My husband and I recently went on a vacation to explore our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. He had visited once before on a school trip, but it was my very first time traveling that far north. We had a jam-packed itinerary to make the most of our 4-day trip.

A vacation doesn’t always have to include a plane ride to a warm tropical destination. It also doesn’t have to be centered around a jam packed itinerary filled to the brim with exploring, sightseeing, and activities. Sometimes, simply staying home is just enough to recharge your batteries.

Vacations are a great way to reset and clear your mind from the daily grind of work or your home life. Kris and I took a vacation last week and it was much needed. The last time I took time off and away from home was in March when we went to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Just like then, I was in dire need of a change of scenery.

We rarely vacation to simply relax. Sitting on a beach or at the pool for hours on end, just isn’t really our thing. At most, we spend maybe an hour out there before we’re ready to move on with our day. We want to experience all the city has to offer, or at least as much as we can given the time constraint. We’re big on taking boat tours if we’re in a city located along a river or the ocean. So far, I’d say we’ve done about five boat tours total and they’ve all been totally different from one another.