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A weekend vacation can be the most effective way to recover from a tough week. Getting started is a matter of a good idea. Planning, information and other details, or lack thereof, is up to you in making it a great experience. In my forty-one years, I have lived in four states. In the last six years of my career, seventy-five percent of which I spent on the road, I reached another twelve states, a U.S. Territory and a U.S. Commonwealth. Filling in the gaps with ships, planes, trains and automobiles, add another thirteen states, four more islands, five provinces, and dos estados. These details are for you, the reader, in order to provide some confidence that I've had my share of trips.

The automobile is mode of choice for most weekend vacationers. That changes from state to state, naturally. Texas, for example, can be a great place to take a drive under five hours to the nearest major city with a theme park, or a natural park such as Palo Duro Canyon or Big Bend National Park. People familiar with these places can tell you about the sheer size of the state and that a flight may be the more economical alternative, considering three major airline hubs are based in the state. Driving to a nearby city can provide good diversion. Fort Worth is a good example. The city has a great zoo, genuine stockyards with plenty of cowboys and cowgirls to go with it, some of the best beef steaks around and if you can fit it in, a nice afternoon at Six Flag in nearby Arlington. There is also the idea of visiting a city like Fort Worth even if you live there. Living in a major city of half a million or more tends to offer advantage to the idea, especially if the city is part of a metropolitan area. Vacationing in your city when downtown revitalization is at an all time high can make home the ideal spot for a forty-eight hour get-away. Just check out local guides, free papers holding local reviews or entertainment guides.

Some of the more memorable weekend vacations I have been on were before becoming a responsible adult. One weekend, two roommates and I took to the road from San Diego in my new 1978 Honda Accord hatch back, which I bought in 1989. We drove to the Arizona desert, outside of Yuma. On the way out of town, we picked up some steaks, snacks and cheap light beer. We stopped in a remote area just off the highway, clear of city lights. The night sky was amazing and the peace and solitude of the hikes can't be explained. The trip included a drive through Phoenix, a quick pass

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