Over the years good trips and vacations can do many things for you. They provide a break from normal routines, duties, and activities. They allow you to go different places and see different scenery. You generally participate in some different activities. It is easy to meet different people and learn from them. In some cases, you experience different cultures. Yes, there are many benefits that come from trips and vacations. There is both learning and leisure. There is a change of pace from normal routines. There is relaxation and enjoyment. When you return home, you feel refreshed and ready to get back to the normal mode of living. In this sense trips and vacations provide a healthy and useful break to help sustain your optimism and vitality over the years.
To illustrate some of the benefits of a good trip or vacation, I would like to utilize some examples from a recent trip my wife and I took to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah sits on the Savannah River and is a short distance away from the Atlantic Ocean.
Georgia was founded as a colony in 1733. It was to be a buffer between the Spanish in Florida and the English in the Carolinas and other colonies to the north. Four rules were established with this colony. No slavery was allowed, but this was changed later. No Catholics could settle here due to the Catholic influence in Florida. Certain strong alcoholic drinks were prohibited. Finally, you were limited in how much land you could own. Eventually these rules were changed.
Savannah was laid out in an orderly fashion of squares which contained homes and gardens, and a park in the center of each square. You can see these squares in the historical area today. This historical area is protected by the city so it does not change. For example, we were shown a new house and an old house in the same area and you could not see any difference in the exterior of the houses.
We saw the old stones that were used to made roads in colonial days. These were originally used as ballast for ships. When the ships picked up cargo in Savannah, they would leave many of these stones behind and these were put to good use on roads, walls, and buildings. The stone road next to the river in the historic district still has these stones in place to preserve the historical flavor of this town.
Savannah played a role in both the Revolutionary War between the colonists and England, as well as the Civil War between the Confederates and the Union.
Being rich in history, we spent time sightseeing the many parks, statues, museums and historical homes in Savannah. You learn more about how people lived in the past. You gain an appreciation for what they did in their day, which allows us to have so many benefits and blessings today.
We saw the old cotton exchange building and learned about the growth of the cotton industry in this area. It eventually spread throughout the southern states. Cotton became an important crop domestically and for export in the late 1700’s, throughout the 1800’s, and into the 1900’s. This exchange was operated similar to a stock exchange today. Wagons would bring their cotton and bidders would buy it. The cotton exchange had a bell which signaled the opening of every business day. Cotton became one of the major reasons for bringing slaves out of Africa in order to produce this cash crop. Savannah was the cotton capital for trading and shipping.
Savannah, like other places in the South, still has many African-Americans. I was affected by this in a positive way while on this trip. Being raised in a small town in Washington State that had no African-Americans, I was never around them. The civil rights movement in the 1960’s was something that seemed to occur in other places then where I was living. After high school I moved to a city to attend college. Since then, I have lived in several cities and states where there are African-Americans. However, many of these individuals do not live in my neighborhood, and I have only had a few personal friends who were African-Americans. But on this trip two very obvious thoughts came to me. These people came to this country against their will and eventually became free, and later will made citizens of the United States. This is a legal citizenship which I support. The other thing is that they all speak English so it is easy to communicate with them. I knew both of these things before taking this trip, but this is not the same as actually experiencing it for yourself. In contrast, where I currently live there are many individuals from Mexico and other countries south of the border, who are here illegally. I do not support illegal immigration. Also, most of these people continually speak Spanish in their homes, in stores, at schools, and while on many jobs. They expect things to be put into Spanish if they do not understand English well. This is an extra expense for other Americans. Everyone should learn and speak the same basic language of English, otherwise language becomes a barrier between different groups of people. These are only two reasons why I appreciated all the blacks in Savannah.
Today Savannah is both historical and modern. One of the first things I noticed were the large ocean-going container ships going up and down the Savannah River daily. They were close enough to the shore so you could see members of the crew standing on the decks of each ship. Along the river walkway you could take good pictures of these ships. On one occasion I counted the number of containers on a vessel. They were stacked 6 high, 13 across, and 19 in length. This is a lot of containers and helps to explain why trucking and container shipping is such a big business in Savannah. In talking to local residents, I found out that the river had been made deeper and the bridge across it had been made higher in order to accommodate larger and larger ships. This is the fourth busiest port in the United States. Being close to Interstate Highway 95, which runs north and south along the eastern coast of the country, this port is an ideal location to unload containers onto trucks and send them on their way. Also, Savannah is not that far from Atlanta, Georgia, which is a major center of business in the Southeastern United States area.
Each area seems to have its own flavor or attractions. The weather may be different than where you live and the cost of living also. We enjoyed the general environment in Savannah and my wife claims she would not mind the warmer weather there. The cost of living is lower than where we live now. The lifestyle seems a little bit more relaxed. Who knows, we may actually move to such a town when we retire. (We moved to Raleigh, North Carolina years later.)
We could have stayed in Savannah longer, and probably would have planned for this had we known that there was so much we still wanted to see. We did accomplish many of the things that we went there to do, and actually stayed pretty close to the budget allocated for the trip.
Savannah was a trip within the United States. In a country this large, you could take trips and good vacations yearly and not run out of good places to go and things to do. As a couple we have taken trips to other countries too. Even more change and variety are possible abroad than here. Foreign trips have broadened us out and helped us to appreciate other nationalities and cultures. They have also given us more appreciation for the free and blessed county in which we live.
You are different than us and will choose to go different places at different times and for different reasons. I hope you select your trips well so they are enjoyed by all members of your family. May they be learning experiences, as well as provide many good memories.
Some planning is essential. With all the material on the Internet, It is easy to gather information in advance and line up your reservations for travel, lodging, and other such essentials. Allow some free time because things will never run as efficiently on a vacation as you think they will. Also, have some flexibility day by day. Things may come up which you do not expect and you may change your mind about what you end up doing that day. Pack appropriately for the destination and season, and have some extra money with you.
As you contemplate vacation plans, consider that some of the rates vary throughout the year for travel, lodging, and various events. If it is off-season in any location, usually you get a cheaper rate.
When the summer season is over, vacations or longer trips will wait until next year for many families with children or adolescents still living at home. However, there is always Christmas and spring breaks. Couples whose children have left home are freer to travel year-round. Whatever your family situation, strive to fit in some worthwhile trips and vacations over the years. You will not live to regret this use of time.
Key Words – trips, vacations, many benefits, change, relaxation, Savannah Georgia, historical area, history, cotton industry, African Americans, container ships, fourth busiest port, learning experiences, good memories, planning
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