Perfect vacation tip #2: Plan for immersion

When Mark, Mom, and I decided to go on vacation together, we opted for Pawleys Island since Mark had gone there as a child.  "I always wished we'd rented a house right on the beach," he sighed.  Even in the off-season, beach-front rentals are more expensive, but we decided to splurge and give Mark his dream...and I was so glad we did!

Being right on the beach  meant we could watch the ocean from the screened-in porch, or wander down the boardwalk several times a day for a walk or a swim.  If I'd had to get in a car, I probably would have spent more time lazing around the house, but I was so engrossed by the ocean on this trip that I barely read one fiction book and didn't even crack Small is Beautiful, which I'd brought along for deeper-thought periods.  In contrast, on other vacations of this length, I've often gone through one or two non-fiction books and three to five fiction books.

(You'll start to notice that each perfect facet of this trip was dreamed up by Mark.  Hmmmm.)

In case you're curious, we rented Knox Station for four nights.  It was fancier than we needed, but was a perfect fit for our family. 

Being up on stilts gave us perfect ocean views, and Mom only stumbled on the stairs once when I made her walk down them in the dark just before dawn so she wouldn't mess up her night vision for sunrise.  As an added bonus, the bend in the stairs smelled just like my grandmother's attic, so I thought of that deceased relative every time I passed by.

So, to return to the point, if you can afford it, try to find a vacation spot that really immerses you in what you came to see.  Or, maybe the moral is really "Pay attention to your husband"?