Kids are getting out of school at this time of year, and many families plan a week or two of vacation. Many will be packing up the SUV and heading for a cottage or second home to spend part or all of the summer. Some will rent a place from Airbnb or VRBO, others are fortunate enough to have a place on a lake or the beach that sits seasonally vacant.
Where people go is highly dependent upon where they live and what is affordable. In the east, affordable second properties are often found in the lake country of Minnesota and Michigan and along the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Maine. Beachfront property is expensive, but popular spots include the Jersey Shore, Cape Cod and the islands, the Delmarva Peninsula, and of course the Outer Banks of the Carolina coast.
The situation in the far west is similar – beachfront property is out of reach for most unless it is well away from LA and San Francisco. The Central Coast from Ventura to Monterey appeals to both Giants and Dodgers fans. But the real action is in the mountains which we often think of as winter vacation spots but are, as anybody trying to get to Tahoe, Big Bear, or Sedona on a Friday night can attest, the big draws.
Few can afford a second home, but there are other options for travel and vacations. Summer is peak season for camping and recreational vehicles, and even the heat and humidity of a Florida summer doesn’t deter vacationers who want their fill of sand, waves, and sunshine.
Headed out for the weekend? Outbound traffic from the major metropolitan areas can be somewhat hideous on Friday night, and the Sunday evening return traffic rarely gets better. But the lure of fresh mountain air, paddling a canoe on a quiet lake, or body surfing in the ocean is more than enough to outweigh the hassles of summer travel.
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