Throwback to when I set my travel goals this year. I said I wanted to do more domestic travel in 2020, but little did I know that I would practically have no choice. In my last Q&A I mentioned that while I’m not comfortable with international travel at the moment, I’d gladly welcome a weekend away in another New England city. Last weekend some friends and I headed up to Grafton, Vermont. Here’s a very quick recap of the trip, and why it was exactly what I needed. Consider this my first #LetsGoEniwhere post of 2020.
The Goal
The goal for a weekend away was very simple: get away from the city and connect with friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen all year. We also wanted to see each other in a reasonably safe way. There were no planes involved as we all drove from our respective locations. Grafton is about a 4-hour drive from New York City.
The Airbnb
Because it was Labor Day weekend and our booking came relatively last minute, we couldn’t afford to be too picky when it came to our Airbnb. However, the place we stayed at was a GREAT find either way. The location is on the premise of a very large farm (don’t worry there were no animals or typical farm smells). The place is very home-y and the kitchen is fully stocked with all types of cooking equipment and appliances. The residence is actually split into two houses with separate entrances. While we were there, there was another group that we caught glimpses of at the second house, but besides those glimpses, it was easy to forget that anyone else was there. My biggest piece of advice if you decide to book this Airbnb—which you should—is to make sure you have all the information needed to get into the house (e.g. the key code) before you set out. The location has very bad service and virtually no cellular data at all (unless you have Sprint like I do!) While the house has wifi, don’t count on having data. The good news is this allows for you to actually unplug!
The Itinerary
While there was a general outline of the weekend. We more or less went with the flow. We played games, cooked food, and watched TV (and by TV I mean Love Island USA). Whatever we wanted to do, we’d do it at the Airbnb or in the surrounding farm area so that there would be no interactions with other individuals during the trip—COVID is still very real and it’s important to be cautious.
The Outcome
I left this weekend feeling so refreshed and grateful for friendship. I’ve talked about this some before, but the social distancing aspect of quarantine took a bit of a toll on me. This time of quarantine has fully solidified to me that I am an extrovert. Do I always need to be around other people? No. But going months without any social interactions or seeing any of my friends was rough. It was easy to feel alone and hard to reach out to people. There is a certain level of effort that goes into texting and conveying life updates without just talking about it in person. This weekend was full of so many laughs and good energy, so I’m honestly so happy I got to experience it. If you’re someone who’s in a similar boat as me, I highly recommend getting away for a weekend with at least one friend. It’ll be worth it!
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10
