We all know the make it until Friday struggle. The work week grind that culminates in two days of freedom that we long for followed by the swift blast back to reality we call Monday. The week always seems to crawl by (unless you love your job!), while weekends flash by in the blink of an eye. It’s easy to let those two days go to waste, but we have found the secret to becoming a weekend warrior and making the most of any weekend.

Whether you’re traveling the world, working full time in one place, or going to school, weekends are special days meant for adventures (and some responsibilities too of course). We hate seeing a weekend go to waste and that is why we are excited to share our tried and true method for enjoying your weekends to their fullest.

Plan Ahead A Bit And Figure Out Where You’d Like to Go

The first step to unleashing the full potential of any weekend is to start planning for it early in the week. Figure out where you want to go, who you want to see, what you want to do, maybe even what you want to eat (at least if you’re foodies like us). By painting a picture in your head of what your epic weekend will look like and giving yourself something awesome to look forward to, you will find that your excitement will propel you right through the week. This will also help you avoid letting those two days go to waste and will make your weekend feel much longer.

Maybe you’d like to go hiking, camping, or maybe even bike riding? Whatever your interests are, do a little bit of research and figure out where you’d like to go. This way you’ll be prepped and ready when your weekend hits! Resources we love for figuring out our weekend explorations include:

1. All Trails – We love this app for hiking because you can filter by difficulty and see how heavily or lightly trafficked the trails are.
2. Findout – Another app that lets you search nearby adventures in a variety of categories including outdoor, culture, eats, nightlife, adventure, and more.
3. Meetup – This app is great for organizing adventures with other people. You can host your own “Meetup” or join someone else’s. Either way you’re bound to meet some great people and explore a cool area.
4. Blogs & Google Maps – While apps are great, sometimes it’s more fun to pick a general direction after reading an awesome blog and figure out how to get there yourself.

Taking Care of Business Leads to Stress-Free Mornings

Now that you’ve planned the what and the where (or at least the general direction) it’s time to prep. We like to set everything up the night before our adventure begins. Grab your hammock (if you don’t have a hammock, you definitely should, they are awesome and these ENO hammocks are the absolute best) and pack your lunch. Set your camera aside and pull out those sunglasses and warm layers. In other words, fill your backpack up so you’re ready to go!

If you’re not a morning person (TJ didn’t used to be!) make the morning of your adventure a little easier by prepping it too. Set out the clothes you’re going to wear, pull out your breakfast dishes, set aside your coffee (or tea if you’re Alli), and wake up to some fun music.

Now that you’ve got all the preparations out of the way you’re ready to set off on an epic weekend adventure!

Saturdays And Sundays Are For Rising With The Sun

Maybe you’re a morning person or maybe you’re not. Either way, getting up early and getting out before the crowds means you will have beautiful landscapes all to yourself (and will have more time to enjoy the day!). Maybe hiking and biking around large groups of people is your thing, if so, great! If you’re like us though and like being more remote and secluded in your adventures, getting up early is one of the best ways to do this. We are crazy, and will sometimes get up at 4AM just so we can beat everyone else to our destination. That said, even getting up at 6AM or 7AM can give you a big advantage.

Wait a minute… weekends are for sleeping in, aren’t they? Well maybe they are for some, but the truth is you’ll have so much more fun if you get up and get going (weekend warriors for the win!). Plus, if you want some sleep, you can always steal a nap in your new ENO hammock later in the day. Hammocks are more fun than snoozing your weekends away in bed anyway!

Making Your Next Adventure Memorable (Becoming a True Weekend Warrior)

As important as preparation can be, knowing exactly how your day is going to unfold isn’t exactly a recipe for creating exciting memories. If you have an expectation of everything that’s going to happen… that’s not the most exciting, is it? And, if you don’t meet those expectations, well then you’ll likely end up bummed. We think it’s more fun to have no idea how your day is going to unfold once you step out the door!

One way we accomplish this is by constantly straying off the beaten path. If people are sticking to the main trail, we rock climb straight up the creek bed (like the time we hiked to the summit of Upper Yosemite Falls).

When we want to go camping, we look at a map together and pick a section of national forest that allows camping (most BLM and Forest Service land in the US will let you camp anywhere for a certain period of time). Then we drive out and search until we find the perfect spot to make camp. We have had some of our all time favorite trips using this method (like the time we shared a secluded weekend on the river with only a herd of goats).

Another great way to enhance your next adventure is by setting a specific rule or challenge for the day. One that we like to use is: each of us has to introduce ourselves to at least twenty people that day. It’s amazing how many fun opportunities are presented to you and how much you learn when you meet new people.

Now It’s Your Turn To Try Out Our Recipe For An Adventurous And Exciting Weekend

Feeling excited about making the most of your upcoming weekends? Let us know how it goes for you in the comments below and share your adventures on social using #lifeismeantforexploring!

Share this: We would love nothing more than to hear from you, or to meet up somewhere out in the big wide world. So, please don’t be shy, share the stories of your adventures with us on Facebook and Instagram (tag @LifeIsMeantForExploring we will see it). Pinterest fan? Pin one of the images below!

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