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The Escape Plans are your ultimate guides to maximize your travel experience with expert recommendations; budgeting tools; and a wide variety of sample itineraries. By request, we will also curate custom itineraries catered to your specific needs. Whether you’re interested in a romantic getaway, bachelor(ette) party, beach weekend, or a seasonal retreat: we’ve got you covered with our detailed dining, menu, lodging, and activity suggestions. Our menu planning and budgeting tools help you decide where to go and what to order based on your individual budget. You can even calculate the cost per person if you’re planning for a group. We are a husband and wife team who have been visiting Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas for over 15 years. We have mastered the art of planning a seamless getaway to these cities and are so excited to assist you in planning your next escape! Please remember to drink and play responsibly.

If I had $1 for every time my husband wore a pair of slip-on Vans, fresh out of the box, sans socks, on a damp, sweltering summer day, which also happened to be our first day on vacation... well, I'd have about $8. Such experiences have reinforced my propensity for overpacking. "Always come prepared," I whisper to myself as I struggle with the zipper on my suitcase, praying it doesn't exceed the 50 lb weight limit. I've long emptied the contents of my entire medicine cabinet into my carry-on. There is nothing worse than waking up in a hotel, mid-holiday, with a violent case of the stomach flu; except having to leave said hotel to find the closest pharmacy. I'd much rather have Pepto Bismol on hand and not end up needing it, than to need it desperately and have to travel further than 10 feet to procure it. After many inconveniences, injuries, and illnesses away from home, and much trial and error, I consider myself an authority on packing for every possible scenario. I want to share some of my favorite products with you, so that your escape doesn't include a spontaneous trip to the hotel gift shop where you're sure to pay luxury prices for generic remedies. We tend to take short trips throughout the year, and a longer trip in August. No matter where you travel in North America during the month of August, it's going to be hot, and probably also humid. We've been to Las Vegas at 115 degrees, New Orleans in the high 90's at damn near 100% humidity, even Montreal was mildly uncomfortable during the daytime hours. Such conditions come with an array of physical discomforts. Friction can lead to the aforementioned blisters, for which we recommend All-Health brand Advanced Fast-Healing hydrocolloid gel bandages. They are waterproof, last up to 7 days, and help with both healing and pain relief. Friction can also cause chafing, especially if you're exploring your destination on foot. Body Glide is an anti-chafing balm that looks like a stick deodorant. You can apply it anywhere that you're prone to rubbing. It is long-lasting, but small enough to carry with you, should you need to reapply. While we all know that the summer sun can inflict a nasty sunburn, I'd venture to guess that you don't wear SPF lip balm, in addition to sunscreen. Someone recommended Sun Bum SPF 30 Sunscreen lip balm to us before our last trip to Vegas, and we're so grateful that they did. The sun in the desert is no joke, and you should take every precaution you can to protect your skin, lest you ruin the remainder of your trip with a record-setting burn. Sun Bum comes in a variety of fruit flavors, and is as light and comfortable as it is effective. Dehydration is yet another heat-induced malady, but it can occur in any climate, if you drink too much alcohol and not enough water. We don't even take a half-day trip to the Jersey Shore without a 6 pack of Glaceau SmartWater. It has added electrolytes which make it more palatable than other bottled waters, and, therefore easier to meet your hydration requirements. If you still find yourself dehydrated, or hungover, we swear by Waterboy hangover recovery powder packets. They're very convenient, as they can easily fit in your pocket until you're ready to mix it into 16 oz of water. It contains more than 3x the electrolytes than competing products, 20% of the calories, twice the vitamins, no sugar, and the added benefit of L-theanine for "hangxiety" and ginger for nausea. We've noticed a lot of hotels don't have refrigerators in the rooms. You'll need something to keep your SmartWater cold, and we recommend the TOURIT cooler backpack. It's lightweight and collapsible, with padded shoulder straps, so you won't mind carrying it around on your trip. It keeps its contents cool for 16 hours, even at the pool or beach, sitting directly in the sun. Now that you'll have the best portable cooler for a day at the beach, how about the best chair? The Tommy Bahama 5-position chair can be worn as a backpack or hand-carried, if you're already wearing your TOURIT cooler. It differs from your standard beach chair with its lay-flat option, towel bar, mesh storage pocket, cupholder, bottle opener, and 250 lb weight capacity: all at a very light 7.5 lbs. Links to all of these outstanding products can be found on Our Favorite Travel Supplies page. Check back for updates, as we discover more solutions for potential travel disasters. We hope your next escape is a healthy one. Subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more expert tips.

