8 Budget Friendly Vacation Ideas for 2019

Updated: 1/5/2019 | January 5th, 2019

1/5/2019 | January 5th, 2019

While many of us dream of traveling the world (or at least taking a few months off from work in pursuit of adventure), it’s not always feasible, even for those with the best of intentions. A lot of things can get in the way.

I frequently talk about long-term travel and round-the-world trips, but I know that realistically, not everyone can or wants to enjoy this style of travel. I don’t think traveling the world is hard, but I also know that what I do isn’t for everyone.

Some people just want to go on a cheap vacation for a few weeks. Not everyone has the time or luxury to take an extended trip.

So what do you do when you only have a short amount of time and a short amount of money?

What are some budget vacation ideas that aren’t about traveling the world?

Even if I won’t find you backpacking Cambodia for three months or walking the Camino de Santiago, there are many ways to get on the road and see the world without breaking the bank! Here are eight cheap travel ideas if you are cash-strapped and/or time-poor:

Cheap Vacation Idea 1: Be a Local Tourist

How often do you visit the tourist sites in your own city? Hardly ever, right? I know New Yorkers who have never seen the Statue of Liberty and Bostonians who have never walked the Freedom Trail. I once took a Dutch friend on a tour of Amsterdam because, despite growing up there, she had never seen the local attractions that lure millions of visitors to the city every year.

How often do you visit the tourist sites in your own city? Hardly ever, right? I know New Yorkers who have never seen the Statue of Liberty and Bostonians who have never walked the Freedom Trail. I once took a Dutch friend on a tour of Amsterdam because, despite growing up there, she had never seen the local attractions that lure millions of visitors to the city every year.

We’re all guilty of this. It took me five years to see the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok (even after living there), and I’ve still never been to Bunker Hill in Boston despite spending the first 24 years of my life there.

We always put it off until tomorrow, because when we live in a city, we think there is always a tomorrow.

We get so caught up in our daily lives we forget that we can have a cheap vacation in our own city. We don’t have to go anywhere!

If you’re short on time and money, there’s no better way to spend some free time than to wander your own city. No matter what its size, it has a number of wonders that you’ve never seen or even known about because you just don’t like! We’re busy leading our lives and following our routines. It’s normal but let’s look at your home with new eyes.

Be a traveler in your own town!

Important tips: When you become a local tourist, check out of your house and into a hotel, hostel, or guesthouse. It’s important to get out of your familiar environment because if you stay home, you’ll find something to do around the house and create excuses for why you can’t sightsee. Moving to a different location can help give you that feeling of adventure, excitement, and unfamiliarity.

Moreover, be sure to go to your local tourism office and get a city tourism pass. These cards allow you to see a wide range of local attractions for free or reduced prices and can be your way to see your local sites on a budget. They aren’t just for outsiders!

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Cheap Vacation Idea 2: Travel Regionally

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Travel brings to mind faraway and exotic destinations. It invokes images of all the places we’ve dreamed of and seen in movies. Because of that, few people look in their own backyard for adventure — as my Aussie friends always tell me before they jet off somewhere, “Mate, you’ve probably seen more of Oz than I have!” — but it offers just as many places to travel.

Travel brings to mind faraway and exotic destinations. It invokes images of all the places we’ve dreamed of and seen in movies. Because of that, few people look in their own backyard for adventure — as my Aussie friends always tell me before they jet off somewhere, “Mate, you’ve probably seen more of Oz than I have!” — but it offers just as many places to travel.

I could say the same thing as my Aussie friends. I grew up in Boston, and from there, I could visit New Hampshire, the woods of Maine, the bed-and-breakfasts of the Berkshires, or the farms of Vermont. New York was a four-hour car ride from home. How often did I do that? Not often enough!

Exploring your own region is an underrated and often overlooked aspect of travel. It gets the occasional lip service in magazines, but driving across the United States made me realize how much our own countries have to offer us and how often we overlook that for some foreign place.

There’s something special about being a stranger in your homeland and realizing you really don’t know much about it as you thought.

