Dear Editor,
Millions of Americans will still try to fit a few days of time off into their schedules in the next couple of months.
More people drive to their vacation than any other mode of transportation. State and national parks are popular this time of year. Niagara Falls will have about 30 million visitors this year. Yellowstone National Park will have about 4 million visitors. Disney World will have over 50 million visitors. Over four million people will visit The Grand Canyon. While people do fly to these destinations, most people are driving. If you don’t mind being in a car for a day or two or three, then there are places you can go. When I was a child, our major family destination was Columbus, Ohio. My mother would pack some sandwiches and we would go visit family for a couple of days. It didn’t cost much but some of my wonderful memories are those simple days of seeing the sights of Route 23 and the big city of Columbus.
A lot of people do fly to their vacation destinations. Over 70 million Americans reportedly flew over the 4th of July holiday. Plane tickets are expensive. If you want to fly someplace like Rome, Italy and travel first class be prepared to shell out $6,000 per person or more. Venice, Italy or Zurich, Switzerland is even more. Of course, if you don’t mind flying main cabin and book far in avance you can fly much cheaper. Airline travel can be a hassle. Weather can interrupt your flight and cause a delay. Delays could mean flying the next day or maybe even several days later. This is zero fun when you have booked and paid for lodging and your flight delay is eating into your precious few days of vacation. Airlines have staffing issues. A pilot may get sick and a replacement might not be found until later in the day or even next day. All kinds of crazy stuff can happen that can make your travel stressful.
Train travel can be enjoyable. Amtrak is mostly what we have in the U.S. There are a few trains with short destinations but Amtrak is what is available if you are traveling cross country. Amtrak does a good job but there is no first-class service on Amtrak. The food is good and you’ll spend your meals eating with strangers. The dining car is small and so expect to meet new people at about every meal. They do have sleeper cars which are comfortable for sitting and enjoying the view as you cruise along. If you do book a sleeper, the bottom bunk is fairly comfortable but the top sleeping bunk is not desirable as my wife will attest. A year or so ago we took the Southwest Chief train from Chicago to Los Aneles and had an enjoyable time simply looking out the window at the changing landscape. The problem for many of us is that Amtrak travel is not that close or easy for most Americans The train stations are a long way from home. Or, if you do make it to a station, you have limited options as to where you can go unless you have a lot of time to travel and switch trains at different stations.
Over 40 million people will cruise annually by 2027 according to the Cruise Line International Association. Cruising can be restful once you are settled on board. You can eat almost anytime you want and as much as you want. You can lounge on the ship’s deck or in your room and rest as much as you want. Or, you can stay busy all day taking in entertainment or the excursions offered at every port. Cruising is not a bad deal if you shop around. Most cruise lines offer last minute specials as they like to cruise with a full ship when possible. Your biggest hurdle may be driving or flying to the port of embarkation.
While it may not sound exotic, the best vacation place may be your home. You are already familiar with your bed. You don’t have to exhaust yourself traveling. You don’t have to break the bank on a plane ticket, hotel room or the price of a cruise. You already know what restaurants are bad or good and you can sleep or do whatever you want without the hassle of other people running over you on the highway or at the airport. Financially and maybe even physically and mentally, staying at home could be the best vacation you’ve had in a long time. Unfortunately, this strategy will not appeal to your kids.
Dr. Glenn Mollette
