🦆 CHILL THE DUCK OUT

Volume 026: Sometimes the perfect getaway is just two hours away

💭Cold Open

The 48-hour getaway that doesn't break the bank or require a passport is criminally underrated.

My wife and I are gearing up to for a quick weekend trip to New Bern, NC… shout out to any Nicholas Sparks lovers out there. New Bern is our favorite little escape town and so much better now that it's just a short drive away. No grand agenda, no Instagram-worthy itinerary, just two nights in a modest B&B and a plan to eat good food and walk around without checking our phones every five minutes.

We're not "spontaneous weekend in Paris" people. Mostly because those types of trips really aren’t in our budget, but also because we're more "let's see if that place with the good hushpuppies is still open" people. Our idea of luxury is finding a place with a discounted price tag that still manages to ooze charm. But what's hitting me as I think about wandering through New Bern's quiet streets this weekend is that I'm already feeling lighter, and we haven't even left yet.

There's something magical about having crossed a city limit in your mind before your car even starts. About knowing that in day, you'll be eating dinner at 5:30 PM because that's when you're hungry, not when your schedule allows. About planning conversations that can meander like the Neuse River because there's no rush to get anywhere.

We won't climb mountains or see ancient ruins. We'll walk through antique shops, probably buy overpriced Pepsi sweatshirts at the original Pepsi store that serves the original soda recipe that will taste just as I remember from our last trip… not very good. We’ll stop in the little diner that serves the best fried green tomatoes, and grab coffee from the nautical themed coffee shop that my wife loves so much.

It won't be exotic, but I already know it's exactly what we need. I can feel the mental reset beginning already. Just knowing that in 48 hours I'll remember why I married this woman who gets excited about being able to walk everywhere that we want to go for a couple days is making me smile at my desk right now.

Sometimes the best escape isn't about how far you go or how much you spend. It's about intentionally stepping out of your routine long enough to remember who you are when nobody needs anything from you. And sometimes, the magic starts the moment you decide to go.

So this week, we're talking about the beautiful, accessible art of the local getaway and why your brain desperately needs you to plan one.

🧠 The Science Bit

Here's some news that'll make you want to start Googling "hotels within 100 miles": According to research from multiple universities, including Cornell and the University of Surrey, even short getaways provide significant psychological benefits, and the anticipation of a trip can boost happiness for up to eight weeks before you even leave.

The magic happens in something scientists call psychological distance. When you physically remove yourself from your usual environment, your brain literally shifts into a different mode of processing. Dr. Yaacov Trope's research on construal level theory shows that psychological distance, whether it's physical, temporal, or social, changes how we think, making us more creative, more optimistic, and better at seeing the big picture instead of getting stuck in your daily stuff.

And you don't need to fly to Bali to get these benefits. A 2019 study in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that people who took short, frequent trips reported higher overall life satisfaction than those who took longer, less frequent vacations. The researchers called this the "trip frequency effect," and it suggests that regular small escapes might be more beneficial than saving up for one big blowout vacation.

Your brain on getaways becomes a different, better version of itself.

Even a weekend away triggers what psychologists call the "travel mindset", which is an increased curiosity, openness to new experiences, and a temporary suspension of your usual worries. Dr. Adam Galinsky's research at Columbia Business School shows that travel experiences, regardless of distance or expense, enhance cognitive flexibility and creative thinking. Your brain stops running its usual programs and starts paying attention to novelty, which is like mental cross-training.

Anticipation is half the happiness.

Dutch researcher Jeroen Nawijn discovered that the happiness boost from vacation actually peaks during the planning phase. The simple act of having something to look forward to releases dopamine and gives you what psychologists call "anticipatory utility" – literally getting happiness from future happiness. This means booking that weekend getaway next month starts improving your mood immediately.

Breaking routine breaks stress cycles.

When you change your environment, you interrupt what researchers call "perseverative thinking.” It's the mental loop where your brain keeps chewing on the same problems. Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky's work shows that novel experiences disrupt rumination patterns and reset your emotional baseline. Even sleeping in a different bed and eating breakfast at a different table can shift your perspective enough to see solutions that were invisible from your kitchen table.

The research is clear that your brain needs periodic escape from the familiar, but it doesn't need your credit card to max out to get it. Sometimes the most restorative thing you can do is drive to the next town over and remember what it feels like to be a tourist in your own life.

