I never went to summer camp as a kid, and I joke that starting this company is just a desperate attempt to make up for that void in my childhood. While I am sad I missed out on Capture the Flag and other classic camp games I hear stories about, I have little to complain about given that I grew up surrounded by nature on one of the first lakes on the Mississippi River.
The woods shouldn’t be a stamp on our passports, but rather a place we all have in our lives.
It is true that those long summers are emotionally linked to our goal of getting people into nature not just once, but on a regular basis. The woods shouldn’t be a stamp on our passports, but rather a place we all have in our lives. To this end, we’ve just released Getaway Often Packs to enable more frequent escapes, and which can be considered a kind of ‘woods’ membership to match your gym membership. More broadly, we’ve been pushing for the Right to Disconnect so we can have real time off every single day.
Trying to be true to these values, I spent a recent Sunday at Storm King, a 500-acre outdoor art center not far from our New York Outpost and highly recommend their combination of thought-invoking art and natural landscape. If you’re not near Storm King, here is a list of the best outdoor sculpture parks.
Reflecting on your feedback
I take the time to ask each guest who stays with us for some direct feedback — because constantly improving the Getaway experience is one of our highest commitments. This month, we read all of the 199 feedback emails we received. Here’s one that made me pause:
“Going into my stay at Theodore, I hadn’t been away from home in over 20 years. This was due to my 19 chronic diseases. I need to change both catheters and a wire going into my abdomen regularly. I never wanted to risk infection by being anywhere other than my white sterile bathroom at home. I felt scared of the repercussions and have suffered life-threatening infections even just doing it all at my home. I’m a complicated patient in many ways. What I experienced at Theodore proved me wrong! It was incredible for me. I was able to reconnect with my former meditation; miraculous! And I proved myself wrong about my medical management abilities. A true gift!”
While we’re happy to receive so many powerful notes like the one above, we also get critical notes. As a result of some of the constructive feedback, we’re prioritizing improving our accessible cabins to make escapes to nature even more inclusive, keeping our cabin floors squeaky clean, and reinforcing quiet hours during summer nights. As always, if you have any ideas, tips, or suggestions for improvements, email us at journal@getaway.house.
To more time in nature—for all.
Be well,
Jon, CEO + Founder
WORTH THE TIME
Are You ‘Always Tired’? — This piece ponders the millennial cult of exhaustion, news fatigue, and how we should all just get some more rest. Recommended by Casey on our tech team.
Forget FOMO, Meet JOMO — Enjoy this new concept: the joy of missing out, which is all about disconnecting, opting out and being just fine where you are. Recommended by Nick on our guest experience team.
New Study Reaffirms the Health Benefits of Nature — More confirmation to what we already knew: nature is an amazing antidote to our health issues and can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and high blood pressure. Recommended by Cyrena on our marketing team.
Why You Need an Untouchable Day – Meetings, push notifications, and distractions can truly kill a productive day, and thus cause work to spillover into your personal life. Here’s an argument for an ‘untouchable’ day. Recommended by Kai on our guest experience team.