Weekend getaways for an typical executive (also probably married with kids)
PART I
This review has been written with the perspective of a vacation definition for a busy executive who typically plans out a weekend get away. I haven’t tried to rope in factors influencing the true definition of “vacation” (a long stay away from home sweet home). Probably changing economic scenarios have diluted the magnitude of the vacation. And yet ! that the intensity and purpose of those weekend vacations are not lost, can be completely influenced by us.
For the past one year or so, I discovered a new trait in myself – that of a driving freak, and the essay below lists out tips borrowed from the library of my experience. By no means I declare this to be completely adequate or a vacation reference manual.
Ok ! Lets start planning the vacation:
- Pre-Planning (office & home): Let your boss know that you are intending to plan / go out on a vacation. Drop those subtle hints quite in advance, so that on the D Day when u break the news to him, asking for leave sanction, he is quite mentally prepared for it. If your wife is working, she needs to run a parallel exercise in her office. And if you are the boss (eg. Running your own organization, ensure there are backups to function in your absence, and they have been “mentally prepared” to put in extra hours if required.)
For those of you who have kids, and probably wouldn’t be carting your babies along, ensure that your mom-in-law is an active member of the planning process; especially when it comes to fixing the destination. She wouldn’t mind taking care of your kid.
Destination: If the vacation is not perceived for more than 3 days (that’s what a weekend vacation is about), a convenient radius typically should in the range of 160 – 200 Kms. This would translate into a travel time of about 3 – 4 hours. This is a critical parameter because in a weekend vacation, you wouldn’t want to spend a substantial time travelling. The idea more appropriately would be to just sit back and relax and therefore the radius restriction. You may want to go thru the last paragraph (in Part II) for a few recommended places (assuming travel point is from Mumbai).
Packing Clothes: Hey anybody would recommend that clothes should be taken as per the climatic conditions etc. While those inherited fundamentals hold good; I would like to stress more on the quantity of clothes you may require there. Since it’s just a weekend vacation, it would be extremely cumbersome to overload yourself with bags & baggages. The lighter you travel, the more relaxed the weekend is. Unfortunately I cant provide a quick fix formula to derive this number. But a gross estimate would be to go by this hypothesis:
a) The clothes you wear while starting off your journey can be worn while travelling back. You save one set of clothes.
b) If your weekend is all about relaxing in a hotel room or its whereabouts, then 2 sets of clothes per day would be sufficient. (one in the day time, one during night). If a hike or an alternate adventure is in the offing, then relevant attire for that purpose alone may be additionally stuffed in.
c) If you have a black / dark blue jeans, take them. Ensure that its available for the day you start off the journey. The bonus being, these colors permit any T-shirt / shirt color combination, and would survive 3 days on their own. That means a couple of trousers knocked off. One jeans does the trick.
d) The sole exceptions to the above rules are the kids. Depending on their age, you may actually beef these equations two fold, exclusively for your little sweethearts.
Other packing:
There is no drink like water. Mumbaites normally find water in other places to be of a distinct taste. Go for Mineral water. But don’t stack yourself with piles of bottles, start the journey with 2 bottles.
Avoid taking aerated water with you. It’s a tempting proposition to sip them thru out the journey, and thereby depriving your body of necessary water intake. Stay with Water.
Pack in some snacks. Hey no! don’t bother to make them at home. You get fantastic packed items of your choice in any retail outlet nowadays. Just stock them. But avoid things like Sev, or such chur-mur items (I cant think of a word), which tend to fall down while eating. Your car would be infested with some not so friendly cockroaches, ants and company, without your knowledge. Go in for Biscuits, Peppy, Sandwich / dhoklas, cake kind of items; based on your preference. Educate your kids on what they can have while travelling. His / her eateries of their choice can be fulfilled after reaching the destination.
Guys pack your shaving kit & After-shave. You might just regret it not doing it sometimes, and suddenly a feeling of “all is lost” envelops you. And females, do pamper yourself with your lip sticks & lotions (cleansing milks / astringent / cucumber packs etc that you normally use). There is no need to stray away from these routine habits. Whether u use them or not, can be decided, but pack them. They all can be conveniently wrapped without causing any space damage. And yeah ! did I forget the moisturizer. Hmmm….put them in too. Especially if you are visiting a coooooool place.
And while on these rudimentary things, don’t forget tooth brush & paste. And yes ! do pack your favorite perfume. Don’t be surprised if that’s the first time your spouse actually gets to know the aroma of your perfume.
Personal checks: Keep your credit card at a readily accessible location. Keep a good combination of 50 & 100 Rs notes. Don’t have that victory smile after you have triumphantly done a Fast Cash from your nearest ATM. If the destination location has a ATM, don’t pamper your wallet. Use technology to serve you better and “just-in-time”.
..... Contd in Part II. im unable to post part 2 as continuation of this. therefore you will find part 2 by following the Travel -> Advice on Transport -> Tips for planing a good trip link. Sorry for this inconvenience
Gb