The benefits of shoulder season travel
And what it can teach us
I love summer—backyard meals, welcoming guests to our home, runs where my eyelashes are in no danger of freezing.
I love travel—restaurant meals, exploring new places, hikes through unfamiliar territory.
But I tend to avoid combining these two passions. Love summer, love travel. Don’t love summer travel—costly, crowded, hot!
Summer is a time for me to ground myself at home, to be a welcomer, rather than a traveler. I live in the Midwest where we have some humidity but it was 65 degrees and lovely this morning when I woke up. Wildflowers are in bloom.
We have two guests in our home right now, and we’ve also offered hospitality at the hospital, bringing meals and our presence to the family of our friend who had a stroke more than a week ago. (As I mentioned in my newsletter last week). On Saturday I welcomed 30 people for dinner (okay brats and burgers) in the backyard to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday. Look how happy his extroverted self was:
So I prefer being home in summer. I believe the best time of year to travel is what the industry calls “shoulder season.” Typically fall or spring, this in between season offers mild weather and fewer crowds, and typically lower costs.
In 2018, our family went to Italy in September. It was lovely, not too hot. Venice was busy, but manageable. Florence was bustling, but we still got to gaze at the David statue and go on a bike tour. Tuscany and smaller towns like Sienna and Bologna were easy to navigate and welcoming.
Last year, again in September, I hiked in Chamonix, France, finding uncrowded trails and beautiful weather. I still had to reserve a space on the Aiguille du Midi cable car up Mt. Blanc, and there were plenty of people around. But I could walk up to almost any restaurant in town and get a table without a reservation. I’d see other hikers on the trail, but it was rarely crowded.
This year, I’m planning a trip with a few friends to Crater Lake, Oregon, after Labor Day. The U.S. National Parks have been incredibly crowded the last few years, so we purposely decided to visit in September. I’ve gathered a group of pals to explore this part of Oregon, which has been on my bucket list for a few years.
Shoulder season travel means fewer crowds and sometimes lower costs. It’s less stressful, allows for more spontaneity. If you have children who attend school (and maybe play a fall sport), this is more challenging. But a day trip somewhere might be worth exploring. Maybe even a drive to look at the fall colors somewhere?
Aside from the benefits of shoulder season travel when it comes to costs and crowds, it offers an opportunity to live intentionally, to build a healthy rhythm of life. A give and take, ebb and flow. We work, and we rest. We connect with people; we retreat into some restorative solitude.
A healthy rhythm
Being deliberate about these rhythms keeps us balanced and healthy. If your life feels off kilter, unbalanced, exhausting—perhaps you have leaned too far in one direction. Pay attention to your soul—do you need some time away from work, people, even from welcoming? Even the things we enjoy can eventually drain us.
What if you could use the shoulder season to recalibrate, even if you don’t travel?
We often feel like we’re juggling a lot or carrying a heavy load (as I wrote about recently), and balance seems an elusive goal. But we can choose to be intentional about a healthy rhythm. Sometimes the best place to start is to simply notice. To ask yourself, “How am I doing, really?”
I’ve been at home for three months, which may not seem that long, but I’m restless. I love having guests, I love being home, especially in summer, but I’m ready to get away. I’ve been working a lot on several different projects and need a chance to step away for a time.
As you think about a rhythm of life, you may wonder—how do I figure that out? It begins with attentive listening to your own heart.
I find two questions helpful:
What is one thing you wish you had more time for?
And
What is one thing you wish you could be free of?
Could you, even once a week, do the thing you wish you had more time for? Set aside an hour or so to move toward joy, toward whatever it is that comes to mind when you hear that question.
Maybe it’s a walk that isn’t a workout. Coffee with a friend. Time with your kids or your spouse. Maybe it’s time alone to simply recharge.
And then, could you pay attention to what is draining your energy, wearing you out? And then, for an hour or even a day, set that task aside. Simply stop and rest, leaving that obligation for just a short time.
(If you are a caregiver of young kids or elderly parents or anyone, this means you’ll need to ask for help. It’s okay to do that.)
Maybe the relentless news cycle is wearing you down. What if you could turn off your phone or the television and just rest from the manufactured urgency of headlines and announcements.
Maybe you need a break from caregiving, or housekeeping, or deadlines. Can you ask for help, step away, leave tasks undone for a brief time?
Sometimes building a healthy rhythm of life means balancing two things we love. Maybe you love being with friends. Maybe you love the work you do. But it’s okay to take a break.
I think we often run through life responding and reacting. But what if we chose intention? To live deliberately, mindfully? To decide and then act.
It’s still August, and so the shoulder season is about a month from now. There’s still time to plan some fall wandering—even if it’s just an afternoon drive through the country. You may decide to wander. You may decide to welcome. You may decide to rest. The point is: decide.
What will you give yourself this shoulder season?
P.S. As I’ve mentioned before, my newest book, Live Like a Guide Dog, coauthored with NYT bestseller Michael Hingson, releases this month. You can preorder it now, and it’s 25 percent off on Kindle! To learn more about this book on living courageously, click the button below.
