I have been right there with a lot of these Americans who have not been able to get away and unwind, but this year I am going on a vacation.  At this point it is not just some desire or want to go on vacation; I need a vacation.  It has just been a stressful few years without a vacation.  It was clear that if I did not get myself away on a vacation this year things were only going to get worse.

There have been many signs to prove that I need a vacation.  All of them are signs of stress and frustration that could have been avoided had I just gotten away for a little bit.  If you are experiencing any of the below symptoms and have not been on vacation in a while, then it is definitely time for you to get your vacation too.

1. You have lost or gained a significant amount of weight without trying.  One thing that can come along with stress is weight loss or gain.  Sure, at first, losing a bunch of weight sounds awesome, but once you get to where you look sick it’s no fun.  And no one wants to gain weight ever.
2. Your hair is falling out, or you are pulling your hair out.  Stress can imbalance some pretty important chemicals in your body which can lead to your hair even falling out.  Maybe you aren’t to that point, but your hair might be coming out for other reasons.  Like you are pulling it out.  Just think what a week on the beach will do for your hair and your stress…
3. You have lost all interest in everything except getting away for a while.

So, it is finally time for Americans to take back their vacations!  Who’s with me?  I need a vacation!

It’s not just people from North Carolina who enjoy the Biltmore House and ground.  People visit here every year from all over the United States and the world.  It’s a popular travel destination for travelers, and you can even book a room right on the property if you want, and get a feel for what living in a castle would really be like.  There is an excellent winery and vineyard there, and it is not far from Asheville, a city made famous in writer Thomas Wolf’s Look Homeward, Angel, and many other literary works.

1)  Visit area attractions within a 100 mile radius that you normally wouldn’t look twice at.  These could include botanical garden tours, hiking and camping in national parks, and visiting museums.  Research your area and find out what’s available nearby and go exploring.  You’ll still have plenty of family photo ops and tons of great memories without breaking the bank.

2)  Get into the local arts scene by attending local theatrical productions or attending off Broadway shows.  Get tickets to your state’s orchestra.  See a ballet.  This will expand your cultural horizons and keep your mind sharp while providing high quality entertainment for the whole family.

3)  Attend local festivals.  States and counties often have a signature summer festival of some kind, such as a Watermelon Festival or Tomato Festival.  I even know of one place with an annual Sardine Festival, complete with the crowning of a Sardine Queen!  How cool is that?  Your area probably has something like it that is worthwhile.

4)  Tour vineyards.  In North Carolina there are vineyards dotting the landscape from the mountains to the coastal region.  You can’t drive fifty miles in our state without passing one.  Not every state is blessed with vineyards, but if you do happen to have one in a 75 mile radius, it would make a great day trip for couples.  Often there are jazz or classical music events there as well.

5) Spend some time organizing! Put old stuff into storage units (which you can find at aspenstoragecenters.com) and clean, clean, clean!

So, those are some ideas for your ultimate Staycation.

• The Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina can really put on a show for all occasions, but Christmas there is more than magical.  Huge trees are decorated with thousands and thousands of lights and ornaments, while all of the mantles in the largest privately owned home in America are lit with a warm fire and carefully decked for Christmas.  At night, candlelight illuminates the gorgeous sights all around you.  To see pictures of what I am talking about, visit the estate’s Christmas site.
• If the rolling mountains of the Appalachians don’t call out to you, maybe some big city sight seeing will be a better fit for you.  New York city is another magical destination for Christmas time.  The windows of all the department stores are full of displays that amaze all ages.  There are city light tours that will show you around town, and get you in the Christmas spirit too.  All of the trees are breathtaking and the city takes on a whole new glow.
• If neither of these sound like your idea of holiday fun, then might I recommend somewhere tropical.  Resorts are also festive and fun during the holidays and the warm sunshine doesn’t hurt either.