We think because we’re born in a place we understand it but every country has regional differences that make it unique and, unless we travel to see and experience them, we’ll never fully understand the place we call home.

Driving across my country (the U.S.) taught me a lot about it. It gave me a deep appreciation for it, the people, and the diversity within its borders. It broke down stereotypes and misconceptions I had about the different regions in the US. My time exploring my own backyard was just as important to my growth as any trip to a foreign country.

If you’re on a limited budget, can’t afford a flight or a trip to exotic lands, or just want to do something different, don’t forget that you can always travel your own country. It can be just as powerful as visiting another country.

Cheap Vacation Idea 3: Go to National Parks

The great outdoors present a great chance to go somewhere on the cheap. Camping, after all, costs very little money. Camping fees in national parks are as little as $15 USD per night in the United States, $15-40 CAD in

The great outdoors present a great chance to go somewhere on the cheap. Camping, after all, costs very little money. Camping fees in national parks are as little as $15 USD per night in the United States, $15-40 CAD in Canada , $10-60 AUD in Australia , and $17-22 NZD in New Zealand . And in many places in Japan and Europe (especially Scandinavia), you can camp on public lands for free. Additionally, you go camping stocked with all your own supplies and accommodation (i.e., a tent), so you don’t have to worry about spending lots of extra money. Your food bill can be whatever you spend on groceries and nothing more.

You don’t need to love camping to spend time in the national parks, either. Personally, I hate camping. I’m not the camp-in-a-tent kind of guy; I need toilets, beds, and hot water. Luckily, many parks provide cabins. While hiking the Grand Canyon, I stayed at a national park lodge at the bottom. I had a room in a dormitory, but for a few nights, it was the cheap accommodation I needed.

There’s almost always a park nearby and spending a few days with nature is not only good for your wallet but also good for your soul.

Along these same lines, Camp in My Garden is a website that lets people camp in someone’s backyard (or garden). Got an RV that needs parking? Check out RV with Me, which finds cheap parking and overnight solutions for RV owners!

Cheap Vacation Idea 4: Book a Last-Minute Cruise (or Book Far in Advance)

Cruises are normally very expensive, affairs with a seven-day

Cruises are normally very expensive, affairs with a seven-day Caribbean cruise costing over $600–700 USD per person for a small interior room. And, if you’re traveling alone, you often have to pay the price of two people since not many cruise lines offer single traveler rooms!

But, if you’re the last passenger running onto that ship, you can find some sweet deals.

Cruise lines always offer incredible last-minute deals. No ship’s captain – or cruise company – wants to leave with half the cabins empty. If you wait until a few weeks before departure, you can find some really amazing deals as cruise lines scramble to find passengers. Plus, cruise operators always throw in some on-board amenities, free upgrades, and cash vouchers to sweeten the deal.

The website CruiseSheet often has cruises as low as $30 per day! (It’s the best cruise booking website in the world!)

Conversely, if you book over a year in advance, cruise lines also offer amazing low fares for early birds.

Cruises are the one form of travel for which I recommend visiting a travel agent if you’re part of a big group. They have wonderful working relationships with the operators and can score better packages than booking online.

After you book, keep an eye out on prices, because if they drop, you can often call your travel agent or the cruise company itself to get a partial refund or vouchers to use for dining and alcohol on the boat.

READ THIS —> Click here to read my guide to finding super discounted cruises (and how to save money once you are on board.)

Cheap Vacation Idea 5: Think Outside the Box

Forget

Forget Mexico and go to Guatemala . Skip Paris and head to Budapest . Forget Italy and see Greece it’s really cheap! ). Ditch Brazil and take on Bolivia instead. The list goes on and on. There are countless cheap alternatives and budget destinations around the world!

Travel counter to the prevailing trend.

Zig when everyone zags.

If people are going in the summer, you go in the spring or winter. Skip the popular destinations and head off the beaten path a bit.

Contrarian travel will save you a bundle of money. It’s like reverse commuting. While others heading into the city in the morning for work are stuck in traffic, you breeze the opposite way hassle free. The same is true for travel.

