Recapping Grand Turk
My best friend Hanna and I have a habit of coming up with a wild idea, asking the other to join in, and saying ‘yes’ blindly. Skiing? Sure, why not? Suspended bridges high in the mountains? Great idea, let’s do it. Surf camp in Nicaragua? Neither of us has ever surfed before, but let’s book a ticket. Last summer, Hanna asked if I wanted to go to Grand Turk. I didn’t hesitate.
“Sure, when?”
Hanna has been to Grand Turk several times. Her friend Katherine lives there, studying whales and sea turtles, running charters, and being a total badass. One of Hanna’s big dreams was to have some of the people who mean the most to her join her in Turks and Caicos, and 2025 was the year to make it happen.
Confession: I didn’t know where Turks and Caicos was on the map, just that it was ‘in the Caribbean,’ until the morning I left. I was sitting at the airport when it occurred to me that I should know the location of the country I was flying to. The fact that I booked a ticket to a place without knowing where, exactly, that place is sums up Hanna and I’s friendship nicely.
Another confession? Turks and Caicos is not the first place *I* would have picked for a vacation. I would have had us in Prague or Portugal or maybe even Morraco on a wild hair, but I wasn’t going to say no to a tropical vacation in the middle of the winter doldrums.
Not to be dramatic, but I think Turks and Caicos changed my life.
A few of us flew into Providenciales a day early, where I immediately got married in the customs line to Rodigo, the customs agent. I walked up to his booth, passport in hand, Rodigo the only thing standing between me and hugging my best friend. Instead of stamping me through, he held onto my passport while he told me how beautiful I am, how he saw me in line and was hoping I would get called to his station, and invited me – and my friends – out that night. He also asked which phone number on my card was mine (I told him it was my dad’s landline…) so he could WhatsApp me and said to tell my friends I’d met my future husband. I was pretty sure I was never going to get my passport back when Hanna sidled over and Rodigo finally sent me on my way. We did not join him that night.
After picking up a rental car and finding our Airbnb for the night, we ventured out to get lunch and rent snorkel equipment. The water was a little too choppy for yours truly, so I hung out on the beach and enjoyed being phone-free. We had dinner at a local place called Sharkbite that night, a restaurant on the water known for sharks swimming through. Sure enough, we saw one! I also had some of the best jerk chicken of my life.
I was exhausted by then, however. I was coming off of working two fourteen-hour days to try to be prepared to be out of the office and navigating the realization that I’ve been dealing with burnout. I had worked until one in the morning the night before (that morning?), then packed, tidied up my house, and got my dog’s things together for the pet sitter. I got into my bed at 3:40 am and got right back out of it at 4:15 am to go to the airport. I was so tired during dinner that I was nearly in tears and falling asleep at the table.
We had some time to kill the next day, so we went snorkeling, got some coffee, and headed to the airport to meet up with the rest of our group and take an intercarribean flight to Grand Turk. There was a small incident in which I forgot my belt bag in the rental car, but thanks to a kind Hertz shuttle driver and Hanna and I sharing location, I was able to get it back within a half hour of realizing I’d left it. We took the hopper flight to Grand Turk, loaded into our rented golf carts, and settled in for the night after picking up dinner across the street from our Airbnb.
The next day was whale day, the reason we went to Grand Turk. We met up with Katherine and her boyfriend Kell, who run charters and whale watching tours, got on the boat, and had the experience of a lifetime. We swam with whales – yes, in the water – went snorkeling in open water, had lunch on a deserted island while stingrays swam right up to us, and went to bed happy, tired, and, in my case, very sunburned. There was also guacamole, wine, and a late-night joyride around the island in our golf cart.
We started Saturday slow. A few of us took a golf cart to the lighthouse which is surrounded by an abandoned rope course, concession stand, and lookout points. The wild donkeys that are everywhere on the island walked up to us, so we said hello, then stopped at Ridge Cafe, a darling cafe and boutique hotel on – you guessed it – the ridge with beautiful views. The owner, Amanda, served up the best iced coffee and sourdough bread, then it was back on the boat for the afternoon. The whole group returned to Ridge Cafe that night for an absolutely incredible dinner.
Sunday also started slow. I loved those slow mornings. Our Airbnb was right on the ocean and had a backyard full of places to lounge. I sat in a lounge chair and wrote or read in the mornings or else chatted with my friends about life. Other than the whales, I think that was my favorite part of the trip. I desperately needed that part of the trip. We went shopping at the cruise ship port, watched the sunset at the lighthouse, and then sadly packed our bags to leave in the morning.
Grand Turk could not have come at a better time. I was exhausted and not in a great place mentally. I was perpetually a step away from crying, my anxiety was through the roof, I had no inspiration, no time, and no desire to do the things I love. I was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. I was putting in multiple 12+ hours days per week, living for the weekend where I would tell myself I’d get to all the chores I’d neglected all week, the writing I wanted to get done, the books I wanted to read, only to crash hard on Friday nights, then lose the weekend to aimless scrolling and napping. I needed time with my people, and Grand Turk not only gave me that, it gave me time away from “real life” to clear my head and start to make a plan on how to navigate burnout.
I fell in love with Turks and Caicos in a way I can’t put into words. It’s beautiful and peaceful, even in Provo traffic. The people are kind, and the pace is leisurely. People aren’t tied to calendars or to-do lists. Island time really is a thing, and it brought me back to myself. I came back with a clearer head, more focus, and a strict dedication to boundaries.
If you have the chance to go to Turks and Caicos, whether you stay on Provo or head to Grand Turk or another island, do it. Let the slower pace, beautiful views, salt water, and sunshine bring you back to life. I’m so thankful for the chance to be here with my best friend, to make new friends, and to experience things I could have never dreamed of.
I’m already planning my return trip.
