This year I have a new project!
I’m aiming to do something every weekend that creates memories for our family. As the kids get older I am realising the value of taking a real break every week from work, school projects and household stuff. It creates memories that will last a lifetime and also bonds us closer … most times!
The Plan
So we have allocated $50/week to making something happen each weekend. We don’t count petrol or food we take from home and quite often we alternate between FREE activities and things that cost (that gives us $100 to spend on those weeks). Over a year I figure that adds up to about what a holiday would cost but instead we get 52 single day holidays and hopefully our family is a better place to live!
Sport consumes most Saturdays for us so almost all of our ‘adventure days’ are Sundays. We discuss and choose the activity as a family and we regularly invite other families to join us.
We roughly have 5 categories that we cycle through to keep it interesting:
Green Days
These are escapes to nature … mostly where its green! Its excellent for the soul, often FREE and the kids love it too. Things like:
- Waterfalls and creeks
- Bushwalks and mountain climbs
- Visiting a big park
- A picnic or BBQ and cricket
Blue Days
Blue Days are water related and much better in the warmer months … once again many of these are FREE but sometimes we pay for things and vary the activities:
- Water parks
- Beach days
- Fishing
- Kayaking
- Cable ski parks
- Public Pools
Open Spaces
If you live in suburbia this category can be really fun. Country readers might not get the same trill haha. We like to plan a few days where we visit or do something in a more rural setting. Things like:
- A long drive to something through the country
- Horse riding
- A farm visit/stay
- Winery visit (not awesome with kids)
- Strawberry/fruit picking
City Days
For those who live near to a larger city there are often things to do that locals never actually take the time to try. I remember visiting Cathedrals all over Europe and realising that I never thought to visit one in my city!
Local councils put on heaps of free events and activities and since we have some budget we pay too. These are simple ideas but doing them together makes it great:
- Visit a city library or even a university
- Museums and Art Galleries – often have free activities for kids
- Catch some public transport – try some ferries, buses, trains or trams
- Go to a professional sporting match
- Movies, Bowling, Skating, Ice Skating, etc
Local Days
Along the same lines, we intentionally do local activities many times … making the most of the things in your suburb. On holidays we often spend an afternoon walking on the rocks and looking in rock pools but I had never done that on the beach 2 mins from my house. Take time to find out what your area has to offer.
- Exploring your local area – do an activity that tourists would do near you
- Fishing, crabbing, yabbying etc
- Geocaching – google it!
- A progressive meal – eat entre, main and dessert at 3 different local food outlets
- Use some local sporting facilities – free tennis courts, cricket nets, fields, netball courts.
Nissan were nice enough to lend us this awesome new Nissan X-Trail for some of our adventures this year which has made even common trips FUN! Its a medium size family car which is designed to be ‘Family-proof’ … we certainly put that to the test! We felt like everything was twice as fun in the stylish RED-mobile.
Actually the kids loved the car especially driving with the sunroof open (our first time) and the cool safety reversing cameras that show you a birds-eye view of your car. Seriously amazing for parking … I need that on my next new car haha
I haven’t had a chance to take it on the beach but that might have to be the next project. These lighter 4WD are usually super capable and tend to float across the sand where the big cars dig in. It’s definitely in a sweet spot for day-to-day driving and weekend escapes. Note to self: the next trip will have to involve some camping!
Our plan is to spread our 1 annual holiday over the whole year so that to some degree we always feel like we are on holidays. At the very least we will create some great memories and have a stack of fun … especially in our bright RED X-Trail while we have it!
What is your favourite weekend escape?
