The Summer Trips: A Symbol of Change and Connection in People We Meet on Vacation

What Are the Summer Trips?

In People We Meet on Vacation, the summer trips are the annual vacations Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen take together. They begin as a tradition formed during college and continue for over a decade. Each trip is a self-contained episode, usually lasting one week, that becomes a snapshot of their relationship at that moment. The trips range from budget adventures—like sharing a cheap studio in New Orleans—to luxury press trips funded by Poppy’s travel magazine. The symbol is literal (a yearly travel event) but also figurative: it represents the state of their friendship, their personal growth, and their unspoken feelings for each other.

The trips recur at key points in the novel’s structure. The narrative alternates between “This Summer” (the present-day Palm Springs trip that rekindles their connection) and flashbacks to earlier summers. Readers see trips to Sanibel Island, New Orleans, Sweden and Norway, Croatia, and others. This structure lets the symbol evolve across time, showing how the same tradition can mean very different things.

How the Symbol’s Meaning Changes

Carefree Friendship (Early Trips)

In the earliest flashbacks, the summer trips are defined by spontaneity and joy. During the New Orleans trip (seven summers ago), Poppy and Alex invent alter egos, shout “Theme matters!” and wear silly T-shirts. The trip is a break from real life—Alex from grad school, Poppy from waiting tables. The symbol here represents escape and the comfort of a best friend who knows you completely. As Poppy recalls, the trips gave her “that feeling that this is what life’s about: being somewhere beautiful, with someone you love.”

Strain and Growing Distance (Mid-Trips)

When Poppy begins working for Rest + Relaxation magazine, the trips change. She combines their summer trip with a work assignment, bringing a photographer along. The Sweden/Norway trip (four summers ago) is luxurious but also introduces tension. Poppy hides the true nature of the trip from Alex, and she is sick the whole time. The symbol shifts from pure friendship to something more complicated—a performance of happiness. The magazine’s expectations overshadow the intimacy they once shared. This trip marks the beginning of the rift that eventually leads to two years of silence.

The Rift and Reconciliation (Croatia and Beyond)

The Croatia trip (two years before the present) is the breaking point. Though the novel does not fully detail what happened, both characters describe it as the moment everything fell apart. The summer trip symbol becomes associated with loss and regret. Poppy looks back at her blog post about Croatia and sees “how miserable I was when I got home.”

In the present-day Palm Springs trip, Poppy and Alex try to reclaim the original spirit of the summer trips. They stay in a cheap rental, deal with broken air conditioning, and have honest conversations. The symbol is redefined: it is no longer about perfect vacations but about being vulnerable with each other. By the epilogue, they plan future trips together, but home has become wherever Alex is. The summer trip no longer needs to be an escape because they have already found their home in each other.

Connections to Themes

The summer trips tie directly to the novel’s central themes:

• Love and Friendship: The trips show the blurred line between platonic and romantic love. The same rituals—sharing a bed, laughing at inside jokes, taking terrible photos—that define their friendship also become the foundation of their romantic relationship.

• Personal Growth and Change: Each trip marks where Poppy and Alex are in their lives. Poppy evolves from a broke waitress to a successful travel writer; Alex finishes grad school and becomes a teacher. The symbol captures their individual growth as well as their shared history.

• Fear of Vulnerability: Alex confesses in the final chapters that he is afraid to be happy. The trips highlight his reluctance to acknowledge deeper feelings. Even in the most joyful moments, he holds back. The Palm Springs trip is the first where he lets himself be truly open.

• Memory and Nostalgia: Poppy often romanticizes past trips. The prologue shows her treasuring a blurry, unflattering photo because it captures “how it really was.” The trips become a memory bank that she revisits when she feels lost. The novel asks whether nostalgia helps or hinders present happiness.

• Home and Belonging: For much of the story, Poppy feels restless despite her dream job. She thinks travel is her purpose, but the summer trips reveal that what she really craves is a sense of home with Alex. In the epilogue, she concludes: “home is wherever Alex is.” The trips no longer need to be a quest for belonging because she has found it.

Character Connections

The summer trips are primarily a symbol for Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen, but other characters help define what the trips mean.

• Rachel Krohn, Poppy’s best friend in New York, functions as an outside observer. She encourages Poppy to “retrace her steps” to find the last time she was truly happy—which turns out to be a summer trip with Alex. Rachel’s pragmatic advice helps Poppy see the trips as a measure of her happiness.

• Swapna Bakshi-Highsmith, Poppy’s boss, represents the commercial side of travel. She demands “inspired” features, pushing Poppy to commodify her vacations. Her influence corrupts the purity of the summer trip symbol, adding pressure and expectation.

• Sarah Torval, Alex’s ex-girlfriend, is indirectly connected. The trips were a space where Poppy and Alex could pretend their friendship was enough, ignoring Sarah’s existence. Alex’s breakup with Sarah happens off-page, but the trips become the place where he eventually processes his feelings.

• David Nilsen, Alex’s brother, appears in memories. His death is a source of Alex’s fear of loss. The trips provide a temporary escape from grief, but Alex’s reluctance to fully embrace happiness is rooted in that loss.

Study Questions

1. How does the symbol of the summer trip change when Poppy begins working for Rest + Relaxation magazine?
   Answer: Before R+R, the trips are homemade, cheap, and focused on friendship. Once Poppy is funded by the magazine, the trips become luxurious but also scripted. The photographer’s presence and Swapna’s expectations make the trips feel like a performance rather than a genuine escape. This shift contributes to the growing distance between Poppy and Alex, as they no longer have to work together to plan and experience the vacation.

2. In what way does the “bad photo” from the Sanibel Island prologue encapsulate the symbol’s meaning?
   Answer: The photo is blurry and unflattering, but Alex insists on taking it because he “wants to remember this.” The photo values authenticity over perfection. It mirrors how the summer trips themselves are imperfect—rainy, sweaty, full of ordinary moments—yet they are what truly matter. The symbol rejects curated happiness in favor of real, messy connection. This theme recurs when Poppy chooses not to post a perfect beach shot but instead cherishes the memory of watching Twilight Zone with Alex.

3. How does the trip to Palm Springs (the present) serve as a turning point for the symbol?
   Answer: Poppy calls it a “do-over” meant to recapture the old spirit. She pays for it herself, keeps it cheap, and hides the real reason from Alex. The broken air conditioner, the storm, and the unexpected gift from strangers force them to improvise. The trip breaks down their careful walls; they have an honest conversation and physically reconnect. By the end, the summer trip symbol is reborn as a space for vulnerability rather than escape. It proves that the tradition can survive even after two years of silence.

4. Compare the New Orleans trip and the Sweden/Norway trip in terms of what the symbol reveals about Poppy and Alex’s relationship.
   Answer: In New Orleans, the friendship is effortless. They invent alter egos (Gladys and Keith Vivant), buy matching silly shirts, and explore without a plan. The trip symbolizes unguarded joy and mutual understanding. In Sweden/Norway, the relationship is strained. Poppy hides the professional nature of the trip, she is ill, and the photographer’s presence makes Alex feel like a prop. The symbol shifts from partnership to performance. Alex’s discomfort is visible, and their communication falters. This contrast shows that external pressures—money, status, work—can damage what was once simple. The earlier trip symbolizes what they have to lose; the later trip shows what they have already begun to lose.