A cheap, fun summer vacation
Summer is almost here.
Or hadn't you noticed?
While you're a kid, or a student, the summer is impossible to miss: It's that big, wonderful block of time that doesn't involve homework or studying. Once you're out in the working world, though, the weeks all start to look very much the same and two-month vacations are a thing of the past. You might even be tempted to ignore the rising temperatures out of a sense of sour grapes: Why have a summer at all, if summer is just like spring for at least 17 hours out of 24?
Seize the season. You still need to work and you still need to sleep, but you don't need to spend your remaining time watching the same TV shows or poking at your computer. Instead, try developing a few of the following habits:
* Wake up early once a week and take a walk around the neighborhood. Just being able to move and feel a little sunlight on your face will get you more in touch with the season, cheesy as it may sound, and any flowers that you may smell or dogs that you may meet are icing on top. You'll also be more prepared for the rest of the day. Evening walks in the warm air are nice too, if your mornings are overbooked already.
* Eat like it's summer. Buy fresh produce (at your local farmers market, if possible) and have your lunches outside whenever you can. That virtuous feeling is nice, but secondary - who eats strawberries and corn on the cob just because they're healthy? Though if you do want to lose some weight, summer is actually a great time for it, since dieting tends to make people feel cooler than normal. You might have to look just a little harder for those NutriSystem coupons now that you're swimsuit ready, but you can do it.
* Do stereotypically summery things on the weekends. Go to the beach, if you live anywhere near the ocean. Go to the county fair. Go find somewhere to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July. It's true that fireworks and cotton candy and sand are cliches, but cliches get started because they work. Don't forget how much fun these things can be.
* Travel, at least a little. Even if you can't disappear to backpack along the Italian coast for seven weeks, you can probably take a few days to fly to a favorite city, geek out at a convention that panders to your interests, visit someone or explore your area. Have you actually seen all of the interesting things within a day's drive? Probably not. If you're flying, book early and travel light to save on airfare and baggage fees. If you're driving, make sure your wheels are in good working order. A few lightbulbs or wiper blades are much cheaper than tickets and tow trucks. (Even cheaper if you scout out some Tire Rack coupons online.)
* Work on an art project. It doesn't have to be serious if you're not feeling serious. But taking a photo, writing a short poem or doing a quick sketch every day will stretch your mind and help you to keep track of the passage of time. This may also be a good way to get dates for those summer evenings. Even if you don't consider yourself artistic, you might surprise yourself if you start carrying a point-and-shoot camera every day. Look for TigerDirect coupons and discounts to find an affordable one.
Maybe you can't have summer vacation like you used to, but you've got more independence now than you had then. Follow this advice. And when someone asks you in September how your summer was, you'll have something to talk about, instead of having to say that you missed it, but you think it was hot for a few days there.
Courtesy of ARAcontent