When you plan escapes as often as we do, you pick up some insider secrets along the way. We love to be in the loop, and we want to pass our favorite tips and tricks along to our readers. Everyone has preferences when they're traveling, and some predilections are more widely shared. When we're staying in a hotel, we want our accommodations to meet, if not, exceed our standards. We like our room to check off as many boxes as possible from our list of "nice-to-haves." You might assume that, aside from the room category you reserved, the specific room you check into is merely the luck of the draw. That notion is almost always incorrect. So, how do you get the room you want? You set yourself apart from the long line of other guests waiting to check in. Of course, you want to be patient, pleasant, and appreciative to those in the hospitality industry, always. Sadly, good old-fashioned manners will often make you stand out as a customer. We like to take this a step further, and we hand our front desk agent $20 along with our ID and credit card. A simple, "This is for you. We appreciate anything extra you can offer us today," will go a long way. Do you prefer a high or low floor? Close to the elevator or not? A room with a view of the city? A late check out? What about a complimentary upgrade? If a room that meets your specifications is available, that is where you'll be staying. Now that your hotel room is handled, we need to be sure that the rest of your escape caters to your particular proclivities. Of course, the obvious first step is to let us curate a custom itinerary for you. How do we know all the best establishments? Why do our friends and family come to us for recommendations? 1) We have decades of experience in food service, hospitality, customer service, and research. We have discerning palates, high standards, and reasonable expectations. 2) Trial and error. We've visited these cities time and time again. We have our tried and true spots that offer a consistent, high quality experience at a great value, and we're constantly looking for new ones to add to the repertoire. 3) Finally, our favorite strategy: Outsourcing. Ask your bartender, rideshare driver, server, seat neighbor, and/or concierge, "Where do you like to eat in the city? What's a popular spot right now? What's overrated?" If you poll enough people, you'll start to see patterns in their responses, and that will lead you in the right direction. You have the who, when, and where of your trip covered. Check out our Packing List page to see *what* items we never travel without. We tend to travel the most in August, and we have a remedy for every heat related issue you'll potentially face while on vacation. We've also tested every hangover cure, excuse me, "hydration powder packet" on the market and found the best one. Like the rest of our site, we'll be updating this page with our latest and greatest finds, so be sure to check back often. Thank you for sticking with us to the very end of this post. To show our gratitude, we'll offer you our guaranteed tip to ensure that your next escape is your best one yet. Subscribe to our site, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and, please, don't hesitate to reach out if we can develop a custom escape plan just for you.

