Redefining Special Occasions
When I first joined the travel industry, I was single with no intention of getting married. Ever. Most of my friends were married and I loved being part of their weddings and witnessing their love stories, but it just wasn’t for me.
Over the course of my first 11 months as a Luxury Travel Designer, I worked with several wonderful couples looking to plan their honeymoons, as well as a handful of people wanting to travel for their 10th, 25th, and even 50th wedding anniversary (shout-out to Leah & Rick!). That all made sense. Special occasions. Big numbers. Bucket list trips.
And then I met Dave and was engaged about five months later. 🙊
I knew right away that neither of us had any intention of waiting for a specific day/week/month/year to travel and celebrate life together. Granted, the fact that we both work in travel, coupled with the decision to not have children, makes traveling a MUCH easier scenario for us than for most. But even so, I started wondering: Why do some people only plan anniversary trips every 5/10/25 years? What’s wrong with year 2? Year 8? Year 17? Why not make a point of celebrating the day you met? The day you got engaged? Why not CELEBRATE THEM ALL?!?
2020 has forced us all to reevaluate things and be adaptable. Why not use this time to adjust how we define not only special occasions, but also travel in general?
Celebrating special occasions doesn’t have to mean a two-week international bucket list trip each time. (Although wouldn’t that be nice??) Heck, it doesn’t need to mean traveling at all. But in my ongoing effort to encourage people to get out of their comfort zones more often, I want to remind everyone that “traveling” can mean a weekend trip to a nearby lake house or National Park. It can mean a night in a nice hotel in the city where you don’t have to cook for yourself or wash dishes. It can mean whatever you want it to mean. It’s about experiencing new places and interacting with different people. Getting away from the norm.
I do love the big long-haul trips to new countries. That’s a given. But I also enjoy smaller adventures. The first trip that Dave and I took together after we met was to New Orleans, a city we both love. That weekend meant a lot to us so we decided we wanted that to be an annual tradition. It didn’t have to be the same weekend each year and it didn’t have to be just the two of us, but it was something we both wanted to do together.
We were supposed to go to Kenya this year for my birthday but had to postpone that since borders weren’t yet open. Instead? We spent a weekend in Newport, Rhode Island and then drove to Maine to chase lighthouses and hike Acadia National Park. It wasn’t what I had originally envisioned, but it was wonderful nonetheless.
That’s the opportunity we have right now. We’ve been cooped up for so long, saddled by canceled plans and limited social interactions. When it’s safe and you’re ready, go visit your grandparents/parents/siblings you haven’t seen in months. Take that weekend road trip you’ve been putting off. Book that big holiday you’ve been dreaming about! Remember, there’s no rule that says you have to wait until a specific date to celebrate something or someone. It’s more important than ever to cherish every day, because as we’ve all learned this year, we just don’t know what the future will hold...
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