Travel is the one thing that helps many of us put our minds at ease. Going somewhere new and exciting can have a positive effect on us. From our personal lives to our work life. Travel really can heal the soul.
But can you travel during a recession? Better yet, should you travel during a recession and if so how? Or should you just skip traveling the next couple of years?
The answer all depends. I say you should still travel. However, you might want to keep it local. You might have to put off that once in a lifetime trip to Disney World till 2025 or that epic 48 state road trip till gas prices and everything else are a little more stable.
While you might have to save money the next couple of years while we wait for inflation to come back down. You can still go out and travel a little bit.
You should keep it a little closer to home. Plan on visiting local and state parks in your area. Visit local museums and small towns. Don’t worry about traveling far from home where you need to book a hotel or airfare.
Some of my favorite travel destinations are within three hours of me. Of course, I am lucky enough to live in the Philadelphia area. DC and NYC are within three hours of me by car or train.
The historic Battlefields of Gettysburg are close too! Plus there is so much history and American cultural nearby that I could spend months visiting them and still not see them all.
I am sure you have plenty of interesting places nearby as well. National, State, and local parks can be found everywhere. It just depends on which one is closer. All you need to do is a quick Google search.
You also have to figure out how far you’re willing to drive in one day. I personally like to keep it under three hours. This way it makes it a six hour round trip. However, I could go a little longer. Four hours is my max for a day trip. Four hours one way, just doesn’t leave you a lot of time to explore your destination.
Of course, you could spend the night somewhere if the destination is a little out of your one day range. One thing that hasn’t really gone up in price currently, is campgrounds. They are still pretty affordable if you stay at a state or county run one. Private ones are a little more pricey, but are usually still cheaper than a hotel.
Camping is also a great vacation on its own. Nothing bets a little time out amongst nature. Start a fire, roast hot dogs and marshmallows, and look up at the star filled sky. I can’t think of anything better to do on a nice cool fall or spring night.
If camping isn’t your thing be sure to sign up for a hotel reward program. I’m a fan of Wyndham hotels so I joined their program. I’m also a member of some of the other major chains too. However, if I don’t stay at a Wyndham, I usually book through hotels.com. They also have a pretty good reward program in which after 10 stays (10 nights) you get a free hotel room.
Hotels are still a great way to spend the night if you decide to go a little further from home. Just make sure to do a little research before you book a place. I would also advise against just pulling up to a place a getting a room. Not only will you pay a little more. It might not be in the best area. I found this out the hard way in Tennessee back in 2020 during my Pandemic road trip.
I feel like just because we are in a recession and our dollar isn’t going as far. That shouldn’t stop us from traveling and exploring the places near us. I’m sure there are plenty of interesting places within an hour of you.
I doesn’t matter if you live in Montana, Iowa, or even North Dakota. There’s bound to be some epic places near by. We put together a list of 200 places to check out in the US. There’s so many more amazing places you just need to get out there.
Talk to family, friends, and co-workers to get there input. You never know what they might suggest. A coworker of mine told me to check out Kentucky Down Under and it was amazing. I would have probably never came across that place if he didn’t mention it. I was just planning on visiting Mammoth Cave.
You can travel during a recession. You just have to be smart about it. Stay local. Just spend the day and go home and sleep in your own bed. Get out and explore nature or local history.
Visit that small town near by. Take a hike through the woods or walk along the river. Traveling doesn’t have to be lavish or expensive. It just needs to reset your soul.
Kozmo Photos 