Author: Alison Sardellibr
Source: articlerich.combr
br
During the course of daily life many people feel rushed and often as though they never have enough time to accomplish all of the things on their to-do lists, let alone time for relaxation. Though it can be difficult to plan a trip away, many people try to plan vacations to refresh themselves.

With the many different types of vacations and places available to visit, the idea of simply planning the vacation can at times be a little intimidating; for those who havent a great deal of time to spare and are on a tight budget an excellent option is to take a road trip. While heading a few hours away may not exactly be the exotic retreat that some fantasize about, simply removing yourself from the setting in which you live can help a great deal in eliminating the stress of daily life.

When planning a road trip, it is important to remember that while your final destination maybe the primary goal there are many different amusements you might pass along the way that can add to your enjoyment. Taking a scenic route or a route on which you will find interesting places to stop can not only make your trip more amusing, but can also make the drive itself seem like part of the vacation.

The primary problem for most people is that because they lead such busy lives many are in a hurry and would normally pass up most of the attractions along the road; taking the time to plan for some random, or planned, stops can make your trip an adventure and for some, the unexpected is what truly makes it memorable. Though some people do have great difficulty accomplishing anything in their life without following a schedule, as they are often forced to do daily, taking a break from your routine might be the most important part of your get away and the essential stress relief that you have been so sorely missing.

Whether or not you decide to remain locally or head out to an entirely new place to explore it is important when planning a long road trip to prepare a few essential features that will allow you freedom once on the road:

Vehicles:

- Whether you are taking your own vehicle or renting one be sure that it is in excellent condition; nothing destroys a happy vacation mood like sitting in a broken down car on the side of the road.

- Be sure that you feel comfortable driving the vehicle and that you will remain so in less than perfect weather conditions.

- Remember to bring extra food, plenty of water and sunscreen with you just in case you should have a mishap and will not have access to these items for a longer period of time.

- If you are able to bring a cell phone, this could be a very useful tool in an emergency or in case of car trouble.

- When renting a vehicle, be sure to ask about the insurance and what it covers; you wouldnt want to end up having financial difficulties because of your vacation.

When planning for your road trip, be sure to make sure you have an excellent understanding of where you are headed, or access to maps that you can use along the way:

- Routes: GPS tracking devises are common in vehicles today and can also be very useful on such trips. Looking up your planned route online can also be very useful ahead of time. Whether or not you think you may need it, always bring a map along just in case your techno-devices decide to act up.

- Attractions: Though it may be difficult to plan for stops along the way before you head out, you can plan to allow yourself the extra time just in case you run into such an attraction. When side tracking for off road amusements, always be sure you can easily find your way back to the main road. Taking a few minutes to look up the areas through which you will be passing may prove useful as often such attractions can be found on the net; by doing so you may useful information and directions to the attraction which would have otherwise been difficult to find.

- Safety: Letting a trusted friend or relative know approximately when you plan to stop for the night, or reach your final destination, is always a good way to make sure that if something does go amiss, the right people will be notified quickly. Planning your route can certainly be of great help in avoiding problems and knowing where to find places to stay along the way, should you need to stop and rest, can also help to eliminate frustration.

Even after planning a trip to an exciting destination and perhaps a few adventurous pit stops, a long ride can still become a little tedious for both drivers and passengers. Especially for children, it is important to bring activities that will help to amuse everyone as you head down the road. Many different road games can be found on the net or in stores; from car bingo to license plate games, these types of entertainment can fill those long hours with fun. Portable DVD, or installed DVD players can also be very handy as they provide hours of entertainment. Portable video game devices can also help a great deal to relive some of the boredom. If possible, you may want to try to include activities that relate to the areas through which you are traveling; this can be a fun way to learn about the area you are visiting without feeling as though you are simply studying.