🍟 This Week’s Happytizer

This week, I want you to plan a getaway, and I'm using the loosest possible definition of "getaway." The goal is to create psychological distance without financial stress. Pick one option that feels doable for you.

The 24-Hour Tourist

• Drive to a town within 2 hours of home you've never explored

• Eat at least one meal at a place you found by wandering

• Buy something small and local that you don't need but makes you smile

• Sleep somewhere that isn't your bed (hotel, friend's couch, your own guest room)

The Staycation Explorer

• Book one night at a hotel in your own city

• Create a rule: no going home except to pack

• Visit three places in your city you've never been

• Eat at restaurants you've never tried

The Mini Road Trip

• Pick a destination 3-4 hours away

• Stop at every "scenic overlook" or quirky roadside attraction

• Stay two nights, spend one full day with zero schedule

• Buy postcards and actually mail them to people

The 48-Hour Sabbatical

• Turn off work notifications for exactly 48 hours

• Do something that requires your full attention (pottery class, hiking, cooking elaborate meal)

• Change your sleep schedule entirely (nap when tired, eat when hungry)

• End each day by writing down one thing that surprised you

The key is intentionality. You're not just having a weekend; you're giving yourself permission to step outside your routine and remember what it feels like to be present. Notice how different you feel when you're not in your usual spaces, following your usual patterns.

Bonus points if you plan this getaway for sometime in the next month. Your brain wants something to look forward to.

🎉 Unsolicited Joy of the Week

Meet Monica Stott from Wales, who's taken the phrase "let's grab lunch" to a whole new level. This woman flies to Milan for breakfast, spends the day wandering around Italy, and is back home sleeping in her own bed by midnight. She's mastered what's become known as "extreme day trips", which are international adventures that fit between your morning coffee and bedtime snack.

Monica's philosophy is simple: research shows your best holiday memories happen in the first day or two anyway, so why not concentrate all that magic into one perfect, intense day? She treats airports like bus stations, chooses destinations under two hours away, and proves that sometimes the ultimate luxury isn't a week in Tuscany. It's exploring somewhere new and interesting and still making it home for dinner.

✈️ Read more about Monica's extreme day trips at BBC

💬 Tell me about your favorite close to home escape

What's your go-to place when you need to hit the mental reset button without hitting your savings account?

📩 [email protected]

If this made you feel 1% more chill or like you can getaway, share this with a friend... or I'll start showing up at your house with vacation brochures and that slightly manic enthusiasm of a travel agent who works on commission.

💰 Speaking of getaways and budget

One thing that keeps many people from planning those restorative escapes we talked about is money stress. It's hard to enjoy a weekend in New Bern (or anywhere) when you're worried about whether you can afford the gas to get there.

The research shows that financial anxiety is one of the few stressors that doesn't naturally improve with age (unlike our ability to not care what strangers think). But the good news is that getting control of your finances can dramatically improve your overall wellbeing, and your ability to plan guilt-free getaways.

My friend Tom has created a handy 3 Step Guide to Get Total Control of Your Finances that will help you be in the driver's seat with your money. One of the steps actually gives you a way to get on the same page with your spouse about finances – something that can reduce household stress and make planning those couple's getaways way more enjoyable.

This is the last week Tom’s making it available to you beautiful people so, if you want to make weekend escapes a regular part of your wellbeing routine without the financial anxiety, grab Tom's 3 Step Guide to Get Total Control of Your Finances.

Click here to grab Tom's 3 Step Guide to Get Total Control of Your Finances.

🫶 Duckin’ Done

That's Volume 026.

Here's to short trips, long conversations, and the beautiful art of being a tourist in your own life.

Until next time: get away from your house for a little while, stay curious, and chill the duck out.

Jason

🔬 Behind the Curtain

The psychological benefits of short-term travel are documented across multiple studies. Cornell's research on psychological distance shows that physical space changes mental processing, while the University of Surrey's work demonstrates measurable stress reduction from brief getaways. Jeroen Nawijn's vacation research, published in Applied Research in Quality of Life, tracked happiness levels before, during, and after trips, finding that anticipation provides the longest-lasting boost. Columbia's Adam Galinsky has published extensively on how travel experiences enhance cognitive flexibility, even in short-term scenarios.