Totally Nerding Out Over Cool Vacation Ideas

Today I found myself dreaming of vacation. I don’t know if its because we had a gorgeous sunny day, which sandwiched itself in between a couple of rainy gloomy days, or what. It might have been the impromptu trip to see couches at CB2 with my boss over lunch that inspired me to start thinking beyond the four walls of the building. (We also took some pretty awesome pictures of FedEx trucks lined up the street if I do say so myself.)

I love thinking about epic vacations, the kinds where you get away from it all, literally forget what day it is at some point, and generally get to see new things, taste new foods, and learn a whole lot. Nature vacations are probably my favorite. The kind of adventures where you leave your phone at home and just bring a radio (safety first right) for the ride. And we’re lucky in the States to have so many beautiful parts of the country that means we don’t even have to cross an ocean to get to some gorgeous nature destinations. The best way to enjoy a staycation is to book or rent a room beforehand. There are also times when I consider timeshares. Nevertheless, I rethink my decision when I see how much money I might have to spend on timeshare exit companies. Therefore, I prefer renting out or making early reservations, so that I can save money. A spontaneous vacation might probably be the best option when discovering nature destinations!

However, another cool vacation idea I have been playing around with is to rent a private jet to a remote island and truly disconnect from it all for some time. Perhaps some day I will manage this, but for now, country-wide vacations to different states is exciting enough at the moment. Fishing, white water rafting, hiking trails with beautiful waterfalls and winter activities like skiing and ice skating when it gets colder are some of the top things to do in Banner Elk NC – it’s quite amazing how one area can have so many things to do! I also love visiting as many churches as I can, and taking as many pictures of things as possible. When we were in Rome, we not only went and looked at more churches than I can count, but we also got to go to Church a bunch too. I totally nerded out and loved every moment of it. Honestly, I think my favorite place to visit is Italy, but that’s for a different post.

So here’s what’s got me drooling… and its a double dose of nerd filled goodness, I promise.

First, check out Squam Art Workshops, which are five day retreats where people get to spend their time doing all sorts of crafty projects and learning new things. Think sewing, painting, felting, making bags and I think there was an awesome wood block course in there somewhere. All sorts of really cool classes, all rolled into a single week. Just imagine how much fun you’d have if a group of friends wanted to all go together? Amazing. You can read more from the founder for Squam at decor8 too.

Then, Yale Divinity School offers a spectacular summer session around a bunch of religious topics. Every year I get the catalog, keep it close on the coffee table, read and re-read the course descriptions and try to decide which class or two classes I’d want to do most of all. I never can decide. Option paralysis takes over and then I end up not doing anything.

Turns out, at looking at the timing of these two things – I could do the Squam Workshop and literally the next day, head on down for a summer session at Yale. Totally drivable, totally doable. I couldn’t believe that it would line up just perfectly like that.

So now, I think I just need to go to my wonderful and delightful boss and ask for the time off. And then get my butt in gear and sign up for these super duper events!

So, what’s your dream vacation? What do you love to do when you’re away?