BOOK YOUR ESCAPE

Jon Staff

Features | Reflections

April Reflections

By Getaway -

Having just celebrated Earth Day, many of us have been thinking about how much stuff is wasted. And while wasted stuff is a huge problem, I also found myself thinking about how much time is wasted. We scroll endlessly, we swipe, we tap, we watch stuff on Netflix we don’t even like. Most of it doesn’t leave us feeling good about ourselves.

That’s partially because ‘junk time,’ like junk food, squeezes out room for the more important things. If our time diet is filled with junk, we have less room to be creative, to think deeply, to actually connect, in reality, with our friends and family. And we’ll probably forget to make time to call our mothers (friendly reminder: Mother’s Day is coming up on May 13!).

ditch your device
Ditch Your Device. Photo by Michelle Watt.

By no means is all junk time nor everything on the internet a waste. Here are a few bright spots we loved spending time on this past month:

In addition to thinking about junk time, we’ve poured through all of our feedback emails, as usual—144 this month.

Here’s one that really moved us:

“My husband and I came here for some quiet time. Our jobs have been draining us lately and with each passing day, we are finding it increasingly more difficult to go through our 9 to 5 routine. Things are so difficult at work…I personally find myself almost crying every day and I can see the tiredness grow in my husbands’ eyes…you thought of every little detail from the books to the cell phone lockbox to the commitment page. BEYOND PERFECT, if there is such a thing, is what this weekend has been. Thank you for all that you’ve had to do and endure to make Getaway a reality. You will never know how much this place truly means to us now,”

Our jobs have been draining us lately and with each passing day, we are finding it increasingly more difficult to go through our 9 to 5 routine.

We were touched deeply by this note and relate all too well to a lack of work-life balance. Stories like these are why we’re on a mission to create a counterbalance to our lives not only at our tiny cabins, but in our own offices and homes, and hopefully in the everyday lives of our guests. More on this to come.

As we move into May, perhaps try to keep a list of how you spend your time. How much of it is ‘junk time’? How can you make an effort to spend more time on the things that really matter?

Below are a few links to things we’ve been thinking about lately. As always, feel free to get in touch if you have feedback or ideas.

Be well,

Jon, CEO + Founder

 

ITEMS OF NOTE WORTH TAKING THE TIME FOR

John Suhar
Photo by Zak Suhar.

Driven to Distraction — Cozy up in a chair to read this powerful essay by Rebecca Solnit that tackles what it means to live in an uber-connected society. “Even our ability to find our way through a given landscape has been outsourced to devices.”

Work-Life Balance as a Social Media Manager — Managing social media as a career can be a tough challenge for work-life balance. We speak with leaders from companies we admire from Headspace to Virgin to Away.

How Boredom Can Lead To Your Most Brilliant Ideas — Set aside a solid 16 minutes to watch this brilliant talk by Manoush Zomorodi on how being bored can spur your creativity.

 

Features | Reflections

Rethinking Boredom

By Jon Staff -

I was recently catching up with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. He seemed bothered by something and when I asked about it, he confessed that he was feeling…bored. Bored with work and his social life, to the point where he felt he needed make a big change to get himself out of his rut. Most of us have felt this way at some point in our lives, and we know how uncomfortable and agitating feelings of boredom can be.

But is that such a bad thing? On the one hand, we’ve all heard the derisive adage “only boring people get bored.” But boredom can motivate us to make changes in our lives, and that’s not such a bad thing.

Turns out, scientists have been researching the nature of boredom for years, and their findings support the idea that being bored isn’t actually all that bad. One such scientist is Dr. Sandi Mann of the University of Lancashire in the UK. She and her team published a study in 2014 that looked at how a bored mind responds to creative stimulus. She took two participant groups and had one carry out the exceedingly boring task of writing out a list of phone numbers by hand. She then had both groups complete a creative task: to come up with as many creative uses for two polystyrene cups as they could. Her team found that the group that started the exercise with a boring activity came up with significantly more innovative uses for the cups than their counterparts.

Once you start daydreaming and allow your mind to wander, you start thinking beyond the conscious and into the subconscious.

“Once you start daydreaming and allow your mind to wander, you start thinking beyond the conscious and into the subconscious,” said Dr. Mann during an interview for Nautilus, a science magazine. That’s because when we let ourselves daydream–a common occurrence when we feel bored– we tap into our own cognitive system and begin processing our own internal thoughts, regardless of their relevance to what is happening outside of our heads. While most forms of cognition are responses to external stimulus, boredom-induced daydreaming is the mind working on itself. It helps us think creatively and develop insight into who we are, because what our minds wander to signals our internal mental state.  

Boredom can also act as a motivator, as it did for my friend. Andreas Elpidorou, an assistant professor in philosophy at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, has written extensively about the good side of boredom. He argues that boredom encourages one to pursue new goals because it signals that a current goal is not attractive or meaningful. In other words, boredom tells us what we don’t want to do so we can move onto something else.

