5 hot vacation spots you can squeeze into a long weekend

5 hot vacation spots you can squeeze into a long weekend5 hot vacation spots you can squeeze into a long weekendGrab a cup of coffee or tea (I prefer Matcha), and take a seat. Youll want to be sitting, because you may very well be here for a while, booking flights and accommodation long after you read this.Youve got a long weekend ahead of you, and youre probably imagining some sun-swathed respite from your cubicle, perhaps under palm trees on a blonde beach somewhere remote. Maybe youre a winter sports aficionado, and snowcapped mountains are beckoning instead. Whatever the case, youve got about three or four days - and youll want to make the most of those days without having to spend too much time traveling.With that said, here are six memorable vacation spots that you can fit into a long weekend.1. Vail, ColoradoVail, Colorado lures weekenders all year long. The ski town is full of powdery slopes that snake their way through frosted foliage and directly down to the doors of toast y lodges serving up locally brewed beers and hot chocolate. In the colder months, your mornings will be spent riding, and your afternoons will be spent in true aprs-ski fashion.And if you spend time in Vail during the warmer months, the weather will lull around the mid-70s to the mid-80s with low humidity - perfect for day hikes, mountain biking and river tubing through the forests that paint the horizon yellows and oranges. In fact, Colorado boasts 53 fourteeners (mora than any other state), many of which are in Vail. Two for consideration include Grays Peak (14,278 feet) and Quandary Peak (14,265 feet).2. Montreal, Quebec, CanadaMontreal, the largest city in Canadas Quebec province, is an easy drive for those on the east coast and a not-so-terribly-long flight for those on the west coast. And because many of Montreals boroughs were once independent cities themselves, theres a lot of diversity - from the cobblestoned, French colonial Vieux-Montral to the artsy, bohemian Plateau - that attracts all types of weekend vacationers from all across the country.In the colder months, the city is a winter wonderland and, in the warmer months, its home to a number of Canadas summer festivals like Jazz Fest, Le Mondial de la Bire and even the Food Trucks Festival. Whatever time of year you go, youll be spoiled for choice with weekend activities.You can spend the day people watching in Parc La Fontaine, hiking up Mount Royal or eating Canadas famous poutine (French fries and cheese curds doused in brown gravy and a whole slew of toppings like bacon and chicken and sausage and eggs and vegetables and anything you can imagine).3. Boston, MassachusettsBoston, Massachusettss capital and largest city, boasts a wealth of weekend activities for visitors. Because Boston is one of the countrys oldest cities, founded in 1630, there are tons of museums touting the citys history and verfallen day charm. Consider the Boston Tea Party Ships Museum, for example, where you can actual ly walk across authentically restored ships and launch cases of tea off a deck yourself. You might also want to wander through the Museum of Fine Arts, which welcomes more than one million visitors each year who come to view the more than 450,000 pieces of art.You can also take walking tours to other historical sites, such as the Paul Revere House, the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston, built around 1680, or the Old State House, which is one of the countrys oldest public buildings built in 1713. You might also consider spending an afternoon walking the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail or stuffing your face with seasonal seafood around every corner.4. Austin, TexasAustin, Texas is an American city unlike any other. It smells of sweet creamed corn and barbecued brisket at all times, especially if you take a stroll down Austins Rainey Street, which is full of food trailers and traditionally American restaurants. Youll find some of the best barbeque at eateries across the city likeFra nklin Barbecue,La BarbecueandLeRoy Lewis.Meanwhile, over on the citys famed Sixth Street (dubbed Dirty Sixth), youll have a whole range of live music centered around country, blues and rock from which to choose. After all, Austin is the countrys live music capital.And if youve had enough eating and drinking, you can walk it all off by exploring Austins eclectic street art scene or just unwind at the Barton Springs Municipal Pool, a three-acre spring-fed pool.5. Moab, UtahIf you want to go somewhere a bit more active, give Moab, Utah a shot. Moab is the only place in Utah where you can experience two of Utahs Mighty 5 National Parks from one location. You can explore the towering depths of Canyonlands National Park and then adventure through the red rock landscape of Arches National Park.Specifically, Moab boasts Slickrock, a 10.5-mile loop of Navajo Sandstone, widely considered one of the best bike trailsin the worldwith some of the best views of Utah (think a red rock panorama tha t stretches from the Colorado River to the 13,000-foot La Sal Mountains). Youll also find a wealth of Native American rock art there.Whats perhaps even more interesting about Moab, however, is that there are dinosaur tracks at other sites like the Bull Canyon Overlook and Copper Ridge, and you can even check out dinosaur bones and other archaeological artifacts at the Museum of Moab.AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solotravel. She spends her days writing about womens empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog,HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram her_report,TwitterherreportandFacebook.This article originally appeared onFairygodboss. As the largest career community for women, Fairygodboss provides millions of women with career connections, community advice, and hard-to-find intel about how companies treat women.

