Off to Cocoa Beach: Making the Most of Three-Day Weekends

Three-day weekends are magic. They are a gift of time to enjoy your community and all it has to offer without compromising housework and errands for playtime. Don’t waste three-day weekends. They don’t come often.

Step 1. Plan in Advance:

The key to enjoying your weekend is to plan in advance. In our case, we decided the weekend before that we would go to Cocoa Beach on Friday. We knew our departure time, who was going to drive, what our lunch plans would be and how long we would spend at the beach and what we would do afterwards. Oftentimes a lot of time is wasted by individuals debating the night before or even the day of on what to do. Time is precious. Avoid wasting it by planning ahead. We left on time, stopped for coffee on the way and still had enough time to secure free parking.

Step 2. Drive a bit Further; Spend a bit More

Make your weekend special by doing something you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Spend a little more cash than you would on a normal weekend and drive further. Going far and paying more doesn’t have to break the bank. Since we planned ahead, free parking was still available. $10 boogie boards at the local beach shop provided out-of-the-ordinary entertainment while still being mindful of the budget. Bringing snacks replaced paying higher prices on-location and a 45-minute drive was long enough to feel like we were “going somewhere”, but still close enough that we could return that day (and not have to stop for the bathroom enroute! )

Step 3. Share with Friends

The best part about adventures is sharing them with those closest to you. Invite your friends, neighbors or family to join you on your day. The more the merrier as the saying goes.

Step 4. Enjoy the Entire Day

A trip to the beach generally ends in the mid-afternoon. To extend the day we had lunch at a nearby restaurant and saw a movie that evening after cleaning up. The day didn’t end there though, following the film we indulged in hot donuts and played a few quick video games before retiring for the night.

Spending the entire day having adventures provides a break from the feel of the everyday routine and is just plain fun.

The next three-day weekend for most of us will be Labor Day. What’s an hour’s drive from your home? What’s something you haven’t done in a while or something you’ve always wanted to do? Start your planning, find some friends and enjoy! The only bad part about celebrating a three-day weekend is having to return to work on Monday.

Happy Monday Everyone!