Unexpected. Unprecedented. Unbelievable.

2020 has definitely been the year of the “un” everything. We’ve completely un-done our normal routines, our workplaces, our plans, our celebrations, and our vacations.

Like so many of you, I find myself more than halfway through the year without having taken any vacation time, or having gone anywhere much further than my own backyard.

Ann with a class of wine on a white deck chair on the lawn in Block Island Rhode Island

I quite literally have spent ONE night away from home in a hotel…. and that was on Block Island, a quick ferry ride from where I live.

[photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

I thought I had come up with a COVID-safe and socially-distant travel option for next month.  My daughter and I planned a one-week road trip through Utah, with stops at Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce and Zion national parks. 

Lots of time outdoors, hiking and enjoying the scenery, and no worries about international travel restrictions and closed borders.

[photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

But now, because of Rhode Island’s rules about self-quarantine when you return from “hot spots” like the south and west, even that trip has been canceled like so many others.

Where that leaves me is scrambling to come up with a New England road trip that complies with all local travel restrictions but still gives us something to look forward to before my daughter starts law school in September. 

Seeing the Vermont Bridges [photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

Maine is proving problematic because we can’t be guaranteed to get a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the trip, but New Hampshire looks good. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

And what that means for YOU is that even though I typically don’t handle domestic travel, this is a very “un”usual year 😊  

sunset on the beach with the hotel blacony and flag pole

I am now very well-versed in the regulations that currently apply to domestic travel.

[photo credit: Annie’s Escapes]

I can help you figure out which states will allow you to visit (and what your home state will require of you when you return) Plus, I’ve got some great new suppliers that offer very cool experiences and accommodations throughout the United States. 

  • What would you say to a dude ranch in Colorado? 
  • “Glamping” in the Grand Canyon? 
two luxury tents silouhetted against a night sky full of stars in Moab Utah
Glamping with Undercanvas [photo credit: Adam Skalecki via Unsplash]
  • A lakefront cabin in Maine? 
  • A luxury villa in Napa?
swimming pool with guest house and overlooking a valley in California
Stay in a Luxury Californian Villa [Photo Credit: Jesse Gardner via Unsplash]
  • Traveling cross-country in a private sleeper car on a train?
  • Cruising the Mississippi on a paddlewheel steamboat?
a steamboat sailing down the mississippi at sunset
Sailing down the Mississippi [Photo Credit: Stephen Walker via Unsplash]

If you’ve got vacation time to burn, or just need to have an “escape” to look forward to, I would welcome the chance to get creative and help you come up with an exciting domestic destination for this year. Give me a call or shoot me an email.

We can get back to exploring the wider world next year!

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You provided excellent guidance for us. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was most important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

Clare and Mark (family cruise to Alaska)

The level of service we experienced was out of this world (and we did NOT make it easy on Ann). We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to go, when we would be able to go, or what “vibe” we were going for. After asking us some key questions (what we liked, didn’t like, why, etc.) Ann helped us narrow down our trip details and planned the honeymoon of our dreams. She helped book some of our excursions, answered some emergency questions while abroad and was always available/willing to help. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be using anyone else for future travel planning – Ann is a rockstar!

Carli (Italy and Spain)