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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Courtesy Sahara Rose De Vore

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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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David McNew

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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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Courtesy Sahara Rose De Vore

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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.

More than 600,000 Californians are at risk of losing CalFresh food benefits after expanded work requirements imposed by the federal government go into effect next month, state and county officials warned Wednesday.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law by President Donald Trump last summer, included “multiple significant changes to CalFresh,” the state’s version of SNAP that serves about 5.4 million people, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

They include requirements that some adults work, volunteer or participate in a school or job-training program for 20 hours a week.

People who don’t meet the expanded work requirements will be restricted to three months of CalFresh benefits every three years, according to the state Department of Social Services. CalFresh benefits can be used to buy almost any food, as well as seeds or plants that can grow food.

The new federal rules will now affect people experiencing homelessness, veterans and former foster youth, unless they are excused for other reasons.

About 260,000 people in L.A. County are at risk of losing CalFresh benefits under the new requirements, according to Hilda Solis, chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

“These expanded work requirements are going to create more barriers for people who are already struggling to meet ends,” she said at a briefing Wednesday. "It's not about creating opportunity, it's about making it harder for people to keep the benefits that they already qualify for.”

About 108,000 people in L.A. County have already lost their CalFresh benefits since the bill was passed last July, which Solis said is putting more pressure on local food banks and community-based organizations that are already operating at capacity to meet residents’ needs.

What are the changes to CalFresh?

Three main changes to CalFresh are planned for this year: expanded work requirements, disqualification of some people without U.S. citizenship and a new funding model that will pull more money from state and local sources instead of the federal government.

The work-requirement changes go into effect in June and are expected to affect about 665,000 Californians, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The rules will be expanded to include people up to age 64. Previously, it applied to those up to 54 years old, according to officials.

There are some exemptions, including people who would be unable to meet the necessary hours because of a physical or mental illness and those caring for children under 14 years old.

Back in April, eligibility guidelines changed for certain Californians without U.S. citizenship. They disqualified some groups from being eligible for CalFresh, including refugees and victims of trafficking, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

An estimated 72,000 people were expected to lose benefits because of limited eligibility.

In October, the way CalFresh is funded is expected to change, shifting more costs to states and counties. California could face roughly $480 million in new annual costs and $190 million for counties, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

How could it affect LA County?

The roughly 260,000 Angelenos likely to be affected by the expanded work requirements may not lose their benefits immediately. People will be evaluated on the new rules when they apply or recertify to keep their CalFresh benefits, according to Jackie Contreras, director of the county’s Department of Public Social Services.

Contreras said people don’t need to take action today, and the department will notify Angelenos directly before any changes affect their case. She encouraged residents to keep their contact information up to date, carefully review all notices and contact the department for questions or assistance.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is preparing to see people lose their benefits in the fall as recertifications roll in, according to CEO Michael Flood. The organization has been shoring up the supply through private donations from farmers and manufacturers, as well as purchasing food with funding from the county.

L.A. County committed $12 million to the Food Bank during the federal government shutdown last fall, which translated into about six million pounds of food, or roughly 5.5 million meals.

Flood said the organization was able to stretch those resources into this year, distributing some of the purchased food now and in the coming months to help offset the loss of CalFresh benefits. But the L.A. Regional Food Bank is already seeing an increased demand for food assistance, which he said has been driven primarily by higher prices and inflation.

“We all see it … shopping in a grocery store, those who, you know, need to fill up the gas tank to get to work,” Flood said. “That is something that's coming through loud and clear and really is causing ... challenges for people's budgets here locally.”

During a recent distribution in Baldwin Park, for example, food provided for about 2,000 households ran out half-an-hour before the event was slated to end, Flood said. He added that it’s likely the surge in demand will continue through the end of this year and into the next, and that the L.A. Regional Food Bank is “doing everything we can to try to increase resources.”

