Chick Vacations

2002: Me and some of my intern buddies who would just get up and go anywhere on weekends.  BTW The guy with the vest I am hugging  I have no clue who he was he  just was a nice stranger rooting  for the same basketball team I was.

Looking back at my early 20's I remember lots of fun crazy times but in no way would I want to do some of them now !  I am not meaning that I am too old to do these things I just have more knowledge and life experiences that makes me say why the hell did I ever sleep on the ground with no mat at a music concert venue for the whole weekend.  It was fun but I have now been around more and stayed at nicer hotels and would rather go for a day and then come back to a nice hotel room with air conditioning, a comfy mattress and running water.

These 3 wonderful things I did before I was 25 I think everyone should do while they are young because like I said life experiences do change you even if you say you will always be the way you are when 23.


1.  Go to a big festival concert like Coachella, Bonnaroo or Country Concert at Hickory Hill Lakes.  There are lots of  collage people at these concerts that think they are experiencing a a present day Woodstock and it is awesome....if you are the same age!  As you get older the generation under you just drives you crazy and going to a place where it is full of the people that drive you crazy is not fun. I would still consider going to a concert like this again only with the right situation.  I would need to have a hotel that was clean, a hot shower and a good bed.  I would also have to have good restaurants nearby.  I do not want to eat peanut butter and jelly all day for three days.  I would also be the person now that would sit in the reserved VIP section and pay the extra money for an area where people are not throwing beer bottles over your head or have to walk thru trash past your ankles.  See what I mean?  I loved my memories of festival experiences but I know I could never do it today.

2.  Definitely go on many spontaneous road trips.  You would think since my husband and I are travel bloggers that we do this often but not so much.  Our spontaneous road trip for us is now when we plan something a week out because we have work, and a dog to take care of.  We also plan and save our money for things such as bills, food, and retirement.  When you are young you have the luxury of not having a family to take care of or sometimes work.  I also have never met an early twenty year old that thinks hmm I should safe for retirement instead of going somewhere and honestly you shouldn't!  You are young once and dinner with a friend that turned into driving halfway across the country from a conversation had at that dinner is priceless!

3.Take the bus or train across the country.  I am not going to recommend anyone doing this alone but with a friend.  I took the Greyhound bus from Ohio to Colorado for a conference instead of flying. While we did not really sleep for three days the experience was amazing.  We met many people with so many backgrounds from other young travelers going across country to grandmas who were traveling to visit their families.  The stories were priceless and it opens you up to other people and of course you see some of the USA that you would never see otherwise. If you like architecture some of the old bus stations are absolutely gorgeous even though they could use some sprucing.

I hope if you are young and looking at this article you give it some thought.  If you are a little older please share some things you did when you were younger that you think people should experience!