The more you are a contrarian in where – and when you go – the better off you’re wallet will be. Plus, you’ll enjoy destinations more because there will be fewer crowds. No one loves a crowd!

READ THIS –> Click here for 10 Destinations to Visit on a Budget to help give you ideas on where you to go!

Cheap Vacation Idea 6: Book a Last-Minute Tour

Just like cruises, tours are best booked last-minute. Tour companies need to fill the seats just like cruise companies, because once that trip departs, they still have the same costs. Last-minute tour bookings work the same way as cruise bookings.

Just like cruises, tours are best booked last-minute. Tour companies need to fill the seats just like cruise companies, because once that trip departs, they still have the same costs. Last-minute tour bookings work the same way as cruise bookings.

Why are tours so cheap last-minute? Well, think about how people plan vacations. You get the time off work, you book your vacation, you buy your flight, and you go. Since people pre-book, prices are higher in advance because these companies understand booking patterns and then price accordingly. As departure time nears, companies know people aren’t likely to turn up and book on departure day, so they sweeten the price to increase bookings. So take the time off work, wait until the week before, see what’s cheap, and then go.

My favorite company, Intrepid Travel, often offers 15–30% discounts on last-minute tours.

Cheap Vacation Idea 7: Become a House Sitter

Accommodation can eat into the cost of a trip big-time. You might

Accommodation can eat into the cost of a trip big-time. You might get a flight deal , but then accommodation — even if you can find it cheaply — might push the cost of your trip into unaffordable territory. A way around that is to stay somewhere for free. While I like Couchsurfing , it’s hard to do that for two weeks without annoying your host. A unique way to overcome this is to house-sit for someone while they are on vacation. You get free accommodation, a kitchen to cook in, and the chance to explore a destination in depth. It’s a pretty unique way to travel and one that I know a lot of world travelers take advantage of. You can even do this in your own region too, to cut down on transportation costs.

READ THIS —> How to Become a Housesitter

Cheap Vacation Idea 8: Grab a Cheap Flight

Nowadays, you don’t have to guess where the cheapest flight from your home would be. You can look up a whole list of flights (from cheapest to increasingly more expensive) using a site like

Nowadays, you don’t have to guess where the cheapest flight from your home would be. You can look up a whole list of flights (from cheapest to increasingly more expensive) using a site like Momondo or Google Flights . With those sites, you can type in “(the closest airport to you)” for your departure city and “everywhere” for your destination. Then a list of the cheapest flights appears in front of your very eyes, so you can choose where to go within your budget. This is how I decide where to go when I don’t have a specific place in mind. It’s a great tool!

Here are some other great airline booking sites where you can find deals:

• Skyscanner – Skyscanner has a very intuitive platform that lets you search for an open-ended trip. If you’re not 100% sure where you want to go (or when) then start your search with Skyscanner.
• Kiwi – Kiwi recently updated their search platform, making it much more intuitive and user-friendly. You can also search multiple cities and countries at once, making this a must-use platform when looking for budget flights.
• AirTreks – If you’re looking to plan a multi-city trip, AirTreks offers great deals for round-the-world adventures with multiple stops.

***

Not everyone can jump overseas at the drop of a hat or spend six months backpacking around Europe or Asia. A fancy vacation to Mexico may be out of your reach. But while you might not have a lot of time or money, luckily there’s more than one way to see the world. These cheap vacation ideas may be exactly what you’re looking for!

Travel is simply the art of going somewhere new and different and exploring everything the place has to offer. It doesn’t matter if you have two days, two weeks, or two months. Use these cheap vacation ideas and go explore – on a budget!

Want more? Read these articles to get more specific destination ideas for where to have a budget vacation:

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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
To find the best budget accommodation, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. You can book your hostel – if you want that instead – with Hostelworld as they have the most comprehensive inventory.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's Dream RV Trip Turned Into a Hilarious Disaster

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In May, model, mom, and entrepreneur Chrissy Teigen shared her one vacation dream with Travel + Leisure. All she wanted to do was take an RV trip with her husband, John Legend, and her kids. In July, she got that wish, but it looks like that dream trip has turned into a nightmare.

