Is it Time to Change Your Vacation Plans?
Why do we go where we go when it comes to a vacation?
Sitting around last night after dinner, my son-in-law asked why we landed on Folly Beach as our vacation destination; and it make me think. How do we decide where to go when it comes to our precious vacation time here in the States? Habit? An easiness that comes from knowing a place intimately?
I grew up camping in rustic places where we swam in a river, hiked for miles every day and sat by a fire in the evening. Things changed for me once I married a Wisconsin man who wanted to stay near his home state, so I camped in Peninsula State Park in Door County. Kids seem to take to camping, and mine did. But once we all moved to Ohio, we were closer to the ocean and my family. It made a huge difference, too.
My family had moved on to staying in beach houses in Virginia, so when my dad called asking if I wanted to bring the kids and my husband to stay with him for free; I jumped at the chance! We had a full week in a home on the marsh, with a short stroll to the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It worked so well that dad chose an oceanfront home with a pool and hot tub, and we did the OBX thing for many years and loved it!
When my parents decided to stop heading to the Outer Banks, I decided I’d find a place where the ocean was warmer and less turbulent. Charleston, SC is steeped in history; and we’ve long admired this gorgeous city. I’m sitting in an oceanfront home listening to the ocean waves climb their way to high tide, and I’m happy as a clam. We tried many islands and Folly is our speed. The downtown has plenty of restaurants, the ocean is warm, and driving into Charleston to see the art or to visit a historic house gives us the perfect balance between being in a beach coma and experiencing some culture.
Why do we return to the same places? What calls us back? It’s good to get out of a rut and try something new, but our visit to Washington DC, while informative, was not restful. We need to look out the windows in the morning, coffee in hand, and watch for the dolphins and pelicans and stare at the ocean. Yes, I’m planning on heading to Scotland when we’re okay to go back there, but right now is a great time to hit up our old haunts.
After the past year of shutdowns and lockdowns it’s nice to fee like life is normal. Even if it really isn’t. It’s great to gather around the table, with an ever-expanding family, and talk about nothing and everything all at once. We could solve most of the world’s problems if only we all took the time to dine together as a family.
If you’re scared of getting covid, despite having the shots, you can stay close to home and drive to the covered bridges. Take back roads. Go to towns where you’ve wanted to stop but didn’t have the time. Or walk your neighborhood and see who you meet. It might be the crazies from two doors down, but it just might be your super chill next door niehgbors. You might make lifelong frienships. So get out that front door! You don’t have to drive to the beach, though it is fun. Go to the lake. The mountains. The city. Wherever you want to go is open now. Grab some hand sanitizer and explore the world.
We all could use a little vacation right about now.
