Scottsdale – cocktails & gratitude

When you start thinking / dreaming about vacation travel, read through my blog posts for tips and look through some of my favorite places for suggestions of places to stay, things to do, restaurants to try, etc. (The blue words and photos below will take you to my previous blog posts with more information.)

Choosing a Travel Destination: Read this post to help you determine where you want to go. Obviously post Covid, other considerations are:

Am I comfortable flying or do I need to pick a place where I can drive?
What are the Covid rates where I would like to visit?
Is the place I want to go allowing visitors and, if so, are there any requirements before or after I travel like Covid testing and / or quarantine? State and local health department websites are your best resource. Keep in mind that restrictions can change rapidly depending on local conditions. Check back for updates as your trip gets closer.

How To Get There and Where To Stay: This post will help you decide what kind of accomodations will best suit you. Post Covid, additional considerations are:

Are the restaurants open where I’m traveling? Do I want to go out to eat in a restaurant or get take-out every night? If not, you’ll need a suite, condo or house with a kitchen.
Am I comfortable being with groups of other people at the pool or in the lounge areas of a hotel? If not, consider a house with a private pool.

If you choose to rent a house or condo read my post How to Choose a Vacation Rental and Make it Feel Like Home or at least feel like your own space while you’re there. These tips are especially helpful if you’re staying in the same place for several weeks.

Another good reminder is to make sure your travel is fully refundable if there is a surge in Covid rates or if someone in your group becomes ill. I heard a rumor that airfare will no longer be automatically refundable / changeable after March 2021.

Below are some domestic travel destinations to consider. I’ve been to all of these places, but I didn’t write a blog post for all of them. Feel free to contact me for more information on any of these destinations by commenting below or direct messaging me.

We love combining Pebble Beach and Carmel Valley.

Places I’ve stayed in Arizona include Scottsdale and Sedona.

Places I’ve stayed in Florida include: Rosemary Beach, Naples and Anna Maria Island.

Chicago – I can’t believe I haven’t written a post about Chicago! I will write a travel guide once everything opens back up and I know what places survived the pandemic.

When you are willing to fly, here are a few other places to consider.

We went to Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Stockholm in one trip.

Places I’ve stayed in Canada include: Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.

Places I’ve stayed in Scotland include: Inverness, St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

Spain – I visited a friend in Barcelona and Mallorca de Palma.

Places I’ve stayed in Italy include Milan, Santa Margherita, Florence, Rome, Cortona, Maranello and Venice.

One of my favorite beach destinations is San Jose del Cabo in Baja California. It’s a quick, direct flight for us and there are great golf courses for John.

I’m dreaming of an extended stay in Italy. We’ll see when Covid allows this, but creating a Italy Trip Board on VRBO and saving Italian Villas in Umbria helps get me through the cold, frozen winter in Saint Paul and Chicago.

I’ve also read a lot of fictional books this last year that were set in the coastal towns of France, so that’s an area of interest as well.

Once you are comfortable traveling, where is your dream vacation destination?

Well, our two months in Arizona were over like a flash and we’re back in Saint Paul in the middle of a freak, record-breaking snow storm. We really enjoyed our time in Scottsdale and it wasn’t just the weather. First, I was shocked at how many people we knew in Phoenix. In addition to my parents, I have a lot of extended family who winter or live in the Phoenix area and I have now learned that many of John’s golf friends spend part of their winter there. Although we really enjoyed our time alone, there was no shortage of golf or dinner companions.

Second, I felt very relaxed there and I attribute a lot of my reduced stress to renting a house. (These millennials might be on to something.) I had no lists of things to have updated or repaired. I didn’t need to coordinate or oversee the people who did the yard work, filled the propane tank or cleaned the pool. When there was an issue with the pool or sprinkler system, it wasn’t my problem to fix. My daily chores consisted of cooking, dishes, laundry and walking the dog. The extent of my decorating was buying candles and flowers – you know, the fun stuff. It was nice to pour a cup of coffee in the morning and sit at my computer for hours working on my blog or other projects without worrying about all of the other things I should be planning, organizing or repairing.

I know buying a home in a warm weather location is our long-term plan and even though I’m excited to decorate another home and live there with all of my own things; as the person who oversees the household, I am in no rush to have another To Do list.

I must admit, I did enjoy the view of the pool from my desk in Arizona more than this view of snow from my desk in Saint Paul.

Someday We Will Travel Again… Where Do You Want To Go?

Coming Back Home

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