"I am dying to take an RV trip and John knows this too,” Teigen said just a few short months ago. “He says I’ll be over it after like a couple of days, but I think we’ll really have fun with it. I don’t want it to be like glamping. I want an RV, I want food on there we can put together and stop every once in a while at a rest stop. Just to be able to pull up at the Grand Canyon — to see something as miraculous as that."

This week, it appears the family finally did embark on that RV trip she wanted so badly. However, after just a few minutes in the car disaster struck. And Teigen shared it all on Instagram.

“I had this amazing idea to rent an RV so we could sleep in our friend’s driveway with the kids and not go back and forth to a hotel, lugging all our baby crap,” she wrote. “I’ve always wanted to do a cross-country trip but figured just heading upstate would be a good start! These two videos were taken 5 minutes apart.”

In the first video, Teigen shows Legend strapping their daughter Luna into her car seat before setting off on the adventure. Legend laughs and says, “I’m a motor home driver now.”

In the second clip, Teigen shows that the passenger side window has shattered. Though she doesn’t explain how it happened she can be heard hysterically laughing adding, “Good thing no one was sitting there.”

But, don’t feel too bad for Teigen, Legend, and the kids. After all, they’ve already been to Italy and France this summer on vacation too, so at least this little RV mishap didn’t spoil all their fun.

One Third of U.S. Workers Haven't Taken a Vacation in More Than 2 Years (Video)

Thirty-six percent of Americans took their last vacation over two years ago, and 51 percent have not vacationed in more than a year, according to the 11th annual Vacation Confidence Index by Allianz Global Assistance.

Many previous studies, from a variety of sources, have shown that Americans, especially younger generations, have a hard time getting out of the office and spending some quality time off. Even though we know vacation is good for our mental and physical health, and some of us even get paid vacation time from our employers, the latest numbers on how many U.S. workers are not taking time off is still, well, depressing.

However, Allianz Global Assistance defines a “vacation” as any trip that is at least a week in a destination that is 100 miles or more from home, so there’s no accounting for trips like “micro-cations,” which are increasingly growing in popularity amongst Millennials and Gen X workers. That said, a previous study identified the ideal vacation length as eight days, and for many people that's not happening.

It doesn’t look like 2019 will be a good year for vacation either. According to Allianz Global Assistance, only 42 percent of respondents said they felt confident they would be able to take a vacation this year — the lowest since 2013.

Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

You can probably blame all the usual suspects for this vacation deficit as well. Forty-four percent said money was the main reason why they couldn’t take time off, and 19 percent said they wouldn’t want to spend on vacation anyway. Another 12 percent of workers said they didn’t want to take the time off of work. Other reasons include other personal obligations that get in the way of taking time off and the stress of planning a vacation.

But it’s not just employees who are overworking themselves, it’s also the employers. The survey also revealed that 52 percent of U.S. workers say they take about the same amount of vacation time as their bosses do. So, bosses, if you want your employees to use their PTO, you’re going to have to leave the office, too, sometimes. The survey showed Americans are only using 41 percent of their paid time off, while their bosses are using 51 percent.

The survey concludes that American vacations are changing – so much so that week-long vacations could go out of style. Allianz Global Assistance noted that short trips may become even more popular in the future, especially when it comes to making getting away — even for a day or two — more accessible for younger workers.

This Is the $14 Secret to Lupita Nyong'o’s Travel Skincare Routine

Jim Bennett/WireImage

A beach vacation can be full of fun in the sun, scanning the sand for seashells, and hours spent relaxing with a good mystery book. But it can also leave you sunburned, looking like a lobster, and painfully dealing with the after effects of not enough sunscreen.

Thankfully, actress Lupita Nyong'o has a travel skincare tip that can save your vacation — and the environment — even if you forgot to reapply.

“Sunscreen is the name of the game, but I think it’s also really important to find products that are not poisonous to the world we live in,” Nyong'o told The New York Times in an interview last week. “I carry calendula ointment, which is a good healer for burns, scrapes, scars. I had a terrible sunburn and the oil cured me of it in just one night. I swear by it. I guess that’s really the one thing I wouldn’t travel without.”