No matter whether you do decide to take a fun filled and spirited holiday trip or stay home during this year’s holidays, I hope it is filled with family and lots of love.  Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Las Vegas, Nevada

If you are looking for a costume party like no other, then Las Vegas for Halloween is for you.  Of course the dress code is a little risque, but if you’re into wearing a costume that covers little, go for it.  If that isn’t your thing, then Las Vegas still has some Halloween festivities for you.  The Haunted Vegas Tours let you look for ghosts of Vegas greats like Elvis and Liberace.

Savannah, Georgia

It has been told that most of Savannah’s downtown was actually built on top of cemeteries.  The deep fog and moss draped oak trees don’t help to make it look any less spooky as you are touring through the Bonaventure Cemetery.  If you are more in the mood to party and drink spirits rather than try to find spirits, the downtown area is filled with bars and pubs with live music and fun.

Maui, Hawaii

Ever Halloween Maui is home to the Halloween in Lahaina bash where you will see more people than you can imagine in costumes enjoying good food, a lot of fun, music, and more Halloween festivities.  This is an event so big that area hotels sell out of rooms that week.  Don’t miss your chance to celebrate fright night in paradise.

Especially interesting is the fact that Americans enjoy even less vacation days than the Japanese, who have long been recognized as the very hardest working people on Earth.  You will see the term “karoshi” on the infographic:  it means death from overworking, and is a phenomenon that has been known in Japan since the 1980s.  Relatively young and previously healthy executives and laborers who all share just one common characteristic — working long hours, overtime (often without pay.)  Suddenly, these healthy individuals would die from unanticipated strokes and other issues they never had before.  It was considered work related, and some companies have experienced karoshi law suits in Japan.  Here in the United States, where fewer vacation days are taken, it is an idea beginning to catch on. (Click to expand.)

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In March of 2012, All Good Festival will team up with Vision International to sponsor the seventh annual “Jam in the ‘Dam”, a break-off event from All Good that features many of the same awesome jam bands that have played up in West Virginia, but in a city without rules that usually apply to multi-band events. The Jam in the ‘Dam represents all that is good about shared music experience: a community of people enjoying excellent music in a city whose moral code and law system are defined by tolerance rather than limitations.

Headliners for the 2012 edition include Moe., Mithe Gordon, Dark Star Orchestra, Lotus and Keller Williams. Each band playing will have extended sets every night of the three day festival that takes place March 14, 15, 16 of next year.

When you really understand the scene around Amsterdam, you can better understand why it is the best place to have a music festival. Crime rates around the city are some of the lowest in the world when compared to other cities its same size. Amsterdam may be best known for its tolerant drug policy, but the city has a very rich history otherwise. During the day you can cruise through the canals on a row boat tour, walk around some of the richest museums in the world, get a bite to eat at a cafe, then head on down to the Melkweg to catch the shows. And to top it all off, most everyone in Amsterdam speaks English, minimizing the chances of getting lost in translation and increasing your safety. Don’t wait to watch recorded live music on network television, get your ticket now before the Jam in the ‘Dam sells out again!

If you have the budget and a family looking for the best time of their lives, consider a theme cruise. For one price you have access to all the food you can eat, entertainment of all kinds, child care in the form of entertainment, workout, swimming and so much more. It is really a great deal. Your only extra cost is transportation to the main port and whatever gifts you but to take back home.

Another wonderful option for family is taking a living history vacation. Choose a destination you want to know more about. Washington, D.C. can provide history tours of how our nation began. Gettysburg is where you will watch re enactment of the civil war and learn about the men who died, the women who were a great part of the effort and how battles were fought. You may be surprised. If you are interested in Mexican history in the U.S. Texas and California are two wonderful places to begin. Learn about the history, the food and experience life through the sound of a mariachi band.

One of the best family vacations you can take for a once in a lifetime experience is to visit the Smithsonian museum. There are several sections to visit and you can opt to do a walking tour on your own or join one of the many tour groups available everyday. It will take from 3 to 4 days to see as much as you can and there are great places for dining inside the Smithsonian and in the general area.

How about a vocation vacation. It is one of the newest ways to take a vacation and learn about other life styles or find a new career of choice. If there is something you have been thinking about, but want more information regarding day to day operations, then this is the perfect choice. Learn to be a baseball announcer for teams across the nation. You enjoy learning all the ropes and announce plays at home games for teams.

