“Pro” in the sense of travel agent. Yup, my friend is a bona fide travel agent. She says the biggest mistake people make when they take a vacation is they pack too much. Here’s how to pack:

• Lay out everything you plan to pack on the bed. Put half of it back; pack the rest.
• If you’re a guy, and you’re going on a cruise, pack your old undies. Throw them out as the cruise progresses. You eliminate laundry and having to pack dirty underwear when you return home. (Sounds gross, but speaking as a guy, it makes sense.)
• Don’t fold your clothing when you pack. Roll all your clothes into cylinders. The clothes don’t wrinkle, and for some reason, the items seem to take up less space. Easier to find stuff, too.

I think that’s the title of a song. (If you wrote the song and don’t want the free plug, tell me and I’ll change the title of this post. To Fred.)

Anyway, One of the first posts on this blog touches on several types of vacations, and several recent posts have mentioned those types in a bit more detail. Now it’s time to mention the road trip.

Road trips come in several varieties, depending on the vehicle, the passengers, and the destination.

Vehicle

• Starting at the bottom, you can do without your own vehicle. Stand well into the shoulder of the road and put your thumb out. A sign helps, and wearing a shirt and tie helps. I did a lot of this in college. Maybe I should stop while I’m ahead, and mention that I’m not recommending you attempt this kind of travel. Maybe I’ll post more about hitchhiking some other time.
• Next up is riding a two-wheeled conveyance, such as a bicycle. Human-powered bicycling is a whole subculture all its own, and if you want to consider this kind of trip, you probably already have plenty of connections within the community.
• So is motorcycling a subculture, but you’ll find a lot of short-distance riders out there. One motorcycle club, the Iron Butt Association (real name) has plenty of advice on how to commit a long motorcycle ride. To join them, you have to document a ride of 1000 miles or more in 24 hours or less. Enough said, for now. Yes, mea culpa; I belong.
• Finally we get to automobiles. Consider renting a car instead of using your own. Especially if you belong to a travel club that offers steep discounts, such as (ahem) Serenity Travel, renting can be less expensive than putting all that stress on the old heap, and you have fewer worries about breakdowns and accidents. Your insurance company’s web site probably has a good list of things to check on regarding your car before you head out.
• You can go bigger than a mere automobile. I definitely recommend that you rent that RV. Unless you make road trips a lifestyle (subculture-based groups for that, too), you won’t get enough use out of an RV to justify the cost. I see more RVs parked in driveways than I see on the road. And you have fewer maintenance and repair hassles with a rental RV, too. Perhaps the best thing is that RVs are great for small groups, say two or three couples. You can split the cost, and you can enjoy good fun and fellowship while traveling, not just at your destination. Put some bicycles on the carrier in the back.

This is getting too long to cover passengers and destinations, so look for parts 2 and 3.

You can vacation a million ways. All successful vacations, however, share one characteristic:

True vacations break your routine

If you do the same things you normally do, you’re not vacationing. If your schedule doesn’t change, sorry—not a vacation. Eat the same stuff? Nope. Watch the same TV programs? Sorry, no dice. Sometimes you can get away vacationing in a location you’re familiar with, like a favorite resort, relatives, or even at home, but to be a vacation, the activities and schedule have to be different from your normal life.

Why is it so necessary to break your routine and go on vacation? Four reasons.

• A good vacation renews your relationships with your loved ones.
• A good vacation lets you step back and look at your routine—and reflect.
• A good vacation reduces stress, and you become refreshed and energized.
• A good vacation gives you memories that will enrich the entire rest of your life.

What do you think? Got some reasons of your own? Click the Leave a Comment link below.

I suppose everyone could come up with a list of kinds of vacations, and most of the lists would be different. Here’s my list, sorted more or less by luxury. I invite you, dear reader, to comment and add your own compendium of the varieties of travel, or your opinions about the ones in my list.

1. The “staycation.” Stay at home and work. Not much fun. More on that in another post.
2. Camping. I’m thinking Boundary Waters Canoe Area here. Really roughing it—sleep on the ground, eat your own cooking. For some, especially Scouts, this is regarded as great fun. More on that in a future post. You can include motorcycle trips in this category. More on that in another post.
3. Visit the relatives. We’re sorting this list by luxury, remember, not enjoyability. Depending on your relatives (and you), this can be a pretty good experience, especially if it doesn’t last too long. Guests and fish stink after three days, the saying goes. Be sure to take them out for dinner as a thank-you.
4. A road trip to a vacation spot. Your destination is some place of geographical or historical interest, with a decent place to lay your head. Budgets can vary a lot, but you always spend more than you planned, and total fun is inversely proportional to distance from home.
5. Cruise, resort, or some exotic location—planned and handled by a travel agency. This is by far the easiest way to travel, and the cost doesn’t have to be prohibitive. If you (ahem) find an agency that does discounts, you can actually get a really good deal. You come home refreshed, and not broke.

Okay, your turn. Click the comments link (on the right below) and put in your two cent’s worth. We bloggers thrive on comments, you know.