Picture this: You’re standing at a crossroads. To your left, there’s a path filled with frequent weekend getaways—quick city breaks, spontaneous road trips, and mini adventures that keep your wanderlust alive all year round. To your right, there’s a grand, once-in-a-lifetime vacation—an epic journey to a dream destination, where you indulge in every luxury and create unforgettable memories.
Which path would you take? 🤔
Some travelers swear by spreading out their adventures, squeezing in as many trips as possible. Others prefer saving up for one show-stopping experience. But which travel style is truly better?
Neither approach is wrong, really. The couple staying at a hotel ATL for a quick historic city break might get just as much joy as the family spending three weeks touring Europe. It’s all about what works for your life, your budget, and how you like to relax. Some people need regular escapes to stay sane, but some prefer to wait all year excitedly waiting for their time off work, perhaps even booking a month off and going for it.
Both styles have their good points and their drawbacks. It’s easy to question which one is best for you In this post, we’ll look at what makes each option work for different people:
Regular Short Breaks
Taking lots of little trips means you always have something nice to look forward, and you can always surprise your family or partner with a weekend here or few days there. That will help to break up the routine of daily life nicely. You don’t need as much planning either, since shorter trips are simpler to organize, such as going camping or heading to another city to catch an amazing show, do some shopping, check out some historical areas, and then come home. Better yet, if one trip isn’t great, you’ve got others to look forward to. Many people find this helps them handle stress better through the year. It can also work out cheaper because you can still be relatively frugal from place to place.
One Big Adventure
Saving everything for one major vacation means you can do something really special, perhaps with more people in your family, and for much longer. That might involve a dream safari in Africa, or seeing several countries in one go. Perhaps you’ll book time to visit your family who live abroad. Maybe someone’s getting married and you can use that as an excuse to vacation in that area for a while. This way, you get time to properly unwind and forget about work completely. The excitement of planning it all builds up over months too, which adds to the fun, and allows you to plan each day with care. But waiting all year for your one break can feel tough, especially when work gets stressful and you feel tired of that morning commute. And if something goes wrong, that’s your main vacation affected.
So, Which One Wins?
Whether you’re a fan of bite-sized getaways or the go-big-or-go-home approach, there’s no wrong way to travel—only the way that makes you happiest! Some love the thrill of hopping between destinations, while others crave the magic of an immersive, once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
But here’s a fun fact to consider: Studies show that people experience the highest level of happiness when they’re anticipating a trip—sometimes even more than when they’re actually on it! So maybe the secret to ultimate travel joy isn’t just where or how you go… but how often you have something to look forward to 😉
Most people end up mixing both approaches over time. Maybe one year you do the big trip, next year you spread things out more, cost permitting, and often this is the main factor. Sometimes your job or family situation makes the choice for you. Ask yourself what helps you feel most refreshed. There’s no perfect answer, just what works best for your life right now, and so aiming for comfort and nourishment is always going to be the right answer, even if your idea of that is climbing a mountain.
So, what’s your style? Many mini getaways or one epic escape? Drop a comment and let’s settle this travel debate once and for all!
