The easiest way to get away and enjoy a change of scenery is to jump in the car for a good, old fashioned road trip. This approach gives you maximum flexibility and is probably the cheapest way to get out of town. We took a couple of trips last summer and had a wonderful time seeing some places we’d never visited.
Before you head out, a little bit of planning can go a long way. Max out your flexibility by only making reservations that can be cancelled without penalty up to 24 hours out. Because of factors beyond your control, like weather or Covid-19 restrictions, think about an alternative destination.
This came into play for us in a big way last August when we traveled to The Tides Inn in Irvington, VA (https://www.tidesinn.com/), a wonderful resort nestled on a finger of the Chesapeake Bay. After settling in for a couple of idyllic days, Hurricane Isaias paid us a visit, with its eye passing about 20 miles to the west of us. After watching the wind whip up and down the inlet, we received a call about 10:00 a.m. from the front desk telling us that the hotel would be closing at 1:00 p.m. due to the ensuing power outage. Totally understandable, and the staff couldn’t have been nicer. . .but we had to scramble, get packed up and head out.
So, where to? My lovely wife (aka Mrs. Exceptional) worked the phone as we drove. Luckily, we knew the area pretty well, and called a couple of places that looked appealing online. We ended up spending two days at Lansdowne Resort & Spa in Leesburg, VA (https://www.lansdowneresort.com/), another great spot close to DC but far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city to relax by one of their four pools or on one of their four world class golf courses. Having that “escape hatch” in mind saved us a day or two of wandering like nomads and wasting precious vacation time.
We’re planning a ten-day trip to Isle of Palms, SC in February to (hopefully) get outside and soak up a little sun. It’s a long day’s drive from our home base in Cleveland, OH, but if the weather isn’t good, we’ll take an extra day and go further south to Florida. . .lots of choices there.
A big advantage to traveling by car is that you can bring a lot of stuff with you. From beach chairs to golf clubs to monitors (for away-from-home-workers) to groceries, you can take it with you and save a few trips to the store. Not a bad strategy in our brave new world of social distancing.
Another reason for focusing on flexibility and only booking cancellable reservations: potential savings on hotel costs. Annapolis, MD was our destination for the second half of our trip to the Chesapeake Bay area. I had made a reservation at our preferred hotel, but I kept checking the nightly rate every day or two. It kept going down about $10-$20 a night, so I kept booking a new reservation and cancelling the old one (in that order, just in case I couldn’t get the new rate). By the time we arrived, we paid about $75 a night less than our original reservation. This may sound a little like what a recovering CPA might do (Guilty!), but it only took me five to ten minutes each day.
Ready to go? Here are a few links to inspire your dreaming:
- East: https://www.tripsavvy.com/winter-vacation-ideas-3267747
- Midwest: https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/budget/photos/2019-budget-winter-destinations-in-the-midwest
- South: https://deepsouthmag.com/2018/12/31/top-6-destinations-for-winter-travel-in-the-south/
- West: https://www.sunset.com/travel/great-winter-trips
Photo by Greek Food – Ta Mystika from StockSnap
Let us know where you go by leaving a comment with your recommendations. Have fun and be safe!