"All right. Everybody upstairs. Get dressed. We're going out to eat," Old Man Parker declared in the 1983 classic A Christmas Story. After the Bumpus hounds devoured the family's Christmas turkey, the Parkers feasted on Peking duck, which Ralphie referred to as "Chinese turkey." Our family loves recreating this meal at Sang Kee Peking Duck House in Philadelphia's Chinatown. The Peking Duck Dinner for Four is the gift that keeps on giving, course after course. You'll start with the comforting wonton vegetable soup, followed by a whole Peking duck with your choice of mooshu pancakes or lotus leaf buns. The duck skin is perfectly crispy, separated from the tender meat by a rich, creamy layer. You'll enjoy sides of XO duck with string beans and mixed pork, as well as duck and pineapple fried rice. In addition to the main course, you'll also be served entree sized portions of chicken with eggplant in garlic sauce and honey-coated walnut shrimp. Each dish is absolutely incredible. You'll find yourself scraping the last remnants of sauces and meat off of the serving dish, so not to waste a single bite. You can walk off some of your supper in the quarter mile between Sang Kee and Franklin Square. One of Philadelphia's five original squares, Franklin Square caters to fun for the entire family. During the holiday season, it is home to the Electrical Spectacle light show, which runs every half an hour from 5pm until closing. This year, you can also partake in iceless "street curling," Chilly Philly miniature golf, fire pits, and, the year-round Parx Liberty Carousel. Inside a heated tent, Ben's Sweets and Treats is offering up hot chocolate and cider, cocktails, DIY s'mores, cookie decorating kits, chocolate dipped pretzels, and caramel drizzled apple cider donut bites. New York City gets all the credit for being a Christmas metropolis, but Philadelphia certainly shines during the holidays, if you just know where to look. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive the full Escape Plan, including budgeting, Google maps link, menu recommendations, and more. Happy holidays to you and yours from all of us at The Escape Plans.

The fun and festive Midtown Village neighborhood is packed with restaurants, bars, and seasonal activities, all within walking distance of each other. Consider it Philadelphia’s holiday epicenter, rife with time-honored tradition, bright lights, and holly jolly ambiance. Tinsel is an absolute must-see pop-up holiday bar featuring incredibly intricate decor. Every square inch of this space is covered in colorful lights, blankets of snow, wrapping paper, ribbons, and wreaths. Sidle up next to Santa and his elves, a faux fireplace, and probably even a partridge in a pear tree, with that warm buzzy, I mean, fuzzy feeling. The inventive cocktails have cutesy names like Canned Good and Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins, and are served in keepsake glassware. Peppermint, coffee, marshmallow, cocoa, cinnamon, caramel apple, hazelnut, vanilla, gingerbread, cranberry, maple, rosemary: every wintry flavor is present and accounted for here. Now that you’re in the holiday spirit, you can jingle all the way down 13th Street to your next destination. Hidden from the street, down an alley, and nestled behind its parent property, Sampan, you’ll find an open air patio bar ensconced in spray painted murals, aptly named Graffiti Bar. This secret garden of sorts has an intimate, trendy feel. Heat lamps and potent drinks like the Kantoi Road, made with tequila, tamarind, citrus, and charred chili, and Hashi Old Fashioned, a smoked caramel apple twist on the classic, will keep you warm and cozy, regardless of the forecast. Keep the celebration going across the street at El Vez, with its upscale Mexican menu in a party atmosphere. Your guests will enjoy the variety of shareable appetizers: Bazooka Limon guacamole with goat cheese and pistachio, sweet corn and poblano empanadas, queso fundido con carne, black bean tlayuda (a crispy corn flatbread), and, of course, chips and salsa. Most of the cocktails are tequila based, and all are innovative and refreshing. Margaritas are the obvious choice here, with the Pink Cadillac, El Vez, Lavender-Honey Jalapeno, and Pineapple Canela being the standouts. High quality ingredients elevate the chicken and carnitas tacos past your standard Mexican fare. We also recommend the short rib enchiladas, prepared with a chocolate mole sauce. Be sure to check out the old school photo booth with your group to capture this occasion indefinitely. After dinner, watch the spectacular Deck the Hall Holiday light show at Dilworth Park. At the top of the hour from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, you can catch the dazzling projections illuminating historic City Hall. There are many other holiday attractions to check out in this vicinity, including the Rothman Orthopaedics ice rink and cabin, as well as the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market. Of course, no holiday visit to Philadelphia would be complete without a stop at Macy’s to see the awe inspiring window displays and to rattle off your wishlist to Santa. We hope all of your holiday and birthday wishes come true and this night is one to remember. BACK TO ESCAPE PLAN https://www.theescapeplans.com/philadelphia-holiday Please remember to drink and play responsibly.