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If there are three things that you take away from this post it would be these:
(1) Travel doesn’t have to be long and expensive to be meaningful.
(2) There is a different between a TRIP and a VACATION
(3) Everyone doesn’t always have to go.
So, a week and a half ago I took the kids down to Panama City Beach for the night. Why? Because I needed too. I like to go places, see things, find a change of scenery, etc. It’s the whole wanderlust thing I guess. Getting out of town and going somewhere is what fills MY bucket. And I hope that along the way it shapes my families memories and gives them something to smile about. One of my friends recently told me that her mom and her mom’s sister used to take them on little outings / stay cations / hotel trips etc often when she was younger and she has many great memories from that.
Now though… you guys… about half the time my kids complain about it. They actually utter out loud
“ do weeeee havvvve to go tooooo the beeeeeeaach?”
In those moments I question my parenting. But they always end up having fun and it’s not even out them anyway. Take that whiny kids.
I typically plan these trips the morning of after a couple days feeling like I need to go somewhere. I hem and haw over where to stay. I always look for value and often use Priceline. See, on these trip we are rarely in our room. I tend to pack a bunch of stuff in and then we go back home. It’s definitely more for the experiences than the relaxation. Actually to be honest we probably need to plan an actual vacation something soon but the thought of planning it all makes me a little anxious. I always feel like it has to be big and perfect if it’s like a once a year family vacation. That is why these inexpensive little getaways make me so happy. It’s something that most people can make happen. And here is a little secret — not everyone has to go. You notice that Matt isn’t with us on most of our mid-week trips. He actually enjoys coming home to a quiet house that night and doing his own thing for dinner. And I kind of like being the only adult and calling the shots. He loves coming with on weekend adventures though!
Why do I share these trips with you?
Well, maybe it will inspire you to do something new, take a risk, plan a surprise, make some memories. And maybe you will be heading in our direction sometimes and our adventures will help you plan your own visit!
Panama City Beach
This is the closest beach to us at our new home in Southern Alabama. We can get there in just under an hour and a half and there is so much to do. Seriously, this trip doesn’t even scratch the surface. The beaches are covered in the most gorgeous white sand and I love the vibes down there along the Gulf Coast. Everything is SO MUCH cheaper than the southern California beaches and the attitude is much more relaxed. Beach bars and bright color!
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Panama City Beach which was right on the water and centrally located to everything we planned to do which was basically Dave and Busters (games are half price on Wednesday nights) and Pier Park.
What do want to do next time we go to Panama City Beach? The list is huge! Dolphin encounters at Gulf World, rent a boat (this is at the top of my list), Zoo World, the new ferris wheel, do an excursion to Shell island, eat basically everywhere, the waterpark, mini golf, go-carts and more! And a big goal for Matt and I is to learn about sailing and the scuba dive too!
Good thing it’s close!
If you have been and have a suggestion or favorite thing to do in the area please leave a comment below!
And I think we are going back this weekend — make sure to follow me on Instagram because I post post of our travel onto my Instagram stories! FUN FACT Matt lived in Panama City Beach in the late 90s for a couple years and loved it. It’s one of the reason’s we have ended up where we are now.
I uploaded a short video from our trip onto our new YOU TUBE channel.
We just bought a condo in PCB and really loved your post, great stuff!
Thank you! We are about an hour and a half north in Dothan and try to get down there whenever possible! We moved here from California last Fall and have fallen in love with the Gulf of Mexico!