The summer countdown has begun. School's out, temperatures are rising, and social media feeds are bursting with vacation photos and travel plans—but what if you don't have anything planned? Whether due to procrastination, budget constraints, or simply preferring to avoid peak travel season, a summer without definitive plans doesn't have to leave you feeling left out or bored.
Today's episode offers a refreshingly practical approach to creating memorable summer experiences without the need for expensive flights or extensive planning. Drawing from personal experience and creative travel solutions, there are three accessible options that can transform your seemingly ordinary summer into something worth talking about.
First, consider the classic road trip—a flexible adventure that can be tailored to any timeframe or budget. Cheryl provides a strategic approach to mapping potential destinations within driving distance, encouraging listeners to seek out places they've always wanted to visit but never prioritized. Next, she reimagines the staycation not as a compromise but as an opportunity to experience your own region with fresh eyes through local festivals, events, and activities you've never tried before. From rodeos to trapeze classes, she demonstrates how the extraordinary often exists right in our own backyard. Finally, she celebrates the power of spontaneity—keeping an open mind to last-minute deals, fill-in opportunities, and unexpected adventures that often become our most cherished memories.
Whether you're working with limited vacation time, a tight budget, or simply missed the window for summer planning, this episode provides actionable strategies to ensure your summer is filled with new experiences and stories worth sharing. Plus, don't miss details about an upcoming virtual travel summit featuring Cheryl among 35+ speakers covering global travel topics. Ready to transform your empty summer calendar into something extraordinary? Your adventure starts here.
Join the Virtual Travel Summit-Infinityland June 7 & 8, June 14 & 15
Sign up: https://toinfinityland.com/travel-summit
Instagram @solotraveladventures50
Facebook community: Solo Travel for Women Over 50
Episode Transcript
The temperatures are rising, school is done for the
year, or at least almost, andyou're hearing about all your
friends' summer vacation planswith envy.
And we don't have any summerplans.
Welcome to Solo TravelAdventures.
(00:23):
I'm Sheryl Esch, your personaltravel coach.
So, whatever your reason is fornot having anything planned this
summer, maybe you just got offa trip that you did in the
spring and so summer is just notwasn't in your plan to do any
travel.
Maybe you don't like to travelin the summer, like myself.
(00:47):
I don't plan any large trips inthe summer, but I have been
known, as I did last year, Itook two spontaneous trips in
July last year and there may beother reasons.
You've chosen not to plananything for summer.
You could be like my father,who always procrastinated and
finally you know it gets to beschool time is out and we as a
(01:10):
family didn't have plans.
So my father would scurry totry to figure something out for
his family to do for summervacation.
But whatever your excuse may be, maybe it's you just don't have
the funds, you have limitedtime off, so it's just not
available for you to go.
You maybe don't have anybody togo with and you'd rather go
(01:33):
with somebody, or right now youwaited so long and everything is
really expensive and so you arenot going because of that, or
you just don't feel comfortabletraveling right now, for
whatever reason.
Well, your summer doesn't haveto be boring, and I am, of
course, mostly speaking to allof us in the Northern Hemisphere
(01:55):
, where our summer months getreally warm.
You know, europe has theirholiday sometime in summer as
well.
Europe has their holidaysometime in summer as well, and
other places like the US havesummer vacations typically
planned, and it doesn't have tobe that way, and it also doesn't
have to be a boring summer.
(02:16):
Even if you currently don'thave any plans Now, there are
several ways to have adventures,as what I like to call them
near and far, and I want you toconsider these three
possibilities to incorporatesome fun into your summer.
So, if you have not doneplanning for your summer and are
(02:39):
not going anywhere, you couldconsider a road trip.
Going anywhere, you couldconsider a road trip, and this
could be a one day or even aweekend or even a week long or
more road trip.
I know that in the US,particularly because we are so
large, I mean just to stay in mycountry.
You know, we could spend awhole summer which I've, which I
(03:02):
have done just driving acrossthe US and seeing different
things.
But I would actually like tochallenge you, and maybe you
can't again get that time off.
Maybe your country's reallysmall and a road trip gets you
to another country actually,which is possible over in Europe
(03:23):
.
So what I'd like you to do when, if you're considering a road
trip, first of all, in episode41, I want you to go and listen
to some key things that you needto pack If you are doing a road
trip.
Um, these will be veryimportant items to have um in
your vehicle if you're going ona road trip.
(03:45):
So, first of all, I'd like you,if you're considering a road
trip this summer, I'd like youto make a list of places.
Now, make two lists, twocolumns, if you'd like.
Your first column, or list, isgoing to be places that are one
to three hour drive.
These are going to be placesthat you can get to within a day
.
Then you're going to look atplaces that are four plus hour
(04:09):
drive from you, and these couldbe places you know, maybe it
goes across another border andyou get into whether it's
another state, another country,another province?
Um, consider places like that.
But you could have a thirdcolumn and you can think really
big, especially if you have lotsof time.
(04:33):
But see if, in this list ofplaces, as you look at a map I
like to.
I'm a very visual person, so Ineed to look at a map to see
what is nearby, what's ourGoogle, what's you know, making
sure that place is maybe withinthat one to three hour distance.
Um, see if in that list thereare places you've always wanted
(04:56):
to see, that could be an optionfor you as a road trip.
