Summer is here, the thermometer is rising, and for many urbanites, spending a weekend at the lake is a welcome distraction from the city’s heat. Cottage weekends are a time-honored tradition, and organizing a short vacation with friends is a great way to enjoy the good weather while it lasts. And if you want to type a cottage weekend your friends will be talking about for years to come, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Plan Ahead
For any weekend away to be a success, you need to plan. This might involve booking a cottage, but it also means ensuring everyone has a ride, supplying ample food, and providing enough beds. If you plan on boating or fishing, you also want to ensure you have fishing rods and safety equipment. Making plans in advance guarantees, you have everything you need and is also a great way to save money.
2. Create A Comfortable Environment For Everyone
If you plan a cottage weekend for a large group of friends, there is a good chance some people will come in with different expectations than others about things like alcohol. For some, a cold beer is essential to the cottage experience. For others, alcohol can create a hostile environment. Don’t make any assumptions about what your guests are comfortable with: establish the expectations early on.
3. Bring More Food Than You Think You’ll Need
Having an excuse to cook great food outdoors is a key part of any cottage weekend, and the last thing you want is to run out of fresh steaks and burgers. Fortunately, it is increasingly possible to have new; local meat delivered directly to your cottage. Services like truLOCAL allow you to place an order in advance and have a box full of grill-ready cuts brought straight to your cottage door. And because truLOCAL delivers your meat packed in dry ice, it will stay fresh all day, so you don’t need to be at your cottage when it arrives.
4. Don’t Be Blindsided By The Weather
A fun-packed weekend at the cottage can easily be derailed by bad weather, but it doesn’t need to be. There are plenty of ways to enjoy your time at the house, even if it’s raining, so long as you plan various activities. Board games, parlor games, and even a long book are great ways to ensure your guests enjoy themselves, no matter the weather.
Cottage weekends can be a lot of fun, but they can also be expensive — and nothing ruins a holiday like arguments over how costs will be divvied up. Plenty of ways to organize how expenses get shared, but it’s best to discuss this in advance. The last thing you want is for a fun weekend to become a source of conflict. Having clean drinking water is extremely important. You can click here to learn more about some of the water treatment options you have readily available.
For many, weekends at the cottage are one of the best things about summer. Between lazy afternoons on the dock and parties that last into the night, organizing a cottage weekend for your friends is a great way to make lasting memories, so it’s important to do it right. By planning, discussing expectations, ordering lots of fresh meat for the barbeque, ensuring various activities are planned, and proactively discussing expenses, you can guarantee that your cottage weekend is a summer highlight.