A weekend away sounds short on paper. After all, you only get a few days and a couple of nights, if you’re lucky, to really explore. That can’t seriously be enough time to see everything you need to see?
But actually, it can be the exact timeframe you need to give you the push to see and do everything you want to, whether it’s a long weekend in London or a trip to NYC or Chicago, your weekend break can be exactly the reset you need if you play it right.
And honestly, it’s less about cramming everything in and more about a strategic approach. Let’s take a look.
City Breaks On Your Doorstep
Nothing wastes time on a city break like staying in accommodation that requires travel to get to and from your base. For a city break that delivers, you need to pick your base right in the heart of the action. This is not necessarily the heart of the city, but it is in a central location to everything you want to do and see. For example, a boutique hotel near the Empire State Building means less time spent on hailing a cab, and removing that 35-minute journey back to your hotel after a full day. You want to step out of the hotel and into the heart of the action.
Build Around Moments Not Lists
You don’t want to fill up your days running from place to place, attraction to attraction, and as tempting as it can be to cram everything into one 48-hour break, it’s not the way forward. For a city break, you want to remember single moments. The first bite of pastry from the little bakery you’ve been dreaming of visiting, your first view across the river, or the moment you see the Strip in Vegas, or the bright lights of Times Square for the first time. These are the moments you need to let have space in your itinerary so you can savour them long after the weekend is done.
Walk Till You Can’t Walk Anymore
Heading around on your own two feet is an amazing way to really immerse yourself in city life. Forget the map for a while and see where your feet take you. Head outside of the usual tourist areas, find that side street cafe that specializes in the most delicious cakes, or find a hidden mural that seems like nothing to the locals but really brings the area alive for you. Immerse yourself in the culture, don’t be afraid to skip the Uber and make your own way, because that’s how you’ll really have more fun.
Stretch The Evenings
You’ll probably get tired and most definitely will have sore feet, but your soul will be happy. Stretching the evening means finding those activities you can immerse yourself in to get even more from your short time in the city. Rooftop cocktails as the sun goes down, yes please. An evening ticket in a West End show, absolutely, a late-night wander along a river in Paris, simply watching the world go by? Count us in. The fun doesn’t need to stop simply because nighttime rolled in, and you shouldn’t let it.