Now, road trips are greatbecause you can easily do them
last minute.
You can do them alone or youcould do them with a friend, and
there's many options.
As far as if you want to savemoney, you could camp as one
(05:18):
option, but you know hotels arejust as well.
So, make a list, consider aroad trip.
Where do you want to go thissummer?
Do you want to try to get awayfrom the heat?
Maybe get yourself near somewater.
Right, being near a body ofwater can always be nice if the
air temperature is warm.
Number two have a staycation,and there's nothing wrong with
(05:44):
that Right now.
That's what I'm looking at atthe moment.
So Google search activities,events or festivals that are
happening in your city, town orsurrounding area.
There's tons of.
You know it's summertime andtons of festivals.
Every town, big and small, isgoing to have some type of
festival.
(06:04):
It could be a music typefestival, it could be a
strawberry festival, it could besome festival that pertains to
some ethnic.
I always recall going to theGreek festival where I grew up,
and there was many others aswell.
And so do a search and make alist.
Make a list of these items.
(06:25):
There's activities, maybe justsome fun things, that are
happening.
Maybe it's a movie in the parkkind of weekend somewhere nearby
, things like that that aregoing to keep you active, so
that you are not sitting at homeand you're not having a boring
summer but you're doingsomething.
Maybe take some dance lessonsthere's always some free
(06:48):
introduction lessons, thingslike that that are going to get
you out of your rut, out of yourcomfort zone.
Maybe even sign up for a class,go try pickleball or something
like that.
So if you're going to do astaycation, make a list of 10
activities to do with the dateswritten down.
(07:09):
And I say 10 activities itcould be more, but in general I
look at, summer is roughly 10weeks long.
It could be more or less, andso that gives you about one
activity to do per week.
And just get your calendar out,look at your list of activities
(07:32):
, see what the dates are thatthey're happening, and then
write them on your calendar orput them in your digital
calendar and think about could Iinvite somebody to join me?
And I'll give you a few moreexamples.
I'm doing some of these sort ofactivities and I'm calling them
my adventures for 2025.
And one example of somethingthat's happening around me is a
(07:57):
rodeo, and so I've never been toa rodeo, so I'm going to go to
a rodeo.
So things like that.
I'm signing up for a craftingclass, which I go to next week.
I'm doing I want to do atrapeze circus class.
So do some searches for yourselfand make it fun so that your
staycation is something to talkabout.
(08:19):
So when people get back to workor you meet up with some
friends, you have something toshare about what you did over
the summer.
So make that list and theimportant part is that you
actually put it on your calendar.
Don't let time get by, becauseyou can look at the list, but
then you won't see what date itis and it won't actually be on
(08:39):
your calendar.
And we know that when we putthings on our calendars they
usually get done.
So that's number two.
Third thing you could do is, ifyou have no summer plans is just
to be spontaneous.
Keep an eye out for any lastminute deals or if someone is
canceled or needing a fill-in atthe last minute.
(09:00):
I've seen many of those wheresomeone says, oh, a friend was
supposed to join me on thiscruise.
They've backed out last minuteand they need someone to go with
.
Who knows, maybe you cannegotiate, um, since their
friend probably already paid, orwhatever.
You're can negotiate the price.
But be open to those kinds ofthings, and I am thinking of
(09:26):
being spontaneous and somethingI'm trying to plan.
It's a little challenging, butI will let you know if it's
happened.
Um, I'll let you know if it'shappened.
I'm trying to get to.
I am a soccer fan and so are mykids, of course.
My kids were huge soccerplayers and if you follow any
(09:48):
kind of soccer, which is a worldsport, you do know that the
FIFA World Cup is happening nextyear, in 2026.
However, this year they arehosting what we call FIFA Club
World uh games, and they arebeing played actually all over
the U?
S, and so I am working on andthen probably have to be
(10:11):
spontaneous with this one,seeing if I can get some tickets
to get to one of those games.
But that's what I'm talkingabout.
Be spontaneous, keep your eyesopen for opportunities to make
your summer fun.
It doesn't have to be anextravagant trip to Italy or
(10:32):
somewhere else that you long tobe at, or some beach vacation,
and it can just be a road trip,be staycation or or?
C just be spontaneous and beopen to maybe going somewhere
fun for the summer.
(10:53):
Well, I'd be anxious to hearwhat you are planning to do this
summer, and so hop into ourfacebook community group and I
will post a question, or you canjust share where you are going
this summer and comment.
So how would you like to attenda virtual travel summit?
(11:15):
I'm actually going to be aspeaker in a travel summit
coming up in June June 7th and8th and June 14th and 15th.
It is Infinity Land PresentsFreedom Finders.
It's a virtual travel summit.
It is pay what you can, but itis four days of an online
(11:35):
conference covering all thingstravel, moving abroad, wellness,
tourism and influencing forglobal impact, and there are
talks, panels, workshops, q andA's and there are numerous uh.
There's 35 plus speakers overthe four days and I encourage
(11:56):
you to join.
I'm going to include the linkin the show notes.
It is a pay, what you can uhtype of summit and I will be
actually on a panel of speakerson June 15th.
So I hope you will actuallysign up and join and I would
love to have many of you andjust glean from many of these
(12:18):
other wonderful travel speakersthat you will experience in the
summit.
So, sister travelers, get outthere and have that adventure.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.