by Wendy

Yeah, that’s a title I never would have imagined writing when we started this blog almost six years ago.

Jack and I have stayed very close to home since the shutdowns started last March. There’s not much to post on this travel blog because we haven’t been traveling, and feeling less than inspired to write about other topics.

In early fall we decided to take a road trip and seek a change of scenery for a couple of days. And we didn’t want to leave our best buddy behind. Our cat Ginepro has been a star team player of the household during stressful months, greeting us every morning, waiting by the door when we ventured outside for walks, keeping Jack company in the kitchen as he perfected homemade pizza dough, crashing my virtual meetings, staying up late wrapped in his blanket on the couch while we binge watched seven seasons of A French Village.

It took some researching to find the right pet-friendly hotel (what’s up with all these properties that allow dogs only)? It had to be within a 2-3 hour drive to limit Ginepro’s time in the car, a place with comfortable rooms, on-site food options, outdoor activities, maybe a pool, and of course, cleaning, masks and social distancing protocols. The Omni Bedford Springs in PA, where Jack and I stayed several years ago, checked the boxes. We were welcome to bring our cat companion with a one-time pet cleaning fee of $150.

Were we crazy? Probably. But we were feeling restless and this project seemed like a good distraction. It was going to take a different type of packing and preparation but could be interesting. We had barely taken any vacation days since the previous summer, and going overseas was not going to be an option for awhile. The great cat travel experiment of 2020. Maybe Ginepro will be a good traveler, we said, and we could eventually take him on a longer journey and rent a beach house? Maybe he’ll love it and be ready for a plane…we can take him to Spain! Were we crazy? Definitely.

The drive
Ginepro was agitated on the drive up, casting early doubt on the whole enterprise. We buckled up the cat carrier as best we could on the back seat and I rode next to him, trying to calm and pet him through the carrier. He seemed to settle down, sleepily, unhappily. On the ride home he seemed much more relaxed, as if he knew the drill.

I wouldn’t call Ginepro a fan of his carrier or the car. Yet on a recent trip to the vet, he seemed merely annoyed and not angry about the ride. Getting him into the carrier seems to be the new wild card, with reactions ranging from absolute refusal to prancing right in and looking up expectantly.

The room
We checked in and got to the room quickly to let Ginepro out of the carrier. We gave him free reign of the space, which was probably a mistake, as he immediately dove under the bed. We had packed some of his favorite toys, pop-up tube he likes to crawl in, food and water bowls, one of his blankets, treats – but no amount of coaxing got him out from under the bed for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

The room itself was great – I surprised at how clean and fresh a pet-friendly room could be.  Though as I knelt down to look for my cat, I desperately wished the room had the kind of bedframe that went all the way to the floor, and also marveled at how well my germaphobe self was coping with this kind of close contact with a hotel room carpet. Jack went for a swim in the indoor pool while I stayed with Ginepro – who darted out for a treat then went straight back into hiding. We ordered room service for dinner and watched television – still no luck.

The lessons
What we should have done first was what we ended up doing, which was to move all of Ginepro’s stuff into the spacious bathroom and let him adjust to one room first. I sat on the edge of the bathtub and Jack sat on a towel on the floor. We laughed at how ridiculous we were, drinking wine in the hotel bathroom and watching Ginepro calmly patrol the space and check out his food and toys. He settled on his blanket with an expression that asked, is this where we live now? Jack and I left the bathroom floor and gave Gine some privacy when we saw him approach the disposable litter box we had brought. Success.

After Ginepro took care of his basic needs, he seemed to have more confidence in exploring the rest of the hotel room and kept out from under the bed. We had booked two nights, and by the time we left he seemed comfortable. The room looked out to beautiful scenery, with a porch and rocking chairs where we could read and sip wine or look at the stars in a clear night sky, keeping an eye on the cat nearby. Ginepro was even bold enough to step outside a couple of times.

The verdict? Worth trying. No doubt this was a different trip, but 2020 was a different year. Against the backdrop of a pandemic a trip like this was quite special. I think we all had fun, and were all glad to be back home. While Jack and I absolutely miss visiting friends, relatives and favorite cities and dream of future adventure, I think we’ve cultivated deeper appreciation for ordinary days at home with our little family.

Wishing everyone a safe, healthy, happier New Year.