It’s Almost Time For Florida’s 100 Deadly Days Of Summer

Usually the season between Memorial Day and Labor Day is for having fun, but it's almost time for Florida’s 100 Deadly Days of Summer.

Living here in Florida in our year-round paradise, summer for us is more than just a few months. With our weather, it makes for an extended period of time to visit the beautiful beaches of Fort Myers, Naples and Sanibel and Captiva islands, have pool parties and plenty of BBQ's. But the period from the upcoming Memorial Day holiday and Labor Day in September has a dark side as it's known as the 100 Deadly Days of Summer.

In Southwest Florida, I feel like traffic is getting worse year after year and with that, there's an influx in car accidents. But it could get worse pretty soon. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warns of the 100 Deadly Days of Summer- the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Why does that time period have that name? Because it's the most dangerous time for teen drivers. While March is the deadliest month for teen drivers, this 100-day span typically sees an influx of deadly crashes among teen drivers.

Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) reports that as of earlier this month, over 205,000 teens are driving with a learner's license. While they do have to be in the car with a licensed driver over 21, that is still a large number of new drivers that lack experience on the roads. With a learner's license, teen drivers can be on the roads during daylight for the first 3 months after it's issued and until 10pm after 3 months.

I know it's exciting to finally have the freedom to drive, but even more fun is getting to where you're going safely. So let's all have fun this summer- be safe on the roads!

Summer always brings a bevy of vacation options, some more exotic than others. But, you don't have to travel far or do something major to have a great vacation. There are many fun and affordable staycation ideas that can give you a memorable vacation memory by just staying close to home.

So, what exactly is the definition of a staycation? It's pretty self-explanatory, but according to the Oxford Dictionary, it's "a vacation spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions. Similarly, Merriam-Webster says it's, "a vacation spent at home or nearby." I think it's a stretch to call any vacation that's spent in your home country a staycation. That would mean that someone living in Michigan who travels to California for a vacation is really having a "staycation." It makes much more sense to define a staycation as a vacation where you literally stay at home or do something fun in your local area. Thankfully, there are a plethora of great staycation ideas out there.

Plenty of cities have "be a tourist in your own town" activities promoted by their local city tourist bureaus, which are perfect for a staycation. Really, staycations have been around forever, but they increased in popularity during the pandemic, when people actually weren't allowed to travel abroad. Still, even after the pandemic, the staycation is going strong. According to an international study by tourism and hospitality experts in the U.S. and China, the "staycation phenomenon" that started during the pandemic is still very popular and likely to stay as a new normal. The study, dubbed "Customer Preferences for Staycation Package Attributes," is published online in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. It researched the local staycation preferences of Chinese tourists, as well as staycation information from the U.S., Netherlands and Indonesia.

I love a good staycation. It can be stressful to plan a huge trip to squeeze into your time off. By the time you get everything packed, do all the flight stuff and get to your hotel, you might just feel like resting for the short while that you're at your destination. What's more, you can often find so many great places close to home that you've never experienced before. I've had so many great staycations where I ventured to a part of town or the state that I had never been before, and those are among my favorite vacation memories. In that spirit, here are some fun and affordable staycation ideas. Send me your ideas, too.

Have a vacation in your living room or bedroom. Make it a movie-watching marathon. Watch a string of your favorite guilty-pleasure movies or binge-watch a brand new series. Either way, it'll be cozy and comfy.

If you have a state or national park nearby, use your vacation time to go adventuring. Being at a local park can offer some breathtaking scenery, especially in the summer. Have a picnic out there, too. If you don't have a state or national park close by, try a local park.

Nearly every town has a local museum or art gallery. Perhaps you've never really had the time to visit your local museum or art spot. Use your vacation time to explore those local spots, and you might find a new favorite place.

If you've driven by that new hotel for a while and wondered what it's like inside, why not book it for a night? You don't have to be traveling to say at a hotel, Airbnb or local bed-and-breakfast. It can make for an exciting adventure right in your backyard.

Using vacation time to plan a big party for friends is a good use of that time. Instead of traveling around the world, bring to world to you. Invite lots of your good friends, and spend some of the cash you would have on a vacation for your party. It'll be the party of the year. Make that decade.

Pamper yourself. Maybe you think having a spa day is too much of a luxury, but if you're saving money by not taking a big trip, why not use that money for a spa day? It's not just for ladies, either. Guys can book a spa day for a variety of services. It'll make for a day of bliss.