On the state level, $20 million has been deployed to help counties prepare for the expanded work requirements, according to Assemblymember Alex Lee, chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee.

Lee co-authored a bill that aims to exempt former foster youth from the expanded work requirements. The bill is pending in the state Legislature.

At least seven wildfires burning around Southern California are sending smoke across the region. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended a smoke advisory warning of unhealthy air through 10 p.m. Thursday.

What does a smoke advisory mean?

Local health officials send out warnings when the air quality is unhealthy. The advisories encourage people to avoid outdoor activities and take other steps to limit contact with smoky air.

Where are the wildfires?

Wildfires are burning in Ventura, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Barbara and L.A. counties. You can keep tabs on the fires on the CalFire website.

How bad is the air?

Wildfire smoke is generally worse for your health than the kind of “garden variety urban pollution” Angelenos are used to, said Suzanne Paulson, an atmospheric chemist at UCLA. But air quality depends on where you live, and might change from hour to hour. The good news is that low-cost air quality sensors have made it easier to find out just how bad the air is in your neck of the woods. You can check PurpleAir, Clarity, and IQAir for real-time data on pollution levels, often down to the neighborhood level.

How to avoid breathing bad air

Staying indoors in the best way to avoid bad air pollution, Paulson said. You can also try to avoid the worst areas. “So for example, I ride my bike to work. I regularly look at the map and see if the air quality is OK, and sometimes I even change my route,” Paulson said.

The city of Santa Ana is just $85 short of closing what started as a $13 million budget deficit. On the chopping block: after-school programming, park maintenance and more.

The city manager’s office presented another round of cuts to balance the budget at yesterday’s City Council meeting. Officials reported that the current proposal avoids layoffs and furloughs. Most of the cuts will come from the Public Works Department at more than $3 million.

Santa Ana's current budget proposal includes an estimated $85 deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.

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Courtesy of the city of Santa Ana

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More on what’s being cut 

The Police Department is seeing a proposed $2 million in cuts, but could still be allocated $4 million more than last year, according to the budget draft.

The city is looking to cut 20 vacant full-time positions and reduce part-time spending.

Five non-mandated commissions will also be dissolved, including the youth, parks and recreation, and arts and culture commissions. The move will save the city nearly $28,000.

Ambulance services will be cut down from a 24-hour unit to a 12-hour unit, saving $250,000, and fees will increase.

How did we get here? 

At a City Council meeting earlier this month, officials reported that the city’s revenue increased by 3% compared to last year, but spending is up 6%, with hikes in labor and pension/liability costs.

What’s the deal with youth programming? 

The Santa Ana Police Athletic and Activity League, also known as PAAL, costs the city more than $877,000, about 80% of which goes toward salaries for its current fiscal budget.

PAAL costs the city about $5,400 per child, compared to youth programs run by the Parks and Recreation Department, which cost about $100 per kid.

PAAL’s after-school and summer programs serve 87 children, and more than 200 are mentored and coached through its sports programming. The program’s budget will be slashed by about half.

Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez said this move should not be seen as a cut to youth services.

“Through this new proposed recommendation, we’ll reinstate exercise instruction at four different elementary schools, and we will increase the services from 228 children to 2,200 children,” Hernandez said. “We are not cutting youth services, we're actually adding youth services while saving money for our city.”

Mayor Valerie Amezcua said the library and parks departments can do the same programs, but not the way PAAL does.

“I just want to make sure whatever cuts we're making, that we continue to include our Police Department. To me, that's very important for the public trust,” Amezcua said.

What’s next? 

The city isn’t completely in the clear when it comes to its finances. Measure X, a voter-approved sales tax, will be reduced in 2029, resulting in the loss of at least $30 million in annual revenue before completely expiring in 2039. The City Council, aside from Councilmembers David Penaloza and Jessie Lopez, has supported asking voters if the tax should be made permanent.

A public hearing to review the drafted budget will be held on June 2. Details will be posted on the city’s website.