Staycations in the DMV

Who doesn’t love to travel? Whether you plan to go out of the country or head to another state, it’s always fun to get away. 2017 has been an extremely busy year for me. From work to events, I have found myself constantly tired and on the go. “I need a vacation” seriously has to be my top used phrase of the year.

If you have a schedule like mine, long get aways may not always be convenient. This is where staycations come in! I’ve lived in the DMV all of my life, except those years in Baltimore for college, and I feel like there is still so much that I haven’t done in the area. Staycations give me the opportunity to do things outside of my ordinary activities.

Staycations can be just as fun as any other vacation if you plan out some things to do and remember to take time to relax. All though mine might not have been fully planned out, I did 3 staycations this year. Each one has given me time to rest, unwind, and experience new things. But I still feel like I could use more vacations 🙂 Here is a bit more information on my 3 staycations:

1. D.C.
   I live about 20 minutes outside of the city but I hate driving in D.C. and parking is always a nightmare so I almost never spend a day out there. My friend decided that she wanted to come down from Baltimore to spend her birthday in D.C. She got a room at The W (fancy) and we just decided to wing it. I knew I would love the hotel when we walked in because they had a pictures of Beyoncé and Rihanna on the walls. They also poured us a glass of champagne upon checking in and gave us drink coupons for the bar upstairs since our room wasn’t ready. We decided to eat at The Hamilton for lunch which I had never been to so I was excited to try the food. Once night rolled around, we headed out to a hookah bar for drinks. We met some dope people who bought us shots, went out for pizza at the end of the night, and overall had a good time not too far from home.
   
2. Virginia
   I originally wanted to go out of town for my birthday but for some reason things just weren’t working out. And I was lucky they didn’t because all of the places I wanted to go ended up being hit by the hurricanes right around my birthday. When I decided to stay home, my boyfriend put together a quick staycation for us. I had no idea where we were going or what we were going to do which was exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. We ended up staying in a part of Virginia that I had never been to before. We went to a nice dinner one night and spent the next day at the mall trying out a sushi restaurant. We both spend a lot of time at work so doing a staycation baecation gave us time to enjoy each other’s company, connect, and get some rest that was well needed.
3. Baltimore
   I know what you’re thinking….”Baltimore isn’t in the DMV.” I completely agree but it is accessible from the DMV so it fits! My birthday wouldn’t have been complete without some time spent with my girls. I decided that I wanted to get some of my friends together and do a wine tasting and tour. I found a lot of different places all throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Even in cities I’ve never heard of (like where the hell is Boonsboro?) And eventually decided on Boordy Vineyards right outside of Baltimore. The tour was pretty boring because I expected to actually see the wine being made (I guess I watch too much tv). Instead you just listen to a guy talking about the process and he wasn’t the most interesting person in the world so of course the wine tasting was my favorite part. We got to sample 8 different wines, a mix of reds and whites, and decided to buy 2 bottles to drink there because why not?! I got a hotel room near BWI so we could keep the party going (even though they said no parties shhh). We went out to dinner at a small Mexican bar called Toro Bravo before heading to the room. The food/drinks were delicious and they sang happy birthday to me with fried ice cream and a sombrero. When we got back, we drank and played card games; nothing too fancy just a little fun.
   

As you can see, my staycations definitely weren’t over the top or very expensive but I still had fun! This year was about creating experiences for me and that’s just what I did. Sometimes you don’t need to be very fancy; you just need to getaway. That’s why staycations are perfect to clear your mind, let loose, and just have fun!