Hometown Vacation
Make the most of your weekend trips home this fall!
By Sydnie Albert, Lifestyle Editorial Assistant
I really value my trips back to my hometown. Being able to see my parents, my sister, my niece and nephew, and of course my animals; it feels like I never left. But I just don’t go home only on holidays. The best time to visit can be on just a normal weekend. It helps to get out of the city and into the quiet peacefulness of the country. Yet making the most of that precious, short time away from campus can be stressful, if you don’t prioritize your activities and prepare well.
When visiting home, be present with your family. They want to see you and spend time with you, not you and your phone. They miss you so enjoy your time with them because soon you’ll be back at school again.
Set aside time for your friends. Even if it is for a little bit, reconnecting with your best friends is a good thing, because it will feel as if you’ve never been apart for weeks or months. It gets you out of your house and out having adventures back home.
One way to have an adventure is seeing what’s going on within your community. If something seems interesting, go! Go out of your comfort zone and be in the moment. Bring your friends or family with and enjoy your time off!
Most importantly, make sure your homework is done before you go home. Because, at least in my experience, absolutely no homework will get done.
You can always find something to do outside of Madison, especially during the fall. No matter where you live, what matters when you get home is that you enjoy it. Make your time at home like a vacation. Find activities that inspire you, and that makes you happy.
In Wisconsin, for example, you can take a walk outside, enjoy the weather before it gets too cold. Maybe visit a pumpkin farm or a fall festival. You can go apple picking, go to a Halloween party or even host one! Go on a hayride, visit a haunted house, or haunted corn maze.
You don’t have to be outside to enjoy a good time. You can bake something sweet, maybe with apples, or cinnamon, or both! Host a horror movie night or a game night! Make some homemade apple cider or hot chocolate. Read that book that you haven’t had time for. Get into the fall spirit and start decorating the house. Whatever it may be, if you enjoy it, that’s all that matters.
Our home can be our oasis, a place that inspires us and allows us to reconnect with our roots, to recenter ourselves on what truly matters—our happiness, our goals and the people who we love.