How to Never Need a Vacation from Your Vacation Again
How often have you come home from a vacation – even if it’s just a weekend trip – and felt like you needed some downtime (or a vacation from your vacation)?
Wouldn’t it be nice to get home and actually feel rested, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle your everyday life again right away?
Here’s how to do it.
Prepping for vacation
If you’re like me, you want to accomplish way too much before you leave for a trip. For whatever reason, I want to check off way more to-do items than are even possible in the number of hours before vacation. Instead…
Make an achievable to-do list. Create a list that you can actually accomplish before leaving for your trip. Leave things that can wait until after vacation for after. Otherwise, you’ll feel stressed and anxious going into vacation. Ick! (By the way, here’s how to create achievable goals.)
Take care of yourself. Vacation is often a time for sitting in a bathing suit on the beach and sipping mai tai’s. You don’t want to go into your trip feeling like garbage…so take the time to eat right and exercise beforehand.
During vacation
Many of us get more burnt out on vacation than in our everyday lives because we want to do and see everything during our trip. While this is well-intentioned, it doesn’t bode well for your wellbeing.
Take it easy. I’ve found one of the best ways to balance seeing/doing with relaxation (which our bodies and minds need!) while on vacation is to narrow activities down to one major activity per day. Typically, cramming more in means everyone is going to be exhausted and even frustrated by the end of the day.
Continue to take care of yourself. Make sure you’re switching out mai tai’s for water and trading sunbathing for a walk on the beach or swim in the ocean. If you spend a few days or a few weeks eating and drinking more, foregoing a good sleep schedule, and ignoring exercise, there is no doubt you’re going to feel awful when you get home!
After vacation
You just got home and all you want to do is lay on your couch for a full 24 hours. No more, my friend!
Pad your vacation with travel time. I always used to think friends of mine were crazy not to want to travel home at the last second to get every ounce of vacation they could. Now I know better. Plan for travel (especially should a flight get delayed!) and give yourself some time before having to head back to work or worry about life again.
Unpack quickly. Have you ever brought your suitcase in and left it in your closet for days? I sure have. It will help you feel at home, back to normal, and much more relaxed to unpack immediately. Walk in the door and unload your dirty clothes in the laundry and put away your toiletries. (Then you can sit on the couch for a moment!)
Don’t beat yourself up. Traveling is exhausting…it just is. So don’t beat yourself up over needing a few moments to breath when you first get home…it’s only natural!
What are your best vacation or travel tips?