Travel Memories. Travel Writing Prompt.

My Weekend of Honorary Retirement in Florida’s 50+ Community

Like Nick Miller, I felt like I was finally aging into my personality.

I am a natural early riser. Or at least, I have been since college, when I worked 7 a.m. markdown shifts at TJ Maxx.

Most days, I wake up at 5 a.m. and go about my morning routine of coffee and breakfast, then a nice walk. As a result of this habit of early rising, I get cranky if kept up past 9:30pm.

It didn’t occur to me that these things made me an ideal candidate for staying amongst the 50+ until a unique travel opportunity came about.

At the time, I was in grad school, living on a strict budget while earning my MFA in creative writing. My friends and I got the wild notion that we should do whatever we could to attend the annual AWP writer’s conference, which would be held in Tampa, Florida, over our university’s spring break.

Fate seemed to call us to the shores of the sunshine state, and even if our wallets begged otherwise, we were going to figure it out.

We began to cobble together our cost-saving plan to make the most out of a weeklong trip to Florida as we could. Two of us were midwestern, of the “why would you fly if you can physically drive there?” mentality. So, instead of flying, we would rent a car and drive from Pittsburgh to Florida.

Mel’s parents happened to have a condo in Seminole, and informed her that they could request special permission for us youngsters to stay a few nights in 50+ community. All we needed was a glowing recommendation and a promise not to party or otherwise disturb the peace.

This would save us three days and nights’ worth of lodging costs and get us within an hour’s drive of our ultimate destination for the pre-AWP leg of the trip — Universal Studios.

The request was approved, and so we prepared for our brief stint as honorary older adults. It just so happened I’d recently bought a pair of chunky white walking shoes and took up a habit of walking laps at the mall as my grandparents used to, so I felt well prepared.

We rented the car, procured a lengthy audiobook (Lincoln in the Bardo by that year’s AWP keynote speaker, George Saunders). Soon, we were off on our 19 hour drive to the first destination.

I’d regale you with exciting tales from the drive, but honestly, aside from a stop for some delicious southern BBQ in (probably) North Carolina, the drive is a blur.

We each took turns at the wheel in the newfangled car, which automatically slowed down if you got too close to the car ahead and beeped suggestions to take a break at steadily increasing intervals the longer we drove.

Somehow, eventually, we arrived to Florida. I had only been once before, during a marching band trip to Disney World during high school. I stared out the window as we drove past pastel painted beach houses and towering palm trees, in awe of how different another state in my own country could feel.

We pulled into the parking lot of the gated community, signs everywhere announcing it as the realm of the 50+, and I became nervous. Should we have printed out some kind of permission slip to furnish if questioned?

My hesitation evaporated as we stepped inside. The condo reminded me of the beachside hotel we’d stayed in on family trips to Myrtle Beach, that warm, salty smell I associate with vacation. A strange collision of childhood nostalgia and honorary late middle age.

We determined sleeping arrangements and I located the coffee maker, knowing I’d be first up in the morning.

At least, the much-needed break the car insisted upon arrived, and we could sleep.

The next morning, sure enough, I fumbled with the drip coffee maker and sat at a small table by the window. I felt myself ease into Vacation Amanda, a person who cheerfully journals by the window while sipping her coffee, suddenly less drawn to her phone.

I looked out the window that overlooked the courtyard and watched a few women beginning their morning walks already.

What a good idea, I thought. I strapped on my shoes and headed off for my first solo morning walk in Florida.

No one questioned my presence, though I had been a bit nervous they would. Instead, I simply walked around the condo complex and over to the adjoining nature park, smiling and waving hello to my fellow morning walkers as I passed them.

We spent our first afternoon exploring the nature preserve and headed out to the nearby beach, relaxing and reading on the shady shores.

While our visit to Universal Studios and the bizarre hostel we stayed in in Tampa were exciting, my fondest memory of this trip to Florida is sitting at that little table by the window looking out over the pool, imagining my way into a future where, I, too, might travel south for the winter, sipping coffee and journaling until the sun rose high enough to begin my rambling morning walks.

It reminds me that the best part of traveling isn’t always the exciting adventure stories or uncovering unexpected landmarks and interesting sites. Sometimes, travel is about connecting with a new layer of yourself, about stepping outside the expected to see what you make of it, and what it makes of you.

(This essay was inspired by the #travelmemories prompt)

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