Finding the Time to Travel

Time. There never seems to be enough when travel is concerned. My husband and I are not full time travelers, so we have to work hard to find the time to travel like we want. I am a teacher; therefore, I have holidays and the entire summer off. My husband is not so lucky, however. He gets a total of two weeks of vacation a year. With the limited amount of time we have for travel, we have to get creative. Here are a few tips on how we manage to travel with limited time.

Weekend Trips
Taking advantage of time that does not have to be asked off for is key. Weekends are the perfect time to boost travel. It is not ideal by any means but something is better than nothing in my opinion. Grant luckily has four day work weeks. So, we are able to take three day weekend trips often, especially in the summer.

Mushroom Rock State Park

Travel Local
Look for places to visit that are close to home. Searching for these places can be a challenge but worth it. Some of the best places we have visited thus far are not far from home and not well known. I always like to check state parks in the surrounding area first. I was surprised by the amount that I had never even heard of! A few places that we have visited that are close to home are:

Cross Timbers State Park  Kansas
Hawksbill Crag Arkansas
Kanopolis State Park  Kansas
Katy Trail  Missouri
Mushroom Rock State Park  Kansas
Natural Falls State Park  Oklahoma
Oklahoma City  Oklahoma (Girls Weekend)
Tulsa  Oklahoma (Aquarium)

Many of our trips have been weekend trips. To see as much as we would like, this is a reality for us until we have more vacation time.

Natural Falls State Park

Take Advantage of Holidays
Another great time to travel or a great way to extend a weekend is to use holidays, such as memorial day. Any time there is a holiday that we both have off we try to use that to our advantage. We are lucky that we live near our families and do not have to spend our holidays traveling back home. Also, try asking family to celebrate at a different time and use the time off from work to travel.

Biking the Katy Trail

Travel Separately
Don't be afraid to travel separately. With Grant only having two weeks of vacation and I have to be in town during the school year, we have done some traveling apart. Grant has made a few trips to see friends or family, while I have done a few girls weekends. Although, we are not traveling together we get the opportunity to still experience something new.


Make the Most of Vacation Time
It is important to take advantage of those few precious weeks out of the year. Plan the "big" trips during this time and don't be afraid to use it all. Grant's vacation does not roll over so he makes sure to use it. I luckily get a full summer off and I plan to use that to my advantage.

Time always seems to be the issue with traveling and maintaining a regular job. Have any other tricks? Comment below!