There's a specific kind of quiet that hits the first Monday of January.

The holidays are officially over. The "I'll circle back after the new year" emails are about to flood in. And everyone, myself included, is staring at their laptop trying to remember how work works.

If you're feeling sluggish today, same.

We didn't ring in 2026 the way we'd imagined. No rooftop countdown, no champagne toast in some European square. Sara came down with the flu right before New Year's Eve, so we spent the night on the couch, her buried under blankets, me running to Publix for medicine and cough drops, and hoping 2026 would cut us some slack... especially since the Georgia Bulldogs lost.

She's back to about 80% now (thank God), I on the other hand am starting to get the sniffles. A good reminder of something we've learned from years on the road: the story rarely matches the plan.

People assume full-time travel is all scenic overlooks and golden hour adventures. And sometimes it is. But sometimes it's being sick in a random Airbnb. Sometimes it's spending New Year's Eve horizontal instead of somewhere photogenic.

The thing is, those quiet, unglamorous moments? They're still part of the story. Maybe even the more honest part.

So if your January is starting slower than you hoped, you're in good company. We're here in Tennessee, planning our 2026 content (including a return to the UK for an England-in-winter series), and I'll be parked at my desk answering the inbox avalanche like everyone else.

Here's to an imperfect start.

Last week we asked what you want to pay attention to in 2026. Jenn from Atlanta wrote back:

That's the kind of stuff we love hearing.

What's one place you're determined to visit in 2026? Hit reply, we'd love to know.

Pro Tip: Travel insurance isn't optional. We've had to cancel flights, extend stays, and visit doctors abroad. It's paid for itself multiple times over. Boring until you need it, life-saving when you do. We use SafetyWing for our travels (not sponsored, but this is an affiliate link)

👀 What Caught Our Eye

If you've got a pup and a case of cabin fever, AllTrails has a solid filter for dog-friendly trails near wherever you are. We use it constantly with Kramer, especially when we're somewhere new and don't know what's actually accessible versus what just looks good on a map.

It'll show you nearby hikes, walks, and even dog parks if your four-legged friend just needs to get the zoomies out. January's a good time to get outside before everyone else remembers trails exist again.

​Find Dog-Friendly Trails Near You​

✈️ Flights We’d Text to Friends

Here are a few that caught our eye this week:

• ​Boston → Aguadilla, Puerto Rico for $212 – 59% off (normally $525+). Skip the San Juan crowds and land on the quieter west coast. Surf, beaches, no passport required. Gone in 2-3 days.
• ​Washington → Aruba for $751 in business class – 49% off (normally $1500+). Lie-flat seats to turquoise water. Copa also lets you add a free stopover in Panama if you want a 2-in-1 trip. Gone in 2-3 days.
• ​Chattanooga → Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for $1074 – 30% off (normally $1535+). For when you want to really get away. Bonus: you get a Tokyo layover on the way there.
• ​Knoxville → Amsterdam for $561 – 44% off (normally $1015+). Canals, bikes, stroopwafels. Quick connection through Atlanta. Gone in 2-3 days.
• ​Seattle → Kailua-Kona, Hawaii for $247 – 66% off (normally $745+). Big Island for less than a nice dinner out. Gone in 1-2 days.
• ​Minneapolis → Tokyo for $791 – 48% off (normally $1525+). Nonstop on Delta. Ramen, temples, vending machines with everything. Gone in 2-3 days.

Is there a city you wish we would feature for flights? Email us back and we'll put it in the next email.

We find all of these through Going. It is worth setting up alerts for your home airport. Most of these deals won't last long, so if one catches your eye, don't sit on it.

📍Worth Sharing

A few things we bookmarked this week:

• ​TikTok convinced thousands of people Brooklyn Bridge had NYE fireworks - It didn't. Completely fake. Thousands showed up anyway. This is the internet now.
• ​Rome's Trevi Fountain will start charging for access - Starting February 1st, non-residents pay 2 Euros to get close and toss a coin. Free access after 10pm if you want to skip the fee.
• ​Caribbean flights disrupted after Venezuela military operation - If you're traveling to the Eastern Caribbean this week, check your flights. Hundreds of cancellations hit Aruba, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and more over the weekend. Things should be back to normal now, but worth double-checking.
• ​Going is giving away $500 toward flights - Tell them about your next trip and you're entered. They're picking a winner every Friday through February 13th. Free money for travel is free money for travel.
• ​Athens named the most walkable tourist destination in the world - Acropolis to the Temple of Zeus in under 30 minutes on foot. The hills are brutal but the views make up for it.
• ​Oklahoma is going all out for Route 66's 100th anniversary - $82 million invested in 400 miles of relit neon signs, revived motor courts, and roadside attractions. If you've ever wanted to do the Mother Road, 2026 might be the year.

🎥 ICYMI

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Two years ago we took advantage of something most people overlook: Chicago is ridiculously cheap in January. Nobody wants to visit when it's freezing, which means flights are cheap, restaurants aren't packed, and you can actually get a table at the places everyone talks about.

So we did what any reasonable person would do: ate our way through the city. Cinnamon rolls at Ann Sather. The Beijing duck at Sun Wah that required four people to finish (we tried with two, we failed). And yes, Mr. Beef, the restaurant that inspired The Bear.

If you're looking for an excuse to book a cheap winter trip, this might be it.

Thanks for reading Field Notes. We’re trying to make this a space worth saving, full of things we’d actually send to a friend.

If you ever want to pass it along, here’s the link to subscribe: chrisandsara.kit.com/chrisandsara​

And if something in here made you laugh, think, or book a flight… we’d love to hear about it. Just hit reply or tag us @chrisandsara_ on Instagram.

More soon,

Chris & Sara