I spent the past several days out of office on a getaway to a coastal town. Salt air, a dog-friendly airbnb, and a no-rush approach to soaking in the things the town has to offer made it a perfect mid-August trip. I have been guilty of wondering if I could move here, a place I’ve been before on vacation; I need to remind myself that my problems would still exist, even if the locations were different. On a different note, I’m a strong fan of the staycation or being a tourist in your own town. You can spend a lifetime in some spots without ever seeing all it has to offer, or without taking advantage of local “best of” lists. Whether you are going around the corner or around the world, here are a few suggestions on how to make your vacation spot feel like home and how to bring that sense of your getaway back with you.

As I adjust my musical earworm from “June is Bustin Out All Over” from Carousel to “In July” from Sara Bareilles, I’m bracing myself for a bit of a chaotic few days to come. The East coast, like the rest of the country, spent the last week or so in extreme weather – here, meaning thunderstorms, wind, hail, and possible tornado activity – only to have a weekend of thunderstorms to come. And what would this all be without poor air quality due to the Canadian wildfires? Sounds like a good excuse to stay in the air conditioning here, my friends.