The Brief

What’s your ideal vacation?

For many it includes traveling to a popular destination for a once in a lifetime experience. While there, they try to cram in every tourist hotspot and activity into one week, because otherwise, they’d have no other time in the year to do it.

But for a growing number of people, their ideal vacation is one cut off from other people, typically secluded in nature, with little to no tourist activities or distractions.

This new trend in travel is called the “quiet vacation”.

A picture of a rock arch in Bohemian Switzerland, Czech Republic De Vore visited

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A post-pandemic search to restore ourselves

These vacations are often characterized by spending time alone, in off-the-beaten-path locations, predominantly surrounded by nature. Wi-fi is sparse, if available at all, and distractions from the everyday are left at home.

“There's a concept in emotion research called ideal affect, which is this measure we can take of how do you want to feel, what's your ideal?” said Sarah Pressman, professor of psychological science at UC Irvine. “And in the US and in a lot of Western countries, the ideal is high energy. Excitement.”

So why are so many people moving away from high energy vacations?

Pressman suggests it may be due to increasing stress levels, potentially exacerbated by the pandemic.

“What this is probably evidence of is that we are not restoring right now in a way that maybe we used to be able to,” Pressman said. The pandemic work structure, the post-pandemic hybrid work model, and even our constant use of phones, has made it so that people never truly feel that they are off from work.

Pressman also noted the mental health toll that social media and the constant news cycle can have, adding to feelings of constant stress.

“Even when you're at home, you're not actually resting,” she said.

The health benefits of a “quiet vacation”

Respite from daily life has many different physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.

Pressman has studied the benefits of vacations and leisure, with one study showing that people who take more time off have overall better health, with those people showing signs of having decreases in metabolic syndrome, a cluster of physical symptoms tied to worse health. Vacations can also reduce people’s risk of cardiovascular events, according to Pressman.

“We've even seen reduced stress reactivity, reduced heart rate and blood pressure after taking vacations,” she said.

The trend of quiet vacations in particular, can offer unique benefits to one’s mental health and emotional well-being. Their focus on nature and emphasis on solitude can lend people space and time to self-reflect and de-stress.

A giant sequoia tree dwarfs the surrounding forest along the Trail of the 100 Giants in the Sequoia National Monument in Northern California. It's among these massive trees that President Clinton proclaimed the monument.

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Studies have shown that spending time in nature not only reduces stress but can change stress hormones, and improve people’s cognitive functions, such as attention, said Pressman.

“I think the benefit there is twofold from these quiet vacations, because if you go there and you get the benefits of nature, but you're also cutting off the source of your stress by not checking your emails, worrying about work, worrying about what you're missing, and you're actually able to disengage,” Pressman said.

A growing industry for quiet vacationers

Disengaging into nature is exactly what Jon Staff had in mind when he created Getaway, which offers small cabins outside major cities across the United States for these types of quiet vacations.

“Our need, as a people, is to have more balance in our lives,” Staff said. “To get away from the noisy city, to get away from our stressful jobs, to be free even of our messy apartments.”

Staff said quiet vacations also offer people an opportunity to reflect on their lives. Away from distractions, people finally have time to check-in on themselves.

At Getaway, visitors put their phones in lock boxes and are encouraged to immerse themselves in the surrounding nature.

“It's really hard in our modern world with bosses constantly pushing new deadlines on us, with digital distractions interrupting almost every moment of the day,” Staff said. “It is very difficult in that context to stop, take a breath, and really check in with ourselves and what we need.”

Staff said even carving out a day or two of free time to pull ourselves away from distractions of daily life can have so much power in helping us appreciate our lives more.

Sahara Rose De Vore, founder and CEO of the Travel Coach Network, said that travel, especially solo travel, is a “powerful tool for things like self discovery, transformation, healing, and personal development.”

She thinks the rising trend in people using vacations to disconnect from the world and reconnect with themselves is part of a larger pattern of people being more intentional with their vacation time.

How to plan a quiet vacation alone

For those interested in taking a quiet vacation, De Vore recommended looking at smaller cities or towns just outside of major hubs. If seeking a quiet vacation abroad, this allows you to fly into a major airport and then take an inexpensive bus or train ride to your more remote location. The same goes for locations in your own state.

De Vore also suggested picking places that have a nature feature.

“I personally like places where there's bodies of water, so lots of nature, whether there is hiking or there is a lake or a pond,” said De Vore. “The beach is very healing for me, just the power of blue spaces.”

A picture of Lake Orhid in Macedonia from De Vore's trip there

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When traveling alone, it’s important to remain aware of your surroundings, De Vore said. Solo travelers should keep an eye on their valuables and essentials. De Vore said to always keep your ID, phone, and charger on you — in case your luggage is stolen you have the necessities.

Although part of quiet vacations is to disconnect, De Vore recommended, at least when traveling to a new location, to update a family member or friend and give them estimated times of arrival or departure.

If you're planning a quiet vacation with a partner, De Vore said to make sure you discuss what you want to get out of the vacation as individuals.

“Finding a balance within there so that when you do go on this quiet vacation, there's not the stress or the expectations or the pressure of having to sacrifice what you want to do or not do what you want to do all the time just because someone else has another activity in mind,” De Vore said. ”But it starts with you really understanding one another's needs and desires and your intentions for this trip.”

But what if you don’t have time for a full vacation or even a long weekend?

