My First Trip in a Year
My First Trip in a Year
Plus binge-worthy Netflix recommendations.
This past weekend, I went away. Just one state over — to New Jersey — but still, it was the first trip I’ve taken in a year, and even longer if you don’t count the business trip I went on last fall. Money has been tight so I haven’t been able to afford a vacation. I wouldn’t exactly call two days visiting my friend in Princeton, NJ a vacation, but it was still a much-needed change of pace.
In my thirties and early forties, I didn’t think I liked to travel and I rarely went anywhere. The truth was, though, that I couldn’t afford to travel. Most of the trips I’ve taken in adulthood have been to visit family, and many were paid for by family members. So vacations often felt like being shuttled around on other people’s schedules, instead of rejuvenating time for myself. In my thirties, I remember the excitement I felt booking and paying for my own flights and realizing that I didn’t have to wake up at 4am to fly at the crack of dawn, as was my family’s custom growing up. I could leave at a reasonable time; I could leave any time I wanted to!
Still, outside of family obligations, I rarely, if ever, traveled. But moving in with my mom early on in COVID drastically cut my expenses, freeing up some funds that allowed me to travel. My first trip after COVID restrictions lifted was in February 2022. I flew to Austin to visit a friend and then drove to Houston. Everyone I had plans with on my trip was someone I’d met in the cancer community, either in person or online. I rented a car and booked my own hotel room and I could come and go as I pleased. I could eat breakfast at the same diner every single day — and I did!
After my successful Texas vacation, I decided that I wanted to take one big domestic trip a year, in February or March — AKA the most gray, cold, depressing time of year in New York, when it feels like winter will never end. So the following year, in February 2023, I went to Nashville for a week. And guess, what?! I actually do like to travel! Regardless of whether I get on a plane and fly halfway across the country, or just hop on a train over to the neighboring state, I get some important benefits from breaking out of my daily routine.