Whether you’re going on a family vacation, a romantic getaway for two, a girl’s trip, or taking a solo trip, there’s something therapeutic about being able to get away from the norm for a while. For the time that you’re away on vacation, you get to throw caution to the wind, experience new things, relax, create memories, and simply have fun forgetting about (even if only for a moment) your daily routines and common life stressors. 

As wonderful as traveling is, improper planning can quickly turn your therapeutic escape into an utter nightmare. There are several factors that need to be considered when planning a vacation. It’s easy to remember to reserve a hotel room or vacation rental, book airline tickets, and even decide on things they’ll do once you get there. Yet it’s also pretty common for travelers to forget to pack things of extreme importance.   [Read more…]

People in Texas love their rivers, lakes, swimming holes, and their stretch of the Gulf Coast. (They like swimming pools and water parks, too.) They swim, hike, picnic, drink adult beverages, float in inner tubes, raft, kayak, waterski, surf, jetski, sail, fish, and get sunburns–often while listening to country music on portable loudspeakers. Picture a beer commercial and you pretty much have the idea.

There were recently restrictions in place in Texas during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, although these were nothing compared to those in states like California, where the police patrolled the beaches to keep people away. However, the public areas in Texas have officially reopened, and it looks like summer fun is in full force. These sunscreen-wearing citizens of the Lone Star State have done their online shopping (everywhere you look you can see that they’ve been buying new swimsuits for the season, comfortable shoes for women, and even upgraded beer coolers). They’ve sat at home for a few months, and now they’re ready to bake in the sun with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. [Read more…]