*disclaimer: lots of us are adjusting to staying home and not being able to travel right now due to the coronavirus pandemic. I believe in adhering to recommendations from the CDC and public health experts, and being smart and safe while traveling. I personally have no plans (or desire) to travel anywhere that requires planes or any method of public transportation, and the trip I will outline below was one night, in our own city. we took our own car, and used no other forms of transportation. additionally, masks were worn at all required times, and we followed social distancing guidelines.

at the end of October, Don and I packed up and drove into the city for a staycation. like many, we miss traveling, and wanted to find a way to safely enjoy ourselves and see a bit more of the place we call home (which is Philadelphia, for anyone new here)!

when Pack Up + Go reached out to me about partnering for a staycation at the beautiful Kimpton Hotel Monaco, I knew right away it was something we’d love to do. of course we were apprehensive about safety and all the precautions that come with traveling in a pandemic, but since we stayed locally, we were able to make it as safe as possible for ourselves + those around us!

a few quick facts about Pack Up + Go!

they only operate in the US, so no international trips
4 types of trips are available!
- planes + trains
- road trips
- outdoor road trips
- staycations (that’s what we did)!
trips can be 2 days, 1 nights - up to 10 days, 11 nights, depending on the type of trip!

how it works:

you fill out a pre-trip survey, including your budget, things you like to do, your party size, any important details (allergies, etc), and any other important travel info
the amazing travel team books everything for you!
a week before you leave, you’ll get some more updates: weather for your destination, important things to pack, and where to go to start your trip!

days before your trip, you’ll get an envelope with very clear instructions about not opening until it’s time to go! inside, you’ll learn where you’re going, and all the details

our experience:

Don and I did the staycation package
we had a one night (2 day) stay at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in our very own city, Philadelphia!
Pack Up + Go booked everything for us - not just the hotel, but the made dinner reservations for us, and got us tickets to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the next morning
we were able to drive there, obviously, and park in a nearby garage (valet services were suspended at the time of our visit due to the pandemic), and walk anywhere or easily get to the car!

our stay at the Kimpton was nothing short of fantastic, from start to finish. the staff was so kind, accommodating, and professional. we felt safe with the guidelines enforced, and even with restrictions in place, the staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcome.

our room had the most beautiful view of Independence Mall, made even more stunning by gorgeous autumn foliage! once we checked in, we set out to explore the surrounding area.

first, we walked around Independence Mall for a bit - lines were rather long since crowds are restricted - but we still had a great time exploring around it! after that, we headed to one of our favorites, the Bourse, to grab a bite to eat, but we quickly realized we weren’t super hungry, and decided to keep walking. we walked a few blocks up to Penn’s Landing and just enjoyed being out, though it was definitely a different experience without all the people!

for dinner that night, Pack Up + Go booked us a table at The Dandelion Pub, which was such a great experience. temperature checks are required prior to being seated, and both indoor and outdoor tables are available (heat lamps were available for those sitting outside). we had a cozy, romantic table indoors, and kicked off our dinner by splitting a delicious cheese platter! for our main course, Don got the fish and chips, and I had the lemon risotto. both dishes were great!

saturday night, we ordered sunday’s breakfast for room service to be brought up, and shortly after we finally got up, we had a yummy breakfast! we packed, bid adieu to our gorgeous view, had a super easy checkout, and then headed to the museum.

the museum itself is also practicing social distancing and screening all patrons, and I will say that the “we aren’t all crowding around the same Van Gogh” thing made for a very enjoyable experience.

even though we both are from the area, it was so nice to be able to experience it in a different way. we got to play (socially distanced) tourists in our own city, support local business, and the arts. thank you so much to Pack Up + Go for providing us with the perfect staycation experience!

a safe staycation with pack up + go!