Travel in These Rough Times

The other day at work someone mentioned that he was off on his vacation for two weeks. The natural question posed to him was, of course, what plans he had and where he planned to go. The person smiled wistfully and replied that he could not afford to go anywhere because of financial conditions and so would stay home and do things around the house. Everyone nodded in agreement and joined in to say that vacations these days meant staying home and relaxing.

A few days later I was reading the Sunday New York Times and looked through the travel section. There were so many vacation packages available to all parts of the world. The Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii and the South Pacific dominated the list of pages. I looked through them and noticed that, though people were in dire straits, the tours and sightseeing offered were not really scaled down in price. Yes, some destinations looked affordable but were they really?

The most helpful hints I found were for local area mini-vacations. If you live in the tri-state area, there are so many sights to see and things to do that you can have a true vacation for a lot less than going to more exotic places. Staying around your environs means you save on plane tickets, hotels, food and taxi/bus/train fares. A family of four could save about $750.00 apiece by visiting sights close to home. Most people who live in the tri-state area have never gone to the Empire State Building or Broadway theaters or the beaches in the surrounding areas, Well, now is your chance though I would not recommend swimming in the ocean during winter.

So what does one do here in the winter besides going into New York City? Not all love or want to partake in the hustle and bustle there. If you are from New Jersey, you can go to Atlantic City or Wildwood (great spot even during winter)or to the Poconos for skiing. All this can fit nicely in your budget. Visiting the various beaches of Jersey is fun even if you cannot bask in the sun. Winter has its own charm at the beach.

A Connecticut resident can avail himself of Mystic where the aquarium is a grand sight. He could go to Foxwoods Resort Casino or Mohegan Sun Casino or a few of the other ones not too far away. Going to see the magnificent mansions in Rhode Island is also a delight. And, of course, there is always the winter sport of skiing. There are lots of things to see and do if you only take a closer look.

New York has the Statue of Liberty, museums galore and the sights I already mentioned above. Central Park is also a bucolic oasis that is quite pleasant to visit when it is cold especially if snow has fallen recently. The world-famous Bronx Zoo and the Central Park Zoo are worth seeing. And, of course, like New Jersey and Connecticut, ski resorts are close enough for frequent visits. There are just so many sights to see and places to visit that a two-week vacation might not be long enough.

Yes, a visit to Tahiti or Honolulu or Puerto Rico is fabulous but these hard times beg for local attractions. Putting off "climbing" the Empire State Building because it happens to be in your backyard or not going to Atlantic City for the same reason is now passe. Now you can go see what's in your backyard and enjoy it. Save the world for later.

(Skiing: This is one of the activities I have not understood and won't try. Why do people pay to slide on snow? I can understand tobogganing when you slide downhill on snow and experience various thrills. But this all free. Why pay to do this while dressed in layers of clothing and inviting falls and accidents? I invariably see a broken leg whenever I had the misfortune to visit ski resorts. Ice skating is fun and economic but skiing? What is the attraction?)