A Magical Travel Moment in New England

Sometimes the end of the day can feel like just the beginning. After a long, fun day in the York Beach, Maine, summer sun, the crowds lessen, the sky and ocean take on dramatic colors, the imposing rocky coast appears to relax a little, and the thick, humid air starts to refreshingly thin out. Add a touch of Mother Nature's Maine Division patent on salt sea air and a soft summer breeze, and you'll never want to leave. It's truly a magical travel moment in New England!

Having to leave soon after experiencing New England travel nirvana is particularly frustrating when on a day trip. Enjoying the moment, however, and reveling in this one-of-a-kind feeling that the Maine coast provides is always the road map to embark on for the memories will last forever.

You can log onto our York Beach, Maine feature article to learn more about this special coastal New England travel destination.

Short Sands Beach, York Beach, Maine (photo by Eric)0

Editor's note: This Magical Travel Moment in New England blog post is inspired by Maggie Kerrigan, author of The (almost) Blank Journal. Her book is a tremendous tool to help potentiate one's own innate creativity. I encourage you to read it!

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New England Travel Resolution for 2014

My sister-in-law Maggie Kerrigan recently wrote a fantastic book entitled The (almost) Blank Journal to inspire clarity and creativity for daily writing. Meant for both the creative mind and highly structured thinker, Maggie's book features "prompts (motivational words and thoughts) for writing and drawing..." It's really a simple but brilliant concept. Plus, Maggie knows what she is talking about, given her quest for creativity as a significantly talented artist.

I own several web sites and blogs, but this one, the Weekly New England Travel and Vacation Gazette, has hit a creative road block several times in its existence without clear direction -- that is, until I opened Maggie's Christmas gift in the mail. As often as possible, I am going to try my hand at daily writing on this blog -- motivated and guided by Maggie's journal.

Today, I focus on Resolutions with the topic being New England Travel in 2014. Since we are on a tight family budget, cheap day trip destinations will be prioritized on the New England travel agenda for 2014. These destinations will need to be close to home and have something unique and interesting to offer.

One such inspirational place is Onset, Mass., a Victorian seaside neighborhood in Wareham, Mass. We visited last summer, but nowhere near enough. With cheap parking, a beautiful sandy free beach located on the bay, stunning Victorian residential architecture, a walkable downtown with little mom and pop shops and cheap eats restaurants like Marc Anthony's and Stash's (with seafood and water views), I know Onset will serve for us as a lower-cost alternative to Cape Cod and coastal southern Maine. I can hardly wait until summer!

A view from the Onset town common

The beach looks mighty inviting!

A welcoming, walkable downtown

What are some of your 2014 New England travel New Years resolutions? Please comment below, we'd love to hear your ideas!

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