And she’s not alone in needing an after-burn treatment. In fact, 67 percent of people are not using nearly enough sunscreen, according to a study in the U.K. by The Hospital Group.

The pure calendula oil is great for moisturizing dry, chapped, and split skin, and is a natural antiseptic, which can help with healing of minor cuts and bug bites, according to the seller. It’s also great for pore detoxification and toning, and has anti-inflammatory properties that can help lessen swelling.

The pure oil has no additives or chemicals and is gluten free, cruelty free, and vegan. And while it may have a bit of a strong scent, many customers seem to feel its healing properties outweigh that. Like Nyong'o, Amazon customers are on board with this multi-purpose oil.

“This was recommended to me by my facialist. I got the worst sunburn of my life on spring break and was peeling like crazy and looked like I had been boiled in oil. This helped to [soothe] my skin, ease my discomfort and has really helped the new tender skin to heal,” wrote Amazon buyer locarb, adding that it “absorbs well.”

Fellow customer Hailey wrote that she has “sensitive skin and rosacea and everyone talks about how amazing calendula is for it, however I find calendula-infused oils to be a waste of money since I can easily make it at home (though I'm too lazy to.) This however I needed to get my hands on. Very very happy I tried it out. Smells just like calendula flowers (not a great smell, but a sign of authenticity) and relieves my inflamed skin instantly.”

At only $14 for a 2-ounce bottle (which also happens to be a TSA-approved carry-on size), it’s an inexpensive and easy way to protect your skin while traveling.

As for Nyong'o herself, she may not have any trips coming up, but she told the Times she really wants to visit Brazil. (Same, to be honest).

Courtesy of Amazon

Go to Amazon.com to buy the pure calendula oil starting at $14 for your next sunny escape.

Why this Independent Backpacking Nomad is Going Cruising

Posted: 06/14/2012 | June 14th, 2012

A lot of people hate cruises. “Oversized boats filled with oversized people.” There’s a particular disdain for them among backpackers and other “real” travelers. “Cruises aren’t travel,” people say. “You don’t get to experience the local culture. You don’t get to explore the places you visit. You’re shuttled from place to place in pre-fabricated tours in gigantic groups.” Cruises are considered fake travel for people who want to pretend they’re traveling some place without having to do any actual traveling.

I’ve been on three cruises my entire life. The first was when I was 16 and went with my family around the Caribbean. I remember going to Cozumel, Mexico, and sneaking off to drink Kahlúa on the beach. (Sorry, Mom and Dad. I guess you had to find out sometime!)

The next cruise was a Dave Matthews Cruise with some friends (I’m a huge Dave Matthews fan). It was three days to the Bahamas and watching Dave Matthews Band play on a boat. It was epic.

My last cruise was five years ago. I went with my family up the inside passage of Alaska. It was gorgeous seeing glaciers, and I even got to see killer whales chase, kill, and eat a porpoise. The whole trip was a lot of fun.

I love cruises for the same reason that everyone else hates them: because cruises are not travel.

A cruise is an adult playground on the sea. It’s like Las Vegas except on water. It’s a giant buffet, pool, random activities, tall glasses of fruity drinks, and sheer gluttony. It’s bacchanalian fun.

A cruise is a vacation.

To me, the definition of travel is going out, exploring, and learning about the world and the cultures that inhabit it. It’s about discovery. A vacation, on the other hand, is simply a break from day-to-day life where you can relax and not do anything.

And I think that distinction is often missed by the cruise haters. Getting away from home doesn’t always have to be about exploring unknown lands, trekking through primordial forest, or navigating the bus system of Calcutta. No, sometimes all you want to do is relax. You don’t want to deal with anything or plan anything. You want a break. You want to shut your mind off for a bit.

If you view a cruise as travel, you’re going to be disappointed. If you view it as a vacation, then I think it’s easier to accept the Disney-like atmosphere of it all.

After all, all travel serves a purpose.

