We are living in some wild times as I have no doubt everyone is feeling. 2020 has been absolutely nuts, with the forefront being COVID-19 & it’s global spread. With shutdowns, quarantines, mandates and more, there may be some curiosity as to why my boyfriend, Zach, and I decided to take such a big leap this year, and how COVID affected that decision during each step of the process. SO LET’S CHAT.
Basic facts to start: We moved to Tucson, Arizona from Massachusetts (where we were both born and raised) & we moved via driving my lil Corolla named Stanley. We left in Mid-October and it took us a week to get down here, with only one pleasure stop along the way – the rest being just places to sleep.
Arizona has been on our minds for about two years, but only seriously started getting considered in June of this year. We started out with Zach applying to jobs, and the original plan was to wait until he got a job before officially moving down (you know, paychecks and paying rent and all). BUT since we are in a global pandemic, the game was changed in terms of the job market. Employers needed people to start right away as they had to do massive layoffs when this all started, meaning they were turned off by us having to relocate.
After speaking to Zach’s uncle who has lived down here for about 20 years, he essentially told us our best bet was to just send it. So we did.
Our lease ended on September 30th, and we didn’t finish moving everything out until 11:30pm that night LOL. We underestimated the amount of stuff we had accumulated apparently. We moved back in with our respective families for about 2.5 weeks, as we got everything squared away and spent time with our loved ones before heading out.
So let’s sidestep here a little, and bring in the whole pandemic part… if I am being completely honest with you, the fact that the pandemic was going on did not impact our decision to move. We knew in our hearts that this was the best move for us (no pun intended) and we have long since made the decision not to live our lives in fear (while still being respectful & smart about things of course). That being said, this decision to move was made as it would have been if the pandemic was not happening.
THAT being said, of course we had to consider COVID in the actual moving process, and the different rules/mandates/travel restrictions in each state we were staying in.
So on October 19th at about 9am we hugged my family goodbye & started up Stan. This was without question the hardest goodbye I have ever faced, but I’m a strong believer in “see ya later’s” as opposed to “goodbyes.” We left with tears in our eyes (I actually had to stop at the end of my street because I started SOBBING), but with a knowing and excitement that our loved ones now have a new place to come visit and explore – especially in winter, when MA is really freakin’ cold and covered in snow.
We had planned our route beforehand in order to have a general idea of where we were stopping and how long it was going to take us. However, we did not book places to stay until the day before (ballsy, I know).
Our stops:
Night 1 – Erie, Pennsylvania – Super 8
Night 2 & 3 – Glen Ellyn, Illinois – my best friends house
Night 4 – Emporia, Kansas – Quality Inn & Suites
Night 5 – Tucumcari, New Mexico – Motel Safari
Night 6 – Las Cruces, New Mexico – Lundeen Inn of the Arts
The last was actually originally unplanned and added on as we were coming into the borders of NM. Zach’s uncle had recommended White Sands National Park & Las Cruces, and since we were not on a time crunch, we said what the heck and went for it – such a good decision as it was the second best stop, next to seeing my best friend of course!
Now, every place we stayed required us to wear masks in the hotel lobbies & such, as should be expected. All rooms were clean, and each place actually listed out their sanitation procedures, which gave us some peace of mind. Especially considering they had special sanitation procedures on top of their normal cleaning procedures. Additionally, there was no housekeeping during our stay to reduce any potential exposure. All places that offered breakfast were not offering it, and instead did individually packaged items in little doggy bags, available upon request at the front desk. No hotel pools were open either. It was a very different stay from what we were used to, but was nice to see how much they were all doing to limit exposure and spread of COVID for those who were traveling. I’ll also note that we saw significantly less of any other guests than you would on a typical vacation.
Next up is the actual travel process – we obviously had to eat which is tough enough as it is on the road. Add in COVID and it got much more difficult, so we basically lived off fast food for a week (not the most pleasant, but we had to do what we had to do). Rest stops were all still open, including the bigger ones that had food in addition to bathrooms, however, they were at least 50% closed down (in terms of the shops/food places), and tables were taped off to be every other. They all required masks to enter as well.
Alright, I bet you’re wondering if there’s any juiciness to report. From state to state, everything was pretty standard and all were following the general mask mandates & such that we have all become oh-so-familiar with. Except for one.
Now, I do not want to say this was the whole state because I don’t know – and if I’m being blunt, I don’t actually even remember the town we were in. But we stopped for gas somewhere in Kansas, and damn were we caught off guard… because masks were not a requirement. In fact, there were more people at the gas station (that included a general store) NOT wearing masks than people who were. Including the employees – they were behind a plexiglass screen that was on the counter, but they were not masked up. There were even a few walking around doing their thing.
I do not want to bash these people, and I will not, because at the end of the day it is their choice if their county is not mandating it. In addition, I have no idea about the number of cases in their county (let’s remember most of Kansas is very spread out & we were nowhere near a city, but of course, people in a gas station are not so spread out). For someone coming from MA this was quite a shock.
Again with the honestly because I’m all about it – it was actually a very freeing thing to see this because it felt like a taste of normalcy. That being said, it also felt so strange as we’ve become so accustomed to masks being on everyone’s face everywhere in public. & no one seemed at all concerned, including the few who were wearing a mask.
This is the only place where we experienced this to this degree. I will also point out that we did come across one other occasion in an Ohio rest area (one of the big ones with all the food places) where an entire family was walking around mask-less, as well as a few other people. Otherwise, it was pretty standard across the board with a notable number of occasions in which we noticed it was much more lax than MA was – as in mouths covered, but noses not.
At no point did I feel uncomfortable in any of these situations, simply a little taken aback. And neither of us got sick from traveling – we remained happy & healthy throughout the process and after the fact. It was very interesting to see how it was being handled by different places of business, states, counties, towns, and even individual people. We met many along the way, of all ages, who were, like us, not living in a fear-based state. They were being respectful of others but going about their daily activities as they normally would. This has given me hope that come the end of winter, we will be able to return to a healthy, happy and “normal” society.
I’m not telling you to go out there and travel, or to waltz around without a mask, but I hope that you can gain some hope from our successful travel adventures across the entire country. I hope that you, too, can find a way to live without being consumed by fear, but of course in a way that makes you feel comfortable. I also fully understand that some are in a higher risk category than we are, as we are young and have very strong, healthy immune systems. Whoever you are – do what makes you comfortable while being respectful of others, but remember that fear can be just as detrimental as a virus can if you allow it consume you.
We have since settled in to Tucson, found an apartment, and have begun building a beautiful reality here for ourselves that includes many beautiful manifestations and dreams coming to fruition.
My final words: our minds and our thoughts are incredibly powerful, as is fear & LOVE. I do not think any less of anyone choosing not to wear a mask, and I respect others wishes and their choices. I am doing what I think to be right & best for me and those around me, which includes wearing a mask when around others and when asked, and living from a place of love, not fear. You do you, and remain conscious & accepting of your own thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Too-da-loo from Tucson!
With endless love, light & good vibes,
Ash xx