Making the most of your vacation time is essential when your life at home does not allow for a great deal of relaxation. Remember that both drivers and passenger tend to feel worn out after a long trip and that upon arriving to your final destination you should allow for some extra lounge time. Always remember to plan ahead and be safe when you are on the road, but dont be afraid to make an adventure out of trip. In many cases, with a little forethought, the getting there can be just as exciting as the place to which you are traveling.br
br
To learn more about a href=http://www.instatrek.com target=_blank rel=nofollowroad trip activities/a please check out the a href=http://www.instatrek.com target=_blank rel=nofollowtravel ticket deals/a provided by http://www.InstaTrek.combr
br

Author: John McCabe
Source: articleage.com

Just about everybody gets them…
I had them just recently…
Yup, I had a serious case of the “poor me’s”, those down-in-the-dumps, pitiful, worthless feelings of failure and scarcity. I mean, I threw a full-blown pity party.
My web host went down, so no one could see my web pages. I couldn’t get my email. I couldn’t even get into the control panel to make sure I had a current list of subscribers for this newsletter…
Then, just to make sure I was good and miserable, I threw in a few “what-ifs”.
What if the database is gone forever?
What if I never build it back?
What if my business fails and I have to go looking for a J.O.B.?
What if I can’t find one?
What if we lose the house…?
By the time those poor-me’s and what-if’s got going, in my mind we were living in a cardboard box and it was all my fault…
Oh, how a good night’s sleep can change things. I got up the next morning, and started on my normal routine. Part of that routine is spending at least 30 minutes reading something good. Something that will contribute to, and serve, my vision and my dreams.
In this particular instance, the book was “Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting” by Lynn Grabhorn. The book talks about the Law of Attraction, that we get what we think and feel. And the Universe provided just the right cure.
Grabhorn outlined an exercise designed to make you feel good about money, and having it. If you can get the feeling of having plenty of money, you open yourself to attracting that money, and the money flows in. I’m going to give you the original exercise, and a variation I discovered.
Here’s the original…
Take a $100 bill (or the biggest bill you can afford– don’t skimp) and put it in your wallet.
Now go shopping. If you can handle a full day, do it. Even a lunch hour at the mall will work. Just go someplace with lots of different stores.
Now wander from store to store, picking out things you’d like to buy with your $100. Don’t start making a list and figuring what you can get, just pick up individual items and tell yourself that you’d like that item and since you have the money in your pocket, you could buy it. Feel what it’s like to see something you like and know that you can have it.
If you’re diligent, by the end of the day you may have picked up at least 1,000 things. In your mind, you could have spent around $100,000, and it feels good. You have to be pretty prosperous to spend that much on shopping and feel good about it, right?
Hang on to the feeling, nurture it and bring it out as often as you can. What you are doing is sending these feel-good money vibrations into the Universe and opening yourself up to receiving money.
Here’s my variation…
If you don’t have $100, or getting the bill is inconvenient, write yourself a $100 check and put it in your wallet. Then go shopping.
And if actually getting out to the stores is inconvenient, pick up a stack of catalogs or log onto the internet. I use catalogs because I still remember wearing out the “Wish Books” from Sears and Montgomery Wards at Christmas when I was a kid.
I page through the catalogs slowly, looking at the items and mentally “buy” anything that strikes my fancy that I could order with my hundred bucks.
I know this vibration stuff might sound kind of “airy-fairy”, and I’m not an airy-fairy kind of guy. I’m an engineer by education and training. One thing you learn as an engineer is that you do what it takes to get the job done, and this gets the job done.
Want an example? OK…
This summer I wanted to take a long road trip, and cash is pretty tight. We’re making some improvements on the house and paying cash for them. So where was the money going to come from?
I didn’t worry about that, just started planning the trip. What route would I take? How long would it take me? Where would I stop, and who would I see? How would it feel to do things exactly as I wanted to do them on the trip?
Well, a couple of weeks into that routine, and the money fell out of the sky. I mean it came down in chunks…
Earlier this spring, we attended to some family business out of town and didn’t have room to haul everything back with us. So we stored the extra stuff with relatives and went back a month or so later to get it.
While there, we got caught in a hail storm. Chunks of ice the size of golf balls were bouncing off our car. After the storm, we were left with a cracked windshield and several dings in the sheet metal.
Long story short, the insurance company totalled out the car. We decided to keep it and take the settlement, which is paying for my road trip. A side benefit is that, because the car is totalled on the insurance company’s books, we no longer pay for collision insurance, so our car insurance bill will go down for as long as we keep the car…
So just remember–
When the going gets tough, tough…
Go shopping!
Here’s what you get with John McCabe’s Success Letter: Original articles that accelerate your business growth… Proven tools and resources to explode your success… Special offers that make your life and work More and Better… Part of John McCabe’s Web Guides.