Pressman said that the practices and effects of “quiet vacations” can be achieved even in everyday leisure time. The idea of removing the source of your stress or disconnecting from social media or work, can apply no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

“Mindfulness and other forms of meditation are huge benefits to reducing stress and improving your health, and just giving our brains a break from the constant multitasking and noise,” Pressman said.

For the last three years, the record store and music venue Healing Force of the Universe has been operating on a sleepy street corner not far from Pasadena City College. Nearby businesses include a shoe repair store, a nail salon and several auto shops.

“We're kind of in a dead corner,” owner Austin Manuel said. “No offense if anybody lives here, but not a very foot-trafficked area, kind of a hard place to have a store.”

In spite of the location, Manuel said Healing Force has become a home away from home for musicians and music fans. One of them is Bobby Bradford, a jazz trumpet legend who lost his house and personal archive in the Eaton Fire. He performs regularly at the venue. (Healing Force has also partnered with LAist on fire recovery events.)

Its current location is set to close this month, but Manuel and his team are already raising funds to cover a move to another space: G-Son Studios in Atwater Village. The repurposed ballroom was the Beastie Boys' home base when they recorded their classic albums Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Run-DMC and Biz Markie stopped by at one point, and Beck also laid down tracks for his album Odelay there.

Inside Healing Force's space in Pasadena.

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The vibe

Healing Force sells records, of course, but these days it’s more of a nighttime performance space. Manuel said he wants people to feel comfortable striking up conversations after a show.

“I grew up in the church in the South, and I was like, ‘How do I design this so that it feels like a Southern church lady could come in here and feel welcome?’" Manuel said. “ I didn't want it to be too cool.  I wanted it to feel kind of suburban in a way.”

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Though the name might call to mind a cult slogan — and Manuel said they lean into that aesthetic on purpose — it’s actually a reference to the 1970 album Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe by saxophonist Albert Ayler.

At the venue, “people can kind of get … into a meditative zone,” Manuel said. “After the [January 2025] fires, it felt so good to come back together in this room and feel the healing of community.”

Healing Force's stage setup.

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The performances

The shows Healing Force puts on share a common thread: They’re meant to promote peace and relaxation, as well as deep, careful listening on the hi-fi sound system. But they’re an eclectic mix of genres. On one night, you might see L.A. spiritual jazz band Phi-Psonics, who turned a residency at the venue into a live album, Expanding to One.

On another night, you might catch a spaced-out electronic set, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter or a group of session musicians who’ve played with the likes of Paul Simon, Elton John and Lucinda Williams.

About the fundraiser

With the new space on Glendale Boulevard, Manuel said, Healing Force would triple its capacity for concerts, get a bar space and be closer to other venues in Northeast L.A.

“If 1,000 people gave $25, we would get there,” Manuel said – though he also said most people have been giving more.

You can read more about the fundraiser and donate at Healing Force’s GoFundMe.

See the Pasadena space before it closes

The venue is still open at 1200 E. Walnut Street and is holding events through this Halloween weekend. You can see their events calendar on their website.

The racist DNA of Jim Crow discrimination may be embedded in your housing documents.

The language in housing documents that restricts sale or use of a property only to a person of the white race is called a “restrictive covenant,” and in California the practice goes back to the 19th century and continued into the mid-20th century. While housing discrimination persists, the practice was found unconstitutional in 1948.

California counties are reporting mixed progress in meeting the demands of a 2021 law to excise the language from property records.

According to Sylvia Manzo, deputy recorder in the Orange County Clerk-Recorder’s office, the county finished the job in March of this year, removing racist language from more than 27,000 property documents with the help of computer software.

This 1924 property document from Bakersfield includes racist language limiting use of the property in question to people of "the white or Caucasian race."

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L.A. County is far from done. It says that with the help of an outside company hired in 2024, 50 million pages will be examined yearly, which would take about 10 years to finish the job.

Public agencies could use the public’s help.

Language examples

Here’s a 1924 example from a property in Bakersfield. The text reads, “That the lands herein conveyed shall never, at any time, be sold to or rented to or occupied by any person not of the white or Caucasian race.”

Or this language from a 1936 document relating to a Costa Mesa property: “That said premises shall not be sold, conveyed, rented, or leased to, or occupied by any person of African, Mexican, or Asiatic descent.”

How to get it taken out

The Restrictive Covenant Modification Form is at the heart of the effort to remove the racist language from housing documents. Each county has its own process. Some charge a fee; others don’t. Some require a notary certification for the signature; others don’t.

L.A. County:

Registrar-Recorder officials recommend these steps:

• Highlight or underline the unlawful provision on the recorded document
• Complete the Restrictive Covenant Modification Form
• Submit the form and the recorded document by email: RCM@rrcc.lacounty.gov or in person at the Norwalk headquarters at 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk
• Mail instructions are here.

Orange County:

The Orange County spokesperson says there may be some properties not caught by its software and urges the public to report them. Here’s the form

Riverside County:

Here’s the Riverside County form

San Bernardino County:

Here’s the San Bernardino County form

San Diego County:

Here’s the San Diego County form

Santa Barbara County:

Here’s the Santa Barbara County form

Ignoring the racist language in property documents, some say, reinforces the legacy of segregation, while taking steps to remove restrictive covenant language is a way individuals and organizations can repudiate policies that sought to discriminate.