So you have all of your chores out-of-the-way and everything is all caught up around the house.  Right?

Even if you are not – isn’t Labor Day about escaping all of your labors?

Why not treat yourself to a little Labor Day Weekend trip?

But where would you want to go?

There really isn’t enough time left to plan a big trip…..

I have an idea you might not have thought of yet.

A UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL PLAN

Ask your favorite traveling buddy to go with you.

Get in the car.

Fill up your tank.

Pick a direction to drive.  Note I said “direction” not “destination.”

Don’t name a city or a town; just pick any direction and start driving.

Whenever you come to an interesting place, stop and spend all the time you want to spend.  Really take your time.

Don’t worry about the clock for one moment; just BE where you are.

Listen to the noises around you.

Drink in the air.

Notice the smells.  Coffee?  Flowers?  Food?

Appreciate the scenery.

Allow yourself the opportunity to find some new unexpected surprises without having to spend hours and hours planning out the details.

Just drive until you see something interesting; then stop and do that interesting thing (whatever it is).  After enjoying those moments, minutes or hours, get back inside the car and begin driving in any random direction again.

Keep it up until you are ready to rest for the evening.

RULE NUMBER ONE

Rule number 1 is that you can’t get on the freeway or the interstate. You have to take two-lane side streets and little country back roads.

When you see an interesting restaurant (it needs to be one you have never been to before) stop and give it a try for lunch or dinner.

After an interesting meal and a plate of prior-to-today unknown flavors; continue your drive.

When you come to another interesting place; stop – explore and travel on afterwards.

LET DESTINY DECIDE

When you get tired after the first day just spot an efficient little motel that looks decent and clean enough and stop to sleep.

If you see some enchanted place that you have never stayed before and the budget has room – go for it! That will just be part of your discovery process – trying a new place.

Maybe it is a romantic bed and breakfast that you have always wondered about; but have always forgotten to make a plan to stay.  If that isn’t in the budget – just ask to take a tour.  Notice the styles of decor; anything that is different from the rest of the world.  Think about what it is that makes this particular place “special.”

Or it could be a historical landmark where you have not yet learned the details of the history.  Take the time to find out.  Explore.

Maybe your night’s rest will be just an affordable place to rest for the evening until you get a delicious breakfast in the sleepy little town on the next day and head on to enjoy the rest of your journey.

The important thing is to decide what really matters as you travel.

Make NO plans ahead.

Just let destiny map out your journey.

Call it an adventure.

RULE NUMBER TWO

If you are typical like most folks; you will have a three-day weekend for your Labor Day holiday. That means a day, a night and another half-day for exploring anywhere on the way; then a day, a night and a half-day for returning back home.

Rule number 2 is that you must take an alternative route from which to return home.

Make the best of your adventure in discovering things that are new by not re-tracing your original steps; but keeping the whole journey fresh and leaving a lot to the unknown.

Of course you will have to do a little mapping on the way back to see exactly where you are and precisely how long it will take you to get home from there; but try NOT to go anywhere familiar on the route back.

EASY PACKING – RULE NUMBER 3

So – how would one pack for such an adventure?

That brings rule number 3 into focus. The whole point is to relax and enjoy the ride – wherever it takes you. You want to be comfortable and keep things simple.

It is only three days total and you are already dressed for the first day with the shirt on your back.

Pack two more pairs of jeans and two more t-shirts and a few of the very basic essentials and toiletries and you are ready to go.

Don’t plan on attending any formal occasions; but if it happens and you decide you want to participate; just go shopping along the way.

THE TRAVEL BUDGET

Shopping reminds us of the ugly “B” word – called “budget.”

Don’t fret over this ugly little word.

This unassuming little trip doesn’t require too much budgeting at all.

Stay in reasonably priced motels along the way. They don’t have to be well-known chains. You can probably get a good economy room in almost any small town for under 80 bucks. That would amount to only approximately $160 for room and board for the whole trip. You are leaving on Saturday morning and coming back on Monday evening; so you only have to pay for two nights.

Take the other $100 it takes to round-up to $260 and use it to eat in any little inexpensive hole-in-the-wall. Mine these places for their hidden charms and unusual food fare.

Scope out the interesting qualities that make them the favorite dive for all of the village locals.

Most of the things you see along the roadside as you go on your way will not be too expensive. The trip is a lot about sight-seeing.

RECORDING THE LOCAL SIGHTS

Seeing is free.

God gave us good eyes to see and that is all we really need! How many times have we all enjoyed just window shopping?

Take a camera with you to record all of the astounding out-of-the-way treasures you run across.

I’ve had trips where the way the sun was shining through the trees as I drank my morning coffee was the most priceless treasure of the day. Don’t miss these times and just chill out and relax and enjoy whatever comes down the path.

Pay particular attention to the kindness of strangers and be amused by any unusual characters. Try to imagine what makes the strangers you encounter the people that they have turned out to be.  All across the nation right now people are stressed and suffering.  Try to pay some things forward; even if it is only a random act of kindness to a total stranger.  Take kindness home as a souvenir to add to the memories of the scrapbook for this year.

WRITE IT DOWN OR DRAW IT IN A JOURNAL

Save up story-lines; they come in handy later if you are a writer like me. There is gold to be had here!

You might want to take a blank notebook with you and use it as a journal.

Sketch as well as write notes to look back on.

Have fun and we would love to hear about it later.

SHARE YOUR ADVENTURES WITH OTHERS

Let the IN SEASON Community know where your imagination took you and what type of adventures you found there.

I will have questions for you later; such as:

1. Did you share your faith or pray with anyone along the way?

2. Did you leave any anonymous surprises along the trail for a perfect stranger to find later? We once enjoyed a stay in a little cabin where the previous guests left hand written messages in a bottle. It was so much fun reading them and wondering about the people who wrote them.

3. Did you do anything along the way that would have left the place better than you found it?

4. What type of random kindnesses did you use to pay it forward?

5. What memories did you make that you never expected to find?

6. What places will you be going back to so that you can check out more details later?

7. What unique qualities belonged to each little town you visited? How were they all alike and how were they all totally different?

Oh – what the heck……I think we may just give this a shot at our house too. After all; it WAS my own original idea; why shouldn’t I get in on some of this labor day fun?

What could possibly go wrong with such an awesome off-the-wall idea?

Or even better; what could possibly go right?

I’ll let you know soon!

HAPPY LABOR DAY !!!!!