I would love a slow-paced vacation. There’s only so much you can do during a two-week vacation. It may seem like a long time, but it’s over before you know it, and often because you packed so much in, you need rest once you get back to work. If you leave the country, it’s a day or two of travel on either side, and adjusting and readjusting to the time difference. If you are driving, you may spend several days in the car and then cram the other days with activities. It can be exhausting. Add children to this mix, and you may need a vacation from your vacation.
I know from my own experience that this is the case. I have also lived vicariously through my clients, watching them transition from work to retirement. When I started my career in the late eighties (and really for about twenty years), the most popular destination for new retirees was Alaska. This was universally true. If a new retiree was itching for some travel, there was greater than 50% probability that it included a trip to our 49th state. I don’t believe this to be the case today, as travel and our horizons have expanded.
I wouldn’t mind going to Alaska, but I can think of probably a handful of other places that are higher up on my list. It’s the type of trip that seems to appeal more than the location. What I mean by that is, instead of flying over vast amounts of our country at 36,000 feet or speeding along at 75 mph on an expressway, take a slower way.
My idea is to get in the car and drive in a general direction with the caveat that we must stay on two-lane roads and avoid any and all freeways, turnpikes, or expressways. Foregoing GPS or modern navigation, while feeling our way across the country, by whatever strikes our fancy. I suppose I would have an old-fashioned map and a compass, but that would be it. No reservation, no breakneck pace, and no real destination. Just a lot of time and trust.
I have always been a planner, and frankly, been in a hurry to get wherever I was going so I could urgently relax. It’s completely ridiculous when I think of it. In the last few years, my wife and I have had the opportunity to test the slow way out in small ways, most recently driving through the endless corn fields of Central Illinois. I had no idea there was that much corn. However, I was completely charmed by the tiny little towns that freeways have forgotten, the pride with which people kept up their homes and yards, and the industry of rural America.
A quote which is often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson is, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” I am afraid I have rarely lived that way, but it feels exceptionally appealing. My concept would be to travel exactly that way. Pack the bags, load the car, and shove off to destinations unknown.
For someone, like me, who plans incessantly, going rogue feels reckless. Without a destination per se, the outing would be a journey filled with adventures. There would be no job to hurry back to, no kids that needed to get back to school, just an open ended trip on the back roads of our country at a leisurely pace.
My first trip to Ireland was like that, and it was delightful. We landed in Shannon, on the south western side of the country, and worked our way clockwise around the country with absolutely no reservations. This was before the internet and apps, definitely before Airbnb. We meandered. Once we saw a charming village, when we felt we had driven enough, we stopped and looked for the “B and B” signs. These were mostly homes, in which people would invite you in for a room and a full Irish breakfast in the morning. We met delightful people, and in one location, our daughter was invited to their daughter’s birthday party. Apparently, scoring an American guest was high on her list.
I fell in love with the country, the people, and the traditional music. It is a charming place, and it’s hard not to be enamored. Perhaps, one of the beguiling memories is the manner in which we traveled: agenda-free. Stopping when we felt like it, otherwise motoring on, enjoying the fabulous views. We traveled for two weeks, and never once got on an expressway. In fact, I bet we never traveled at greater than 50 mph.
I have seen much of our country. When I was a small child, our family traveled to over 30 states in a motorhome. I have vague memories of the places we visited but we never stayed too long in any one place, and we stayed primarily on highways. As an adult, I have traveled by plane to some of the best cities for conferences (three to four per year), but I saw only the airports and the conference room walls. I could say that I have been to a lot of places, but never fully explored any of them.
What I suppose I am after is an expedition at a leisurely pace. I have finally slowed down enough to enjoy the journey and not just race to the destination. Maybe that is a sign of maturity, I don’t know, but it sure sounds good to me. Of course, I will let you know when we set off.