We often personally restrict travel in the winter to what is necessary. However, the person who intentionally makes winter their season to getaway with God, will find a distinct travel experience that is uniquely profound and spiritually refreshing. Winter getaways that warm the heart are much more than a nice break from the cold, they can be key to building faith and equipping you to thrive in life.
YEAH BUT WHAT DO I DO?
You may doubt that a winter getaway will deliver on the usual travel expectations. That’s exactly the reason to go. Less people traveling means fewer crowds and quieter spaces. That means that the quality quotient goes up exponentially.
While winter destinations actually offer plenty of activities, experiences and interaction with others, the solitary nature of winter affords you with peacefulness, rest, focus and a different kind of connectedness that is clearly disconnected.
Here are 3 specific ways to maximize your winter getaway:
- TAKE A BOOK, THE BIBLE AND A JOURNAL Straight up – a winter getaway is your chance to immerse yourself in the Bible. To remember and enjoy your trip you can record video and audio of your experiences but allow yourself to journal on paper too. Studies show that writing by hand and visual journaling are healthy for your brain AND help give you greater meaning in life. That ‘meaning in life’ isn’t just a scientific outcome it is the deeper and greater truth that God has for you.
- QUIET YOUR MIND, REST YOUR BODY AND PURSUE THE PRESENCE OF GOD There’s a lot of talk these days about mindfulness and practicing presence. And a lot of it encourages you to learn how to access YOUR inner wisdom and consider what YOU want to happen moving forward. Instead, when you commit to go where God is, then your winter getaway warms your heart – by being in the presence of God. You get lost in God and in so doing you find the better peace, hope and direction that God crafts exclusively for you.
- ADVENTURE WILDLY A cold winter getaway isn’t all about being chill. In fact winter exercise has a ton of benefits – and since you’ll burn more energy outside in the cold you’ll need to adventure a bit more wildly into eating more carbs! But we’re talking about much more than exercise. Sure, getting outside in the winter can give you a mental health boost, naturally invigorate you and give you more time with those you love. But ADVENTURE outside in the cold can really add a whole new element to winter wandering. Intentionally going into wild spaces in more rugged winter conditions places you into nature and the nature of God in ways you may have never experienced before.
WHERE WILL YOU FIND THE WARMTH OF A WINTER GETAWAY?
To make your winter getaway happen first budget the time. You really should set a goal to be someplace for at least 3 nights. That gives you time to DO on the first day, REST on the second day, DWELL deeply with God on the third day.
Regardless of whether you go near or far, alone or with others, do a lot or just a little, what’s more important is that you pray about it and get your directions from God’s Spirit. A winter getaway that has it all isn’t a destination as much as it is fulfilling your destiny to be in all that God has for you.
La Campagne, Spencer, Indiana
Find this place and find your much needed ‘alone time’ with God. Set in a wooded landscape perched atop a peaceful ravine, this winter getaway will lift your spirit high as you look out large seamless windows to a panoramic view of the nature that surrounds you.
Recently renovated with luxurious yet cozy details it retains all the qualities of this historic Christian ministry home.
This is the perfect place to go for you to get quiet and listen.
Camp Chet, Whitwell, Tennessee
Looking for immersion into lush Tennessee forest and cozy camping, in on-grid or off-grid cabins, boondocking, overlanding or tents? Camp Chet near Chattanooga, Tennessee is the place for you. It was founded with the purpose of providing a setting where people can encounter God more easily, grow closer with each other, and engage in self-reflection through the beauty of remote outdoor experiences.
Camp Chet encompasses over 900 acres of private forested land on Whitwell Mountain, which is part of the Cumberland Plateau in Southeast Tennessee.
You can hike, climb, boulder, electric bike, and more during the day and explore great views of God’s expansive sky at night. There are many nearby points of interest and both scheduled events or opportunities for you to hold your own event.
MORE WINTER GETAWAYS THAT WARM THE HEART
Have you been to a winter getaway that we should share here? Do you own or manage a getaway that is especially incredible in the winter? CONTACT US and tell us about it.
Post a comment below and share your thoughts about traveling to winter getaways and how they have transported you to a special encounter with God and a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, others and yourself.
