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Take a Hometown Vacation - Your Guide to Local Romance

Taking a romantic getaway with your partner, a trip to an exotic destination where you can both relax and enjoy each other's company, is a great way to break up the monotony of a long-term relationship, particularly when you're both in a set pattern.

For example, last week, we realized that for the past several months, our lives had followed exactly the same routine: wake up and go to the gym, go to work, meet friends for a drink, cook dinner, watch TV or read and go to bed. Not exactly the stuff you find in romance novels.

Sadly, we didn't have the time, the budget or the energy to take a real vacation, which I'm sure is a familiar situation for most of you. Solution? Take a "local vacation" in your own town or city! Book a hotel room near your home, eat dinner at a new spot and enjoy some nightlife -- maybe even see a show.

The most important thing is to feel like you're on vacation. Hopefully, that feeling will spread to relaxation and, ultimately, to intimacy.

Pick the Right Time
A fake vacation is a great way to surprise your sweetheart. After all, what's more romantic than telling your overworked lover that you've rented an elegant hotel room, and you're taking him or her out to dinner?

That said, you need to take some precautions. Make sure your significant other doesn't already have plans for the night in mind. Also, make sure your partner isn't too tired and stressed out to enjoy your treat.

Be honest with each other. If you're planning a Friday local vacation, ask each other on Thursday if you're still feeling up to it. If the truth is that one of you is just too tired, too stressed or too preoccupied to get into the mood, it's better to reschedule than to end up being disappointed when your lover hits the hotel bed and falls asleep for sixteen hours.

Pick the Right Place
Admittedly, finding a great local vacation spot is much easier if you live in or near a larger city, and you have a budget that allows you to stay in a penthouse suite and hire the hotel's professional masseuse. Chances are, however, that most of us don't have all the resources to pull off that dream scenario! Don't worry, you can still accomplish your goal.

If your hotel options are limited, just make sure you pick a place that's clean, that's not too close to the freeway (nothing kills a mood like trailer trucks driving by) and that's close to a decent place to eat. If money is a concern, make sure you've not only tried looking online for fantastic travel deals, but also called your local hotels. Sometimes they'll be willing to offer you great last-minute deals or upgrades if the hotel isn't full.

Another tack is to chat up the desk clerk -- I have more than once been able to talk a hotel into upgrading us to a better room or suite at the same price, just by telling them about how we're looking for more romance in our marriage.

What to Bring
Since you're not going far (or even really leaving home), you obviously won't need everything we've listed. Be sure to bring the travel candles, Kama Sutra Getaway Kit, and some lingerie. Beyond that, select what you think will make the evening romantic. Remember, you don't want to make your fake vacation stressful, so the less you have to carry around with you, the better.

Finally, depending on where your hotel is located, you might want to pack some snacks in case you get hungry. After all, chances are good that you won't want to come out of your hotel room at all!

A Note on Dinner
If you're hoping to end your local vacation with an intimate encounter, here's a quick warning: Enjoy the special dinner the two of you are sharing, but don't enjoy it too much. The only thing that kills romance faster than being too tired is a ten-hour food coma.

Pay-Per-View Smorgasbord
If you're in a hotel, chances are you have access to some of the best pay-per-view adult movies available. If you know this isn't your thing or your partner's thing, this perk may mean nothing to you. Alternatively, you and your lover may know you're both aroused by pornography, in which case you should be sure to take full advantage of your movie options.

If, however, you're not sure where your significant other stands on the issue of sexual movies and entertainment, this is a great time to gently probe. You're in a neutral environment, away from the routine of your daily life, with the idea of having sex already in both your minds.

This doesn't mean you should order the most extreme adult movie you can find and surprise your partner-in-crime when he or she comes out of the shower. It's an opportunity to see how you both feel about porn and possibly even use it to get things started. Just be careful -- if you sense any resistance to the idea, change the channel!

The Cell Phone is Your Enemy
So is the pager. You are on vacation, even if it's only for a night. It's unlikely you'll miss a huge emergency that can't wait until morning. Put the communication devices away.

You can take a fake vacation spontaneously or with weeks of planning, for hundreds of dollars or for less than fifty. The important thing is that you relax, enjoy each other's company, forget about the routine of your life and, hopefully, wake up the next morning refreshed in many, many ways.