So, next week, I’ll be going on a Royal Caribbean cruise with my friend Jason, my intention being to just sit by the pool, cocktail in hand, and work on my tan. I plan to gain 10 pounds at the buffet and then work it off at the gym. I’m going to mini-golf on a boat and sleep late. I’m going to keep my computer closed.

I am going on vacation.

And I’m really looking forward to it. I could use a break. I’m a bit burnt out. Between three conferences in the last month, my final book edits, traveling back and forth from Asia, a tour in Japan, running this website, and just trying to live life, I’m frazzled.

A lot of people think travel and what I do is a 24/7 vacation. It’s not. It takes work trying to figure out your way around the world. It’s fun work — but it’s still work. Throw in running a business on top of that, and you find yourself running nonstop from dawn until the wee hours of the morning. It drains you, especially when you do it 365 days per year.

So, tired and exhausted, I’m going on vacation to recharge my batteries.

I’ll admit that it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a cruise. I have no idea what to expect. I’ve never been an adult on a normal cruise just trying to relax and be a “tourist.” This is new territory for me.

I may hate it. I already know that I’m not looking forward to the land excursions. I hate those things. I see them around Europe, and it’s just a large mass of people. Try seeing the Acropolis in Athens when 937,439,282,349 tour groups from the cruise ship are also there. It’s aggravating. I plan to make my own ship excursions.

Moreover, I’m going on the largest boat in the world — the Oasis of the Seas — and I may find that to be just too large and too overwhelming. Who can say? All I know right now is that I’m giddy with excitement about my vacation.

But I’m not going to pretend that a cruise is anything more than it really is: a vacation. It’s a week where your mind can shut down, someone else can plan your life, and your only concern is what time the buffet starts.

Because we all need a vacation sometime.

So that is why this intrepid nomad is taking a cruise — and who knows, I may even enjoy myself.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Getting Away for a 3-day Weekend Could Make You Happier Than a Long Vacation

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Next time you’re planning a vacation you may want to think small. As in three-day weekend small.

According to Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist and well-being expert, taking just one Friday or Monday off of work can do just as much for your mental health as taking off an entire week.

“Clients often tell me they want to go as far away as possible for as long as possible,” he recently told NBC. “But then it takes a day to get to their destination, they run into issues accessing their email in a remote place, and inevitably, they get so stressed planning it, that they aren’t able to truly disconnect.”

Though past research suggested that eight days is the optimal time length for a vacation, that amount of time off a year can be unreasonable for many people. Especially when you consider the average American receives just 10 paid vacation days a year.

And, as Alpert additionally explained, using that much time off is akin to trying to “binge sleep” on the weekends to catch up on your rest. This, he said, will do little for your health, just like a long vacation won’t fix all your woes in eight days. Instead, it’s best to opt for several short vacations to help you feel more restored all year long.

It appears people are already unintentionally heeding this excellent advice. In a 2017 survey by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 85 percent of Americans said they were planning to take a three-day trip in 2018, NBC reported. Almost half of the respondents cited “reducing stress” as to why they wanted a three-day escape.

Indeed, a three-day vacation can make you feel less stressed because they can be far less stressful to plan, cheaper than a long getaway, easier to execute, and will give you more vacations to look forward to.

But, where should you go on a three-day journey? Check out our guide to everything three-day weekend related, including where to go, where to stay, and what to do to maximize those 72 hours of bliss.

Why Mark Wahlberg Wakes Up at 2:30 a.m. Every Day — Even on Vacation

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Mark Wahlberg is officially the most hardcore person on Earth.

Earlier this week the actor, rapper, model, and producer shared his daily routine with his Instagram followers, which he claims he sticks to every single day. Including while he’s on vacation. And man is it a sight to behold.

According to Wahlberg, he rises every single day at 2:30 am. He then sets aside 30 minutes to pray.

Next, he eats a quick breakfast at 3:15 a.m. Then, from 3:40 to 5:15 a.m. he puts in his first workout of the day. (Stay tuned as he works out again sometime later in the afternoon.)

Related: What Jennifer Aniston Does to Relax on Sundays

At 5:30 a.m. Wahlberg tucks into a post-workout meal, followed by a shower at 6 a.m. 