5 hacks this 26-year-old CEO uses to survive traveling all the time

5 hacks this 26-year-old CEO uses to survive traveling all the time5 hacks this 26-year-old CEO uses to survive traveling all the timeThough the life of a young, successful entrepreneur sounds glamorous, it is also a considerable amount of work. Beatrice Fischel-Bock knows this first hand as the CEO and Co-Founder of Hutch,a virtual decorating and e-commerce platform that is reimagining how to conceptualize home decor with on-demand templates (it makes redoing your living room as easy as swiping right and left) is constantly on the move.The 26 -year-oldlaunched Hutch in 2012 during her final year at George Washington University after coming to the realization that interior design welches an untapped resource in the technology sector. She soon began virtually designing her friends apartments - earning $1 million in revenue, while still in school.Shortly following graduation, she appeared on Shark Tank to pitch the concept and piqued the interest of Tinder Founder Sean Rad, who helped raise $2.2 million in pre-seed funding. Immediately following that round, she raised an additional $5 million of funding in a seed sound led by Peter Thiels Founders Fund. In July of 2017, she closed a Series A funding round for $10 million from real estate platform Zillow.Based in LA, she travels to New York at least a few times a month for meetings and press and to see her fiance who is in medical school. As someone who travels regularly and then has to walk off the plane and be ready to go, go, go she has come up with a few hacks over the years.Its definitely been a work in progress figuring out how to keep on top of everything when Im traveling bi-coastally so often. At first, I tried to fit everything in all the time. I burned out very quickly and learned that I needed to pace myself, she told Ladders.Here are some of her best hacks.Sleep it offOne big thing is that I block out the evening before and the evening after I travel to allow me a good nights sleep to recuperate.Work it outIm working on is going to a joga class before work after a flight in order to get to my back stretched out and reenergize.My schedule varies week to week but in general Im in LA for about 2 to 3 weeks at a time. When Im in town, Im in the office everyday but often in and out during the day for meetings. Imeet with different departments weekly and try to do one-on-ones with everyone at least once a month. I also have a lot of evening events or dinners to attend during the week.If I have a decent sprint in LA, I try to get into a workout schedule - one hike, one SoulCycleand one yoga a week. This covers being in nature, doing something of high intensity, and then something energizing.No wine-ingMy third hack has been to not have any wine both before and during a flight. I usually take the red-eye and used to have a glass of wine at the airport, but its not worth drying out and disrupting any sleep I might get.Pillow timeMy fourth hack is that I am now that person who carries a neck pillow AND back pillow. Getting sleep on the flight makes or breaks my next few days so its worth it to be extra comfortable.Be mindlessLastly, mindfulness or more specifically mindLESSness, aka taking time to just be. I put my phone away in a drawer and force myself to decompress, maybe read a book, but overall try not to think. I find that I am much more creative after a digital detox, even if its just for an hour on aSunday.

Dont make these 8 networking mistakes

Dont make these 8 networking mistakesDont make these 8 networking mistakesYou might feel like you can do it all, even when networking.Robert Half Management Resources research recently showed where executives go wrong when they network - CFOs report that not asking for help is the most popular error this group makes, at 30%.Tim Hird, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources, commented on the research in a statement, showing why reaching out is important.Dont be afraid to ask for help We all need guidance from time to time, and people are usually happy to offer support when they can Business is changing so rapidly, no one has all the answers or expects others to. Executives need a robust network, including mentors, peers, staff-level contacts, and experts from within and outside the company, to stay on top of trends, best practices and opportunities. To accomplish this, make sure you serve as a resource for your connections, too.An independent research firmcarried outth e survey of more than 2,200 CFOs at in more than 20 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas.Its about more than requesting helpFailing to keep in touch or reaching out only when they need something was in second place at 23%. Next up was not linking up with the right people, at 19%.Both failing to thank people when they are of tafelgeschirr to you and not being a resource for other people were tied at 14%.Beware of these other networking errorsSteer clear of these.Dont emphasize how little you know the personYou dont have to do this in networking emails.So focus on the common ground you share instead of reminding the person how youre not as close as you could be.After all, every word counts.Dont act like its all about me, me, meHow would you feel if someone did this to you?Diane Kulseth writes in The Muse that talking about yourself - all the time is not a good idea, and that instead, you should take some interest.Stop highlighting your latest accomplishment and start listening inst ead. Find people with industries or careers of interest to you, and ask them questions How did they get their start? What do they love about their jobs, and what do they wish they could change? By taking an interest in your contact, you will make her feel valued - and hopefully interested in continuing the relationship. And youll likely gain some new insights, too, she writes.Really put your time in at eventsYou might feel like youre done after talking in-depth with two people in person, but you never know who else could be in the room, or how you could be of service to each other.Tim Tyrell-Smith, author and founder of site Tims Strategy, writes in U.S. News World Report that you should arrive early and stay late when you go to a face-to-face networking gathering for the first time.You can see many benefits to this tip. First, you wont be late. That means you can relax, find the room, and scope out the layout, he writes. Second, you can connect first with the speaker (if there is one) and the event leadership, introducing yourself and perhaps getting a few tips on who will be there. Finally, staying late allows you to maximize your time away from home. After all, you already took the time to get dressed and drive over. Why not stay awhile?