Week #251 – Summer Fun List: “Hit the Road!” | Welcome to SpreadHappyness.com!

My Co-Pilot! (Photo Credit: Grace Church)

Week #251 – Summer Fun List: “Hit the Road!”

Greetings, All — and Happy Friday!

Once again, we are counting down the Fridays between now and Labor Day Weekend with some short “Summer Fun” suggestions. Because I’ll keep saying it — while many adults are busy planning their kids’ summer fun, they often overlook their own!

And I want to make sure YOU have fun this summer, too!

This week, I’m revisiting the idea of taking a drive. Whether it’s across country or across town — there’s a road trip for every budget. So fuel up and put the pedal down! The open road awaits!

But where?

Before you beat the usual path…get out an old fashioned map (or print one off the web) and draw a couple of circles around your town: a 50-mile radius, a 100-mile radius, and a 150-mile radius.

One Tank Trips are designed to work with your gas tank. The average car can drive about 300 miles on one fill up — 150 miles out, 150 miles back. That could mean 3.0 hours worth of driving though…and an overnight stay. That’s why I recommend a 50-mile (under 1 hour) and 100-mile (under 2 hours) radius, as well.

150 miles: These destinations are likely to require a little planning, some advanced preparations, and possibly an overnight stay. Don’t just look to the beach or the lakes…look for parks for camping, mountains for climbing, historic towns for exploring, or amusement parks for a full day of fun. From the Jersey Shore, this covers a radius from West Point, NY to Lancaster, PA to Rehoboth Beach, DE and almost all of Long Island! Where I am now in LA, this covers everything from the vineyards of Paso Robles to the streets of Tijuana — and out to Joshua Tree State Park!
100 miles: These are your day trips. Think of concerts, antiquing, hiking, swimming, museums, aquariums, and exploring. From the Jersey Shore this includes Coney Island and Jones Beach to the East, Sleepy Hollow and the quaint little towns along the Hudson River to the North, Bethlehem and the Delaware Water Gap to the West, and Cape May and Atlantic City to the South! Here in LA it means Santa Barbara, Orange County, or even Disneyland!
50 miles: These trips are less than one hour away. Have lunch or dinner at a special place, plan an activity, organize a play date or reunion, attend a fair, pamper yourself, or spend some time on the porch with a friend!

Finally — and these are the fun ones — look in your own backyard! Play tourist in your own town. If a friend visited you — where would you absolutely have to take them?! Where I live now — this definitely means a ride along the Pacific Coast Highway, a hike in the mountains, a visit to a studio, and a walk down Sunset Boulevard. Back home, it would be a tour of my little Victorian town, and a romp through historic Asbury Park, or a drive around our beautiful lake — and definitely a stop at Cliff’s for ice cream!!!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Hit the Road! Gas up, stock some snacks, open your windows, and let your hair FLY! (But wherever you go…please stay off your phone!) Enjoy the scenery, talk with your travel companions, open the windows and breathe the air of a different place or town. Listen to music, a podcast…or drive in silence. Get out, explore, stretch your legs, meet some new people! — and let the good times roll!

Where would you go on a full tank of gas?

Spread Happyness — share your One Tank Trip ideas in the comments!!!