The Long Weekend Fix: Quick Family Getaways Your Kids Will Talk About All Week

Five weeks into the school year and, honestly, the routine is... mostly holding?

Homework folders are (usually) making it home. Lunches are (mostly) packed the night before. And my kids have officially upgraded from "when's our next trip?" to a running countdown I did not sign up for.

But here's the thing I've figured out — I don't need to burn a week of PTO to give them something to look forward to. This is the season of the long weekend getaway, and it's trending for a very good reason.

The trending topic: short trips are the new big trips

One of the clearest family travel trends this year is the rise of the short getaway — a Friday-to-Sunday trip that needs almost zero time off, no elaborate packing list, and no soul-crushing re-entry into Monday. Families are stacking a day or two of vacation onto a weekend instead of planning one giant annual trip, and honestly, it makes so much sense: less time away from your routine, way less money, and just as much of a mental reset.

Two weeks into the school year is usually when that "we need a break" feeling first shows up for me — not because anything's actually gone wrong, just because a new schedule takes real energy to keep up with. A short trip right now doesn't undo the routine I've worked hard to build. It's a low-effort way to hit reset before fall really gets going.

You don't need a passport or a huge budget for this. A drivable weekend trip — a lake town, a cute historic downtown, a state park with a decent hotel nearby — is more than enough.

The "support local" piece: road trips run on small businesses

If a weekend road trip is on your radar, here's a fun little challenge: build the whole thing around local, family-run stops instead of defaulting to the same chain restaurants and gas-station snacks on autopilot.

• Look up a family-owned diner in whatever town you're passing through — my kids remember the "best pancakes ever" way longer than they remember a drive-thru meal, guaranteed.

• Find a locally owned motel, inn, or B&B instead of the usual big chain. A lot of these are run by families themselves and genuinely go out of their way to make kids feel welcome.

• Stop at a small-town shop or roadside stand for a souvenir. It's a better memory (and honestly a better gift shop) than a magnet from a gas station, and it keeps your money in the towns you're actually passing through.

  
  

Small businesses are usually what turn a short trip into an adventure instead of just a drive. My kids will remember the quirky diner with the milkshake bigger than their head way longer than they'll remember the highway rest stop.

This week's move

• ✅ Pick one weekend this month or next and see what's drivable in 3–4 hours

• ✅ Ask grandparents (or another favorite relative) if they want to tag along or meet you there

• ✅ Google "family owned restaurant [your route]" instead of defaulting to the usual chain

A long weekend away doesn't undo your routine — honestly, it might be the thing that makes the routine feel worth it.