Choose to learn about how to run and promote a bed and breakfast business while enjoy on of the beautiful locations you want to visit. Learn what is involved in food preparation, customer service, B and B care, décor, money, and how to promote your business for the best advantage possible. Or you may want something more exciting so why not learn to become a wilderness adventure guide through experience with white water rafting, fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities. You will also learn the business end of money, promotion, hardships, and pitfalls. But you will have a lot of fun.

The first cities you will hit once you cross the Michigan border are New Buffalo and Union Pier. These towns share the major Red Arrow Highway, which is home to many antique stores. New Buffalo has a large beach with parking and a restroom. It also has various restaurants and shops if the weather is cool, and there are beautiful houses to drive past which overlook Lake Michigan. Union Pier has a smaller beach area where many families spend the day swimming and relaxing.
About an hour north of New Buffalo is South Haven. This is a larger city with many options for shopping and dining. They have a beautiful lighthouse on the beach and a large beach area. There are many bed and breakfast inns, as well as some upscale hotels in town. Dining won’t be an issue with the variety of options to choose from. This is a great place to spend a long weekend away to relax and unwind.

Grand Haven and Holland, which are the next large cities on the lake, are touristy towns with many fun places to visit. Grand Haven has a beautiful beach area and road where you can drive up and down the coast of the lake. If you’re in the mood for camping, there is a very clean campground off the main road where you can stake a tent or an hook up an RV for a few days or weeks at a time. In Holland, there is the famous Dutch Village park where you can spend the day as a Dutch settler from years ago. Take a few minutes to watch a Dutch dance or look around the gift shop where wooden shoes and tulips are sold.

The next city on your way up the northern coast of the lake is Muskegon. If you’re interested in horse back riding, you can pretend you’re from the wild west at the Double JJ Ranch. The ranch is located on many acres of open land, and houses manh other animals besides horses. Feel free to eat in the mess hall or do a little line dancing. In the winter take a romantic sleigh ride through the forest.

These are just a few of the great cities Michigan’s coast has to offer a traveler. If you decide to stop in at any of these, you will not be disappointed for they each have something unique to offer. Not only will you come home with pictures to share, there will be great stories to tell of all the fun times Michigan had to offer.

Maybe you can take a train ride through a country setting and see sights that you may not have seen before. Maybe you want to ride your bike across town instead of driving. Traveling this way will save gas and be stress freee. Business travelers may have to leave on a moment’s notice, so a plane flight is the best choice for them. Travel to another state or even to another country and take your pets along. Traveling for fun or for business by the many available methods, no matter where you live. If you live on a farm, you will sometimes travel by truck or by tractor. In many country towns, it is not unusual to see a tractor on the highway!

As a child you traveled by riding a bicycle, by electric car and sometimes by a “stick horse” (Remember these?). Travelling is a perfect way to get away from the everyday routine and relax. Try a hot air balloon ride for even more fun and adventure! These balloons can go from point A to point B and put you “up in the air” for great sightseeing memories. Travel by foot in the mountains and your local parks. Read travel brochures and take a mini vacation in your own home.

Travel to far away places by searching the internet for other countries you may want to visit. Plan a travel adventure while at work for a future trip abroad. Plan trips with the help of your family and ask them how they would like to travel when planning the family vacation. Do you want to travel the same way each year on vacation? Maybe one year travel by plane; the next year try a boat trip or on a train. Traveling to your destination can be as much or more fun as the vacation itself.

Do you have friends that have traveled to places you still want to visit? How did they reach their vacation? Maybe you can invent a new way to travel–by spaceship like you see in movies. Wouldn’t this be a real adventure! Astronauts travel to the moon and back to earth in a type of spaceship. In early comic books and movies, they travelled by time machines or high powered rocket cars. Imagine any one of these methods to reach a vacation spot or even going to the movies! How do you travel? Just think of the fun you will have when you travel!