Spring Break Is So Soon, What Can I Do For A Getaway?

Two weeks from today is the end of Spring Break. That’s right, two Fridays from now you could be wrapping up your trip and heading home from your long-awaited escape from winter.

Or will you?

If ideas, funds, or just plain time have been hard to find this time of year, you’re not alone. Everyone wants to go somewhere. Really, at this point in the winter, just anywhere they can see the sun.

If you already have a vacation scheduled for the week off this month, good job. But for the rest of us, it’s time to start planning before we get to the panic stage. A week off from school for the kids rarely means time off for the parents, so you end up juggling childcare and work while somehow trying to maintain your sanity. Sometimes that means throwing caution to the wind, letting a relative hang out with the kids, and hoping everyone gets their act together by the following Monday when school is back in session. It may not be the best plan, but it’s still a plan. And sometimes that’s what you have to cling to.

With everything going on this week, gale-force winds, monsoon-like rain, and frigid temperatures, I’m not even sure what movie we’re watching anymore. Is it Twister? Or Twisters? Or The Day After Tomorrow? Or basically any disaster movie you’ve ever seen?

What we do know is that it’s definitely not the screensaver with white sandy shores, blue water, and a perfect sunset. Where do we find that in the middle of March? And even if you could book it, could you afford it? Not likely in this economy.

A scene like that isn’t something you’re going to stumble across in the Pacific Northwest this time of year. But there are still plenty of fun spots to escape to, even if it’s only for a few hours. And you might want to do exactly that, especially if your household has turned into a game of who can go off the deep end first, and there’s no scheduled vacation to keep everyone from pushing their chips to the center of the figurative table.

Spring Break weather has historically been rough in late March along the northern West Coast. Sometimes sunshine is implied, but weather out of town rarely hits the same as it does in the places you’ve seen so many times that, once you start driving, you know you’re not actually going to turn this car around, no matter how many buttons your kids push on the way.

Maybe a weekend getaway isn’t available or is just too expensive. But what about treating Tuesday and Wednesday like your weekend? Often, you can get price breaks, especially late in the game, if you travel on non-peak days, even during popular weeks. If you occasionally work remotely, maybe those can be your out-of-office days. As long as the rental has reliable Wi-Fi, why not? Or make sure your phone can handle hotspot duty if you get into a pinch.

There really isn’t a town on the Oregon Coast that doesn’t look inviting in just about any weather. Rain actually feels normal on the coast. You might even luck out and get an hour of sunshine. But if you don’t, wear a comfortable hooded raincoat. Worried about the wind ruining your hair? Bring a hat. Or better yet, find one in one of the many local shops. Get something that works in any climate, and suddenly you’re not just making a practical purchase, you’re bringing home a memory that will make you smile every time you wear it while rushing the kids out the door on some random summer morning.

Saltwater air doesn’t just make good taffy. Somehow, the coffee, fudge, and fries taste better, too. You’ll definitely get your steps in, and you know you’ll be back to your normal routine once you get home. Don’t forget to treat yourself. You don’t need to indulge every minute, but a few things you normally wouldn’t buy won’t kill you. And if they do, what a way to go.

You can do a beach day and head home, but why not get a room for the night and make more memories tomorrow? What’s the rush? The minute you get home, you’ll wish you had stayed one more day. So why not just do that now? If the budget allows, and you trust your kids enough for a second room, get it. Make the kids’ room the hangout spot, and when everyone starts getting a little stir-crazy, you can retreat to the parents’ room and actually sleep.

You could head to Mt. Hood or Mt. Bachelor, but lodging on short notice can be tough this time of year. It’s not that locals don’t love accommodating visitors, but options are limited, especially with the snow arriving later than usual this season. You’ll be competing with couples, families, and groups all trying to squeeze in one last ski trip before spring takes over or the calendar fills up.

If the coast isn’t in the cards and you want to avoid the mountains, consider somewhere in the Columbia River Gorge. You can make the trip to Hood River or The Dalles and back in a day without pushing your luck, but you’ll likely find some lodging options if you go midweek. White Salmon has a few often-overlooked spots, and so does Cascade Locks.

Let’s say you’ve explored the coast, the Gorge, and spent your fair share of time on the mountain, or maybe those aren’t your thing. What next?

Time to look north to Tacoma and Seattle. You can get there in a few hours, lodging options are plentiful, and you can even take the train if you want to ditch the car for a couple of days and stay close to downtown. Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma is worth a full day on its own. In Seattle, you can walk the waterfront, visit the Space Needle, explore the Museum of Pop Culture, and maybe even catch a movie at Cinerama (now called SIFF, though that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue the same way). If you’re a Mariners fan and your timing works out, you might even catch the start of the baseball season. And the best part? Seattle kids won’t be on break yet. Their spring break doesn’t start until the second week of April.

No matter where you go or what you do, make it fun. Do something you and your family will look back on and enjoy when life returns to normal, all too quickly.

In the immortal words of Dr. Emmett L. Brown, “Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.”