Weekend getaway is great. Whether you go for any particular reason, or you just need to unwind, here are 5 practical guides of how to make the best of it.
1. Carry-on luggage only.

How long will you be gone, 3 days? Ladies, you certainly don't need 3 pair of shoes. Unless you go for a wedding, even so you might just need 2 pairs. Your dress shoes and your comfortable footwear, whether they're sneakers, sandals, tennis shoes, etc.

Having carry-on luggage only saves you TONS of time. You don't need to check it in, you don't have to worry it might get lost, you don't need to find out where the checked baggage terminal is and how to get there. And you certainly don't have to stand there and wait for your bags.

The only thing you need to make sure is your carry-on bags are within the allowable size to be carried on board. Check with your flight carrier prior to packing.

2. Bring just enough toiletries.

Hotels nowadays provide shampoo, facial soap and lotion (sometimes). So just bring enough toiletries with you on the bag. The rule is still 3-1-1 (type in Google "311" to learn more). So make sure you bring just what you need that won't be provided by the hotel, such as shaving cream, toothpaste, mouthwash, cologne/body spray, your own shampoo/facial wash if you need to use a particular brand. Now remember to buy all these in travel size. Wal-mart has them for around $1.00 (before tax), at least as per right now the time I'm writing this article. It's a good thing that nowadays convenience is not that expensive.

3. Plan ahead.

If not possible to plan ahead, at least reserve the hotels/cars/venues and purchase any tickets online. Trust me, other than for the convenience factor, they also confirm availability. If you have your own GPS, key in the addresses of places you'd go, before you leave the house. If you don't use GPS, print out MapQuest or Google Maps. Make sure you have something to guide you around in strange places and get you where you need to be.

4. Choose the right attraction or activity.

You only have 2 days. Good if you have 3, but let say you only have 2 days. You fly in Saturday morning, you fly out Sunday night. Flying out Monday morning doesn't make it 3 days vacation, because you still need to return the rental car, take shuttle to the terminal, and ready to get on board around 15 minutes prior to departing time.

So you only have 2 days, the best thing to do: TAKE THE CITY TOUR. Every major city has some sort of city tours, like Double-Decker bus (Philly), Boston Duck Tours (Boston) or any other local trolleys/buses. The reason, if you like the place a lot, make note of some interesting spots covered during the tour (listen to your guide) and make a mental note to check it out later. Or come back for another vacation, or extend your stay.

Either way, by taking the City Tour you cover a big chunk of the area. That way even though you don't get to visit any particular spots, at least you kind of have an idea what the city look like, feel like or was like (history).

5. Read reviews online.

For everything else, such as dining options, or hotels environment, always check ahead by looking for any reviews online. My favorite site is TripAdvisor, you might have some other sites which are your favorites. The important thing, always read reviews from REAL people. If you just go to the hotels/restaurant website or if you call them to get more information, they certainly will only tell you good things that they want you to know.

That should pretty much cover the big picture. When you ONLY have 2 DAYS, time is important. You need to choose what to do or where to go. Convenience is the key. Don't bring too much, don't worry too much. Just go. Obviously weekend getaways are not really vacation. It's supposed to be a refreshing break for you. So make it one.

Jean Kurniati works with Solo Entrepreneurs who struggle with time-management and work-life imbalance. She helps them get clarity of their focus and priorities, which would ultimately lead them to that satisfactory life they worked so hard for, and living it.

Learn more of what she does by signing up for the free report "10 Entrepreneurs Biggest Challenges and How to Overcome Them" at http://simplifyanddelegate.com/simplify