Road Trips with TTT!

Like many of you travel is a way of life; liken to a religious experience to see God’s domestic and international beauty. So in this time of #COVID-19, the TTT co-founders were missing the joy and mental release that travel affords.  With this in mind 2/3 of the team decided it was time for a road trip—a change of scenery.  However, there were extra precautions to take in order to have an enjoyable and safe time.  In this blog post, “Road Trip”, we’ll talk a little about how Danielle and Nicole managed travel in these times of #COVID-19. 

Trip by Plane or Car?!

Palm Springs, CA

Nicole + Danielle both elected for a #roadtrip versus flying to their destination; however, they had to think through a plan for the road, taking into consideration what they would do about bathroom stops, gas, or food along the way.  Danielle’s destination was Palm Springs, a favorite of hers and her husband.  It’s about a 2-hour drive from Long Beach, CA where they live.  Nicole’s destination was Bend, OR which is about 3.5 hours from where they live in Portland, OR.  With each destination, they had to think through sanitization, meals, and things to do. It was important in both cases to use the bathroom before getting on the road and make strategic food stops.  Fortunately, the length of the trip allowed them to not have to stop. As far as gas, they were able to fill up at the top of the trip which lasted them through the ride.  

Hotel or Home Rental?!

Danielle and her husband elected to stay in an #AirBnB and while their rental guaranteed ultimate cleanliness, for total peace of mind they did a once-over their accommodations using #Lysol Wipes, #Lysol spray, gloves.  Nicole and her husband elected for #Hotel + #Resort style accommodations but did their own cleaning as well.  Both bought their own linens.  Additionally, they bought their own pantry items like plates, napkins, utensils, and food items.  Danielle, staying in a rental, bought along her own spices as well.      

PRONGHORN RESORT IN BEND, OR

Dine-in, Take-out, or Home-cooked Meal?!

Meals are always a luxury on vacation. To not have to cook is a vacation within itself.  Pre-COVID, most meals were dining-out to a break from the day-to-day cooking.  However, Danielle chose to rethink this a bit due to #COVID.  And, given she stayed in a rental, she took advantage of the beautiful indoor and outdoor kitchens. Many of their meals they cooked themselves and taking this opportunity to experiment with new recipes.  They also had takeout.  Nicole, staying on a resort, didn’t have the option to cook.  Knowing that they would spend more time in the room than usual, they made sure to bring their own snacks, beverages, cocktails.  They elected for carryout for most of their trip at either of the resort’s four restaurants, or off-property trying restaurants in Bend, OR and nearby Redmond.  They did try their hand dining in at one restaurant that had strict requirements due to #COVID. 

Indoor or Outdoor Activities?! 

PRONGHORN RESORT POOL IN BEND, OR

Its one thing to book your accommodations and secure your meals, but then the next thing is what are we going to do while there?  Number one priority was to relax and disconnect. Danielle’s place in Palm Springs had a private pool which was important to them to decrease any risk, so much of their time was spent poolside which is the thing to do in July in Palm Springs.  They also made sure to pack games like UNO, Connect 4, checkers, and an old childhood card game of ours, Speed and Spit.  And, every night was movie night with a new flick each night.  On the other hand, Nicole took advantage of Oregon’s great outdoors. At 3600 ft elevation, they enjoyed the beautiful views of the mountains, time poolside, walking/hiking, and picnics.  They also bought along their stash of games to enjoy while in the room.

Let us plan you Road Trip

#COVID-19 definitely altered + continues to alter our plans but travel is essential to our soul, so we had to make it happen in a safe + healthy way; we want to do the same for you!! We’re ready to plan your next road trip for the holidays, special events + beyond. Let’s start planning!

TTT