combines her creative writing background with her marketing experience in her role as the Content Specialist at Brookdale. When she's not writing, she's probably spending time with her two cats or knitting.

Have you ever wanted to get away but don’t have the energy or time to plan for a big trip? That’s where the art of a mini-vacation comes in. Longer trips are fun, and, when traveling far away from home, may make more sense, but what’s stopping you from planning a weekend getaway or taking advantage of a holiday weekend here and there to go somewhere fun? If you’re not quite convinced yet, here are a few benefits to mini vacations that longer vacations may not offer:

Can Be More Affordable

The first, and maybe most obvious benefit of mini vacations, is that they will often be more affordable than a longer trip. With fewer nights away, you’ll likely save money on travel expenses like lodging, food and gas if you’re going somewhere drivable. You could even consider renting an Airbnb or Vrbo with a kitchen for the a few days if you want to avoid eating out for every meal. If you want to cut down on travel time and cost but still visit somewhere too far to drive, you can also keep an eye out for airline sales and special deals.

Give You the Opportunity to Explore Your Area

If you choose to stay close to home but still want a weekend getaway, you’ll have the opportunity to explore places nearby that you’ve always just driven through or never thought to spend much time. Think about staying a few days in that cute town a couple hours away. Or if you love in the suburbs of a bigger city, consider getting a hotel room in the city to check out the restaurants and entertainment that you’ve been meaning to try. How many nearby locations have you put off visiting because you’ve opted for longer vacations that are father away? You never know, by staying close to home, you might discover a new favorite weekend destination!

Can Visit More Places in a Year

Sometimes spending a longer period of time in one location is worth it, but if your goal is to check off several locations on your wish list in a year, mini vacation can help you achieve this. Instead of spending a whole week in Boston, hit the historic highlights one long weekend, and then get a quick taste of the Pacific Northwest a few months later in Seattle or Portland. This way, you can get a feel for different parts of the world that you might want to visit again later.

Offer a Quick Refresh

One of the best parts of vacation is getting to reset and come back to reality refreshed, but do you need a whole week or more to feel the relaxing effects? While the benefits of short vacations on stress levels have not been widely studied, one study reported that a short vacation, just four nights, had “large, positive and immediate effects on perceived stress, recovery, strain, and well-being.” The stress reducing effects were even shown to last up to 45 days post vacation. Next time you’re feeling the need to get away and reset, consider taking a few shorter vacations throughout the year instead of one longer one so you can feel the relaxing effects all year long.