An Armchair Vacation Begins at the Mall

Spring break is over a month away and you’re longing for a vacation, even if you have to camp in the back yard to save money. If you need a mental getaway just for a moment, consider an armchair vacation to pull you through.

Unless you’re the browsing type, you may not know that bookstores are chock full of travel magazines that speak to the most specialized audiences imaginable. Consider some of the current titles: “Travel Girl“, “Girlfriend Getaways“, “Affluent Traveler“, and my favorite (title, anyway): “Endless Vacation.”

Maybe some people can enjoy an endless vacation, but unless that phrase is a new euphemism for unemployment, my guess is most readers are working folks who have to ration scarce vacation time. Who hasn’t used a precious vacation day just to catch up at home in order to stay functional? Even if you took a real vacation, you (or your spouse) likely checked messages a couple of times and still returned to an in-box or backed-up laundry that snuffed out the post-vacation glow quicker than you can say “express check-out.”

Change your latitude for just a moment by strolling into Books-A-Million at Brookwood Mall and taking stock of the many travel and destination publications displayed near the top of the escalator. You are bound to find one that will inspire you and get you thinking about places other than your cubicle, your laundry room, or your cluttered basement.

Besides exotic locations, escape through regional lifestyle magazines that offer an interesting departure from the usual: Aspen, Boca Life, Seasons (Atlanta), Cape Cod Magazine. Go all out and indulge in New York Living or listen to your practical side and get Midwest Living, the heartland’s earnest (bless their hearts) answer to our own Southern Living (which, it goes without saying, showcases all the great things that make us happy to live in these parts). The list of possibilities goes on and on.

For just a few bucks you can dream of these destinations and also have the company of reading during your brown bag lunch. Sure, it’s a pale comparison to a real vacation. But with no credit card bill, no unpacking, and no voice mails or e-mails awaiting as punishment, maybe a brief mental vacation will see you through until you can really hit the road.