If boredom makes us more creative and can inspire positive changes in our lives, perhaps it is good for us. And if that’s the case, maybe we don’t need to feel so bad about feeling bored from time to time. Rather than something to be avoided, boredom can be embraced as a mental tool for problem solving, or a strategy for boosting our creativity. If we can do that, we might find we’re not so bored after all.  

Need a place to be bored? Book one of our tiny cabins here now.

Features | Nature | Partnerships

For Every Getaway, One Tree Is Planted

By Getaway -

I’m excited to announce Getaway’s new initiative to support global reforestation.

Every new Getaway booking now results in planting one tree somewhere in the world, powered by our friends at the aptly-named non-profit One Tree Planted.

One Tree Planted, planting trees in Oregon.

Why? Aside from the obvious “sustainability is good” answer, my hope in starting Getaway was to create the space and opportunity for people to reconnect with nature. I hope in some small way this helps more people in more places have nature in their lives.

To make that a reality, it’s all of our jobs to do what we can to support nature itself. I hope this is the first of many contributions we can make to our planet.

Be well,

Jon, CEO + Founder

Features | Reflections

February Reflections: On Unplugging

By Jon Staff -

I’ve long thought we should have more holidays. Why isn’t there, at least, one holiday every month? If we were to add more holidays, what things would you want us to carve out time for? One of my votes would be for us all to celebrate the National Day of Unplugging, a “24 hour respite from technology.” Read more about the day here.

So on March 1, we’re unplugging. Don’t worry if you’re staying with us that day —  our field teams are at the ready to ensure you get your own time to recharge.

It’s a special day that’s about replacing push notifications with a pull towards the outdoors, setting aside our likes and follows for more time with the people we like the most. I appreciate my cell phone and my “connected” world, but it’s about setting a day to acknowledge that the counterbalance is just as important.

To me, National Day of Unplugging comes at the perfect time. Inevitably, at least in the Northeast, we spend a lot of time indoors in February. More time inside often equates to more time on screens, longer work hours, and less opportunity to meaningfully get away. Here’s hoping this special day serves as a reminder to us all about the upside of unplugging.

Be Well,
Jon

Features | Reflections

January Reflections

By Jon Staff -

There’s nothing like a “New Year, New You” email – or several – to jolt you into 2019. I must have received a hundred emails with that headline.

While there’s a lot to be said about taking time to reevaluate, to renew, and to replenish, it’s hard not to feel drowned in cliches. Especially when these temperatures drop down to freezing, and we all end up spending more time indoors and in our routines than outside getting replenished and re-energized.

January at Getaway

Quiet Place to Reflect

This month, I had the privilege of speaking on a panel about “experiences” in retail. Getaway might not seem like an obvious choice for discussing retail design, but I was happy to participate because it allowed me some beginning-of-the-year reflection to crystallize why I think what we’re doing matters to us, but more importantly, why it matters to you.

Much of the panel conversation was about the officially tired trend of corporate-designed “immersive” experiences. I can wax cynical on the distraction I think these spaces provide, but instead I was grateful for the experience to reflect and to advocate for what I think we’re doing differently.

We’re not here to give people a “Getaway experience” — Getaway exists so that you can unlock your own experiences, and live a little more deeply. It’s you, not us, that are creating the experience.

You can read more about that panel here, or feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s hoping for a little less distractedness, and a more deep experiences in 2019.

Be well,

Jon

Features | Nature

Pair your gym membership with a woods membership

By Getaway -

Your nature routine is as important as your workout routine.

A ‘balanced lifestyle’ for physical health

I just had my annual physical. Fortunately, I have a (mostly) clean bill of health— but I didn’t make it out of there without being asked that dreaded question. You know the one: “Are you living a balanced lifestyle, Jon?”“Balanced lifestyle” — a less judgmental way to ask in quick succession:

“Are you getting enough sleep?”

“Are you eating healthy food?

“Are you exercising?”

I call it that dreaded question because it seems like the three challenges packed inside of it are weighing on all of us. But, as my doctor reminds me each year, it’s called a balanced lifestyle for a reason:

“It’s okay to want to fit a lot of things into a day, but you have to balance that with real rest.”

“It’s okay to want to eat sweets and carbs sometimes, but you have to balance that with healthy foods.”

“It’s okay to lounge around or sit at your desk some of the time, but you have to balance that with activity.”

Fortunately, there’s a whole set of concepts and tools to help us achieve this type of balance: for sleep, the idea of getting a good ‘8 hours’; for nutrition, various diet ideas and healthy food options; and for exercise, yoga and the gym.

Photo by Erin Krespan

A ‘balanced lifestyle’ for mental health

Recently, public health experts have started fuzzing the line between physical and mental health, speaking out on the importance of day-to-day practices to serve our mind — and its sanity — as well as our body and its health.

