Weekend Getaway Tip 5: Enjoy Dining Out
While I don't take my wife out to eat as much as I'd like to when we're at home, I do like to take advantage of a weekend getaway by exploring new restaurants. Whether it's an inexpensive breakfast at a local chain or a nice quiet evening in a quality restaurant with a bottle of wine, dining out while on a weekend getaway can encourage intimacy with your partner or some quite time together with your family.
You may not have noticed, but typically when you eat in a restaurant, you can be in your own little world. Unless you eat in a family style restaurant, you have your own table or booth and you're either facing each other or are side by side. This is a great opportunity to have some quality one-on-one time without the pressures of home.
Weekend Getaway Tip 6: Avoid Discussing Business or Work
Sure, the conversation is likely to go toward your business from time - that's pretty much unavoidable whether you work for yourself or for someone else. But don't waste your entire weekend getaway blabbing about how you want to do this, or how you should have landed that account, or how you're going to rethink your marketing and sales strategies. After all, this is not a business trip - even if you and your partner work together! This is your personal getaway. Work will still be there when you get home. You took the weekend getaway in the first place because you needed a break - now enjoy it!
Weekend Getaway Tip 7: Be Flexible Once You Decide to Do It
If you had plans or had a specific route in mind for your weekday or weekend getaway trip, be flexible enough to change them to maximize your enjoyment. After all, if you followed my other weekend getaway tips to this point, you've already planned in detail. I'm not talking so much about travel or lodging arrangements you might have made in advance to save money. But if your spouse suggests you stop at an interesting antiques store on your way to a show, or your kids want to stop to see something and you have the time, by all means do it. You're bound to discover things you hadn't planned on and you may have more fun during your weekend getaway than you expected.
Whenever possible, everyone present should have at least one special request fulfilled during your weekday or weekend getaway because it goes a long way toward promoting harmony and boosts the satisfaction of all who are on the trip.
Weekend Getaway Tip 8: Enjoy the Trip Home
Since I'm always the route planner and driver, I had a set way in mind of driving home from my last four-day weekend getaway. At one point I had to decide if I wanted to take the shortest route, which might put us in the middle of Boston rush hour traffic, or take the long way over the hills and through the woods of Western New Hampshire. I opted for the scenic route. When we got home from our getaway we were both much more relaxed than we would have been if we had to sit in rush hour traffic. Not only did we enjoy the scenery, the entire weekend getaway was that much more enjoyable.
Once you get home from your weekday or weekend getaway, check your messages (or better yet, put them off until tomorrow if you can) and enjoy the rest of the evening. Tomorrow it's back to work. Savor the final hours of your getaway while you can.
