Want to make the most of your Memorial Day weekend? Follow these five travel tips:
1) Know what you want.
Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. And since many people have an extra day off that weekend, it’s a popular time to travel. So before you make a reservation at a posh beachside hotel, make sure you’re prepared for crowded beaches and noisy neighbors. If not, then the quiet getaway you were hoping for could turn out to be a major disappointment. So, do you want to party hard, or do you want a peaceful retreat? Once you’ve decided...
2) Go big or stay home.
Hotels are going to be pricey on Memorial Day weekend, and they're already filing up. You can still totally save some money by bundling your hotel and flight with Travelocity, but there are no guarantees that a thrifty Memorial Day bash still won't demand your cute piggy bank as a sacrifice. At times like these, there's only one thing to do: go all out, with no apologies and no regrets.
However, if saving some change is more your style, there's no shame in staying close to home. There’s also no point in spending a ton of money if all you want to do is lay in the sun. And you can do that at a local beach, lake, or even your own backyard with a few new accoutrements.
3) Cut down on travel time.
If you’re going on a trip, but you need to be back to work soon, cut down on travel time any way you can. Fly direct, whenever possible, to save those precious hours that you really should allocate to doing body shots off a poster of Tim Allen. Or if you find driving relaxing and your destination is nearby, try renting a car instead.
4) Swap weekends, if you can.
If you hate crowds and really want a fun trip for less money, consider postponing your Memorial Day celebration for another less-congested weekend. If you can work on the holiday (and hopefully take home time-and-a-half pay) in exchange for a day off a few weeks later, this might be preferable if you want to avoid obnoxious revelers.
5) Take an extra day off to recover.
Jumping right off a plane or fighting through traffic one day and heading into work the next can erase any relaxation you enjoyed over the holiday weekend. Consider taking an extra day off to recover. Make sure to drink plenty of water (Smart Water is even better). And take care of your sun-kissed, post-partying skin with a hydrating face mask and some aloe vera.
