Why I was happy to spend $1700 on a luxury road trip during COVID-19

• My husband and I were looking forward to taking several kid-free trips in 2020, but the pandemic cancelled our plans.
• After some research, we decided it felt safe to take a road trip someplace close by and chose Minnesota’s North Shore.
• In total, we spent about $1,745 on our trip including lodgings, nice meals, and the most beautiful round of golf we’ve ever played.
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Before the pandemic hit, my husband and I had plans to take several trips in 2020. After a few years of limited travel while we were growing our family, we were excited to have some time away from our kids. Of course, with COVID-19, travel plans were put on hold in mid-March, and even after the restrictions lifted we were still concerned about leaving our family and being stranded someplace. 

Enter the Minnesota North Shore getaway. Like a lot of people this year, we decided to do something we wouldn’t normally do — take a road trip! We’d thought about flying someplace, but after reviewing the COVID-19 precautions, we decided against it. Staying closer to home seemed like a safer and more relaxing idea.

Despite low accommodation availability, we did end up finding a last-minute opening on Airbnb in our price range for a weekend in mid-September. It was a resort right on Lake Superior and a great launching point to be able to explore the North Shore. 

Here’s how we spent our time and money during our time on the North Shore.

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