It’s vacation time!

No matter how much we fuss about the cost of gas it doesn’t seem like people are going to let it rob them of that one time of year when they can leave everything behind and just enjoy themselves.

Some people go away to rest and relax. Others go to sight see or visit attractions of different kinds all around the country. Sometimes they wear themselves out running from place to place. They need a vacation to rest from their vacation when they get back home.

I fit in both categories. My favorite vacations are ones where you run yourself to death for a few days seeing and doing everything there is to do at a particular location. Then for the next few days I like to go somewhere like Myrtle Beach and walk the beach and enjoy the sights and sounds or sit on the beach and just savor the breeze, listen to the waves hitting the shore and looking out into the horizon and dreaming of faraway places.

I also enjoy the planning. I spend time searching through travel books looking for places that interest me. It’s fun just reading about all the possibilities and considering them. Once I locate a place, I mark all the things I want to see and do. Next I go to the Internet and find the Visitors Center for that location. They give you more information about attractions and things to do. They also give you listing of all hotels and motels in the area so you can match a place with your preferences. Or you might pick a placed by its location.

Once all the decisions are made, I go through all the things I want to do and make a loose plan of how to accomplish it all. At that point I get excited thinking about the new adventures ahead.

Sometimes you may find a place you enjoy so much you want to return or you may want to take some of your family or a friend because you think they will enjoy it as much as you do.

This year I decided to visit some old favorites with people I enjoy being with. Instead of taking one long vacation, I will take several shorter ones. I went to Williamsburg last week with a family member and friend. We spent most of our time shopping, eating and just doing whatever struck our fancy. This week I am taking my youngest granddaughter to New Bern, Beaufort and Atlantic Beach. At the end of July, two other grandchildren, a son and I will go to Tennessee for a fun time together.

I just don’t know how it could be any better than this. I may decide mini-vacations are the way to go. You get to have more than one a year, you get to visit more than one place and you get to spend time with many different family members.

I was just trying to remember the best and worst places I’ve ever visited. There just isn’t anyplace I can think of that wasn’t a great place to be. The only bad vacation I ever had was because the person I went with was determined not to enjoy it. So I guess the most important part of a vacation is choosing a vacation partner that really wants to go and enjoy it.

I am always looking for new places to visit. If you have a favorite I wish you would e-mail me and tell me about it. sylvia.hughes@r-cnews.com.