No Agenda

I have three favorite vacationing spots:  Monhegan Island, Maui, and St. Mary's City.  Very different places but they all have the same thing in common. No Agenda!

Maybe that's the way it should be when you are on vacation, but again if you know me, if there is something to be scheduled, then I will schedule it.  For example I want to take the kids to Disney someday soon. I also realize that it will be a busy vacation. We will not be sitting back and chilling out. We will be in lines, we will be going from ride to ride, we will be trying to see and do everything!

But, when we go to Monhegan, Maui, or St. Mary's, there are definitely things to see and do, but you don't have to do any of them. There is no agenda. You go at your own pace and on your own time.

When we go to Monhegan we go with our best friends. We spend our days hiking, reading, or walking into "town." (The island is 1 sq. mile).  Our nights are spent talking, playing cribbage, or putting together a puzzle.  It's magnificent. When I was in labor with my first born I was told to come up with a relaxing picture in my mind. My first thought was the view of the water from the picture window of the townhouse we stayed in during our first trip to the island. Gorgeous every time.

Maui sounds like a "duh" option for a favorite vacation spot. Yes, there are so many things to do. But my favorite is that the beach is just feet away. We literally walk our our door and walk onto the beach. The weather is always perfect.  The kids are occupied for hours playing in the water or on the sand. The sunrise and the sunsets are amazing.  You don't have to go anywhere to be entertained. The evenings are filled with walks along the path, some musical entertainment as we walk, and stars popping out overhead.

St. Mary's City is another favorite place. After our recent visit for our 10-yr college reunion, I fell in love with it all over again. The college is right on the water. While we were there we spent hours on the shore. The kids loved playing in the water. We kayaked or played in the shallow end of the water. There wasn't an agenda and who could beat watching a river sunset, catching fireflies, or playing in the water with friends?  The best part of our recent trip was that we were their with our best friends. Our kids played together and we got to chill and relax with them.

I love that all 3 of these places seem to run on a different time frame. There is no "have to" unless you want to.  You go and you can truly relax and at the same time, and if you have kids, they are perfectly happy playing and entertaining themselves.