We should follow their lead and incorporate mental health into our commonsense understanding of what a “balanced lifestyle” is.

First, for those of us who are always connected to technology, we should balance this with time for disconnection. We are spending 8 hours a day consuming media and its hurting our mental processing. Take memory for example. Digitally overloaded Millennials are having more senior moments than seniors are: those under 30 are more likely than those over the age of 55 to forget what day it is or where they put their keys.

Second, for those of us who are always socializing — professionally or just for fun — we should balance this with time for quiet and solitude. Solitude provides a break from self-consciousness and social performance, giving us space to remember and discover our deeper values and more authentic selves.

Third, for thus of us in the hustle and bustle of the city, we should balance this with time for nature. Nature‘s benefits are almost comically expansive: it helps mitigate ADHD, decrease stress, recover from surgery faster, short circuit rumination, enhance memory, and improve our relationships. It’s no wonder that Japanese doctors have started prescribing patients take “forest baths”: therapeutic walks in the woods with proven benefits for our health.

If we started incorporating these three challenges — finding time for disconnection, solitude, and nature — into our shared conception of a “balanced lifestyle,” my hope is that more tools and concepts will arise to help us achieve those goals. Just like how “eight hours of sleep” became a cultural idea, perhaps “digital sabbaths” — one day a week without technology — will, too. Just like how certain restaurants started branding themselves as healthy and nutritious, perhaps certain companies will start branding themselves as solitude-friendly. And in the same way people have become maniacal about going to the gym, perhaps we will become maniacal about going to the woods.

I have another year before my doc asks me that dreaded question again. Wish me luck in better achieving that balance: physically and mentally. I wish you the same!

Originally published on Thrive Global.

Features | Reflections

December Reflections

By Jon Staff -

The end of December always feels like a perfect mixture of reflection and anticipation. On the one hand, we’re looking back at the month and the year that was. What were our successes? What could we have improved?

On the other hand, we’re thinking about the promising year ahead. For us, there are new Outposts coming, the growth of the Getaway team, and new ways to make Getaway all the more special for our first time and repeat guests.

Cabin

To reflect on this month before we bite into the whole year, we announced and opened booking for Getaway Atlanta, our first home in the South. I’m particularly excited about this destination, because our friends in the South are often overlooked in conversations around the excesses of the city and the need for taking time. Our hope is that our Atlanta Outpost can provide our friends in The Big Peach the escape they deserve.

Taking a step back and looking at the year as whole, I’m proud of what Getaway has accomplished. We’ve added and announced new cabins and Outposts, allowing more people to find balance across the country. Our guests continue to amaze me with their dedication to taking time in nature to reset.

Those guests come to Getaway from so many places, near and far. When you book a Getaway, we ask our guests their reason for escaping. We’ve seen everything from people needing a break from their jobs, to a desire to reconnect with a partner, to the stress of transitioning, to most recently, someone eloping in our tiny cabins. Thanks to our guests for allowing us to share in their search for balance.

We put together this infographic to celebrate 2018. It was a year full of engagements, hiking trails, paw prints, s’mores and tranquility. Next year, you can expect more new Outposts, cities, trails, campfires, engagements, and more.

Thanks for being a part of Getaway. As always, if you have any feedback, feel free to get in touch.

Be well,

Jon Staff

Features | Reflections

November Reflections

By Jon Staff -

November always feels like a signal change. It’s when the seasons shift and here in the northeast, it starts to get properly cold. It’s as if fall is telling us the year is almost over — ”wrap up what you need to do before you’re hit with the blistering winter.”

More than that, it’s a month of gratitude. While I think it’s important to reflect and express gratitude throughout the year, it’s helpful to have an explicit holiday that reminds us all to say thanks. This year, there’s a lot to be grateful for.

The Getaway Team got together to celebrate all we’re thankful for. We traveled to our DC Outpost, disconnected from our devices and work, and celebrated with each other. We even had a Team Thanksgiving feast, dividing into teams, each responsible for cooking a different course over the campfire. I continue to be incredibly grateful for the dedicated people in the field and at our headquarters that make Getaway everything that it is. You can watch a snippet of our Team Thanksgiving above.

reflections

I am also grateful for our incredible guests across New York, DC, and Boston, who have embraced the intention of creating more balance for themselves. Whether it’s perusing through the #getawayoften mentions on Instagram or through direct feedback shared with me, our guests provide us with a sense of purpose day in and day out. I’m unsure if words do justice to the amount of gratitude that I – and our team – have for our guests, so we’ll reserve that energy and put it towards continuing to deliver an exceptional Getaway experience.

This month, we announced a brand new Outpost outside of Los Angeles, a project over a year in the making, and our first Outpost on the west coast. We’re excited and grateful to be able to serve our Angeleno friends in need of mindful escapes in 2019.

As always, feel free to get in touch if you have feedback or ideas.

Be well,
Jon, CEO + Founder