He follows all that with golf at 7:30 a.m. (a super-short game, might we add) and a snack at 8 a.m.

At 9:30 a.m., while you’re likely just getting to work, Wahlberg is hopping into his cryo chamber for a bit of cold therapy. After that — guess what — he has another snack.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the actor sets aside time for family, meetings, or work calls. At 1 p.m. he has lunch, and at 2 p.m. he takes more calls. At 3 p.m. he picks up his children from school, followed by another snack.

From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. he works out again and then showers. Yes, again. At 5:30 p.m. he has dinner with his family, then at 7:30 p.m., he heads to bed.

Is anyone else exhausted just reading this?

Though it all seems a bit absurd, this regimented way of life may be why Wahlberg is so successful. Scientific studies have shown that sticking to a daily routine is associated with the feeling that your life is meaningful. 

“You can sort of have a sense of the self from one time to the next," Samantha J. Heintzelman, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Virginia, told Business Insider. As she added, it helps humans feel they have coherence in their lives — "This is what I do or this is who I am."

And apparently, who Wahlberg is, is snacks on snacks on snacks, followed by long showers and family time. Even on vacation.

How to Keep Summer Going Into September

While many people in the United States say goodbye to summer after Labor Day, don't panic. If you feel like the season has passed you by in a blur of subway delays and almost-going-to-the-beach days that turned into actually-just-watching-Netflix days, it's not too late.

Technically, summer ends September 21, so there's plenty of time left for exploring local beaches, hiking in a National Park, or just reading that novel you've been meaning to get around to.

September is the perfect time to live out the rest of your summer fantasies, as many of the school vacation crowds have disappeared, and both hotels as well as airlines are more likely to be offering deals.

It's also a great opportunity to start planning travel for shoulder season (the few months between peak seasons in any given destination when prices go down and travelers can score big). So why not head to Cape Cod for the fall solstice, or book a trip to Vermont before all of the foliage-lovers take over most of New England?

Because summer definitely isn't over just yet.

How to make your vacation feel longer

Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

Originally published on June 8th, 2017.

Do you have a case of the Mondays? We all do.

That feeling of anxiety and dread on Sunday night or the night before any vacation ends is familiar to almost every adult human working 9-to-5. Suddenly, you’re caught wondering where the weekend or that blissful vacation went.

But sometimes when we’re working for the weekend, we can miss out on enjoying our time off. As much as we try to make the most of our free days, they always seem shorter and shorter.

What’s the problem? It’s actually how we’re perceiving time. But there are a few ways to make your vacations and weekends feel longer and more rewarding using some little tricks of cognitive psychology.

According to Marc Wittmann, a psychologist and the author of "Felt Time: The Psychology of How We Perceive Time," people on vacation often experience “the classic holiday effect.”

“Any interval feels longer if you have more memories stored. If you experience more memorable events, then time stretches,” wrote Wittmann.

Therefore, one of the ways you can stretch out how you feel on a break is by seeking out new experiences. Instead of going to the same old places like your everyday bar or shopping center, try going to a landmark you’ve never seen, partaking in an activity you’re always putting off, or finally going on the small getaway you’ve always thought about.

You don't necessarily need to jet off to some far-away land, but you can take a short road trip to a nearby town, or go to a flea market you’ve always passed by but never stopped at, or even just take a book to the park (if that’s not normally your thing).

“The first few days at a new and exotic location stretch considerably. That is, because we experience so many novel and exciting and emotional events, memory load increases; time stretches,” wrote Wittmann.

Wittmann also suggests that over-planning can contribute to us perceiving shorter weekends and vacations.

“Planning also speeds up the passage of time,” he wrote, “because there you’re always already in the future. You have this future perspective of your mind, and then you are actually not attending to what is happening right now.”

By staying in the moment, you open yourself up to spontaneous experiences. If you want to plan one or two things, there’s no harm, but keeping an agenda for every minute of your time off will only make your vacation go that much faster.

In a way, Wittmann is saying that improvising to keep yourself entertained stretches out your vacation time.

Turns out, time does not really fly when you’re having fun.