just the two of us…

The last time my husband and I went on a kid-free vacation was four years ago, and even though there were a lot of moving parts involved in making that trip a reality - it was nowhere near the “whack-a-mole” experience we had planning this most recent kid-free trip (during an ever changing pandemic, with ever changing protocols, AND two additional kids to plan for).

Even though this trip was for a special occasion (our ten year anniversary.. whoop whoop), AND we desperately needed the break, I would be lying if I said I didn’t consider calling it off… more than a couple times. But I’m here to tell you that we didn’t - the stars aligned and we were able to make it happen, and if you are desperate for a kid-free trip I would recommend you try to make it happen too!

To give a little backstory, my husband and I had always planned to take a trip for our ten year anniversary, and after the last couple years we knew we NEEDED it as much as we wanted it. Thanks to more flexible cancellation/change policies we were able to plan our trip well in advance and just decided we would “play it by ear” because… ya know - the pandemic. Even though things were booked, I wasn’t able to get excited because I didn’t want to jinx anything.

My parents, who live about 10 minutes from me, were set to watch the kiddies at our house, and all we needed to do was make sure everyone stayed healthy (and anyone with young kids will tell you this is a task in and of itself). The month leading up to the trip we experienced some unexpected events (the passing of a close relative) and had to make a last minute switch to our coverage. Fortunately our in-laws were willing and able to step in and we were able to avoid having to cancel our trip.

Fast forward to the NIGHT before we were scheduled to depart… I had just finished laying out everything I was going to pack… (in a bag I planned to check because… options). Full sized toiletries, more outfits than were probably necessary, 17 pairs of shoes “just in case”… etc. etc. I was just about to put everything in my bag when my husband walked in the room to tell me our flight had been cancelled. It was around 9 p.m. at the time, which was just 7 hours before we THOUGHT we would be heading out the door to the airport.

I wish I could tell you that I was in utter shock and disbelief, but I wasn’t. 1) because I had flown recently for a girls weekend and all but one of my flights had been delayed/canceled as well as the flights of hundreds of other people who were in the airport that weekend. And 2) because I had heard stories for weeks about the same thing happening to just about everyone. I think I sat still for about 5 minutes after finding out about the cancellation trying to figure out if I wanted to cry or laugh… but I just went into auto-pilot and called the airline for “options.” The representative said we had been rebooked for a flight in two days. TWO DAYS!? As in, two days into our resort stay… ? Two days into the coverage we only recently secured for our kids?? What?!?! I’m not sure what was more frustrating - the news, or the lack of empathy from the rep.

While I was on the phone with the airline, my husband was on the phone with the resort seeing if there were any options to maybe, possibly, switch our check-in/check-out days. They said we would be able to, but would have to split our stay between two rooms. Inconvenient, but not the end of the world. The bigger issue was that we wouldn’t have anyone to watch our kids because my in-laws needed to head back home on the date they were scheduled. Long story short - there were no flights leaving out of the entire state for days, so, we threw some things in a carry on, and drove four hours to Atlanta for a 5 a.m. flight. We had zero sleep but we were clearly determined to save this trip…

After the emotional rollercoaster that was all the days leading up to the trip, we finally made it to our Baecation destination. Personally, it was everything we needed and more. *Disclaimer - the resort was brand spanking new, and things weren’t exactly “perfect”… but it was more than perfect for us. We loved every minute of being together and away from the “real world” just for a bit. My in-laws were amazing as always and made a point to tell us not to check in excessively - and I love them for that. I also love that if my parents were able to watch our kids, we would have felt just the same. Those days alone with my husband were nostalgic. We spent every single day dating each other and it was the best way to remind ourselves who were are as a couple, not as parents.

I would HIGHLY recommend a baecation to any couple if you can make it happen. Even if for a couple days - even if local. Take time away to reconnect and reset. Spoiler alert - our flight back home was also cancelled, which ignited immediate panic at the thought I would be stranded in another country…but we were able to get another flight out the same day. Word to the wise - consider this could be a possibility, add the airline to speed dial, and book earlier flights in case you need to hop on a later one.

Ciao!