Sometimes when we go on vacation, we don't necessarily have a relaxing time. Has this ever happened to you? You go on vacation, and with all the running around and the tight schedule, you come home saying to yourself, that wasn't relaxing at all. How frustrating! I agree.
Jump to:
- Find a destination that radiates a relaxing vacation.
- Determine the length of your trip that works best for you to truly relax.
- Don't take work with you.
- Don't check your email or social media.
- Add relaxation time to your vacation.
- Create a Plan B.
- Plan kid projects
- Now it's your turn. What is your favorite travel tip? Please leave a comment below.
Well, here are tips to have a relaxing vacation.
Find a destination that radiates a relaxing vacation.
Pick places that will bring you back to nature, like going to a more private beach, the mountains, or somewhere near a lake or trail. Because you can't do much on a cruise besides the activities, it is a great relaxing option.
Determine the length of your trip that works best for you to truly relax.
I know the trip needs longer than three days; a 5-7 day vacation is ideal. Think back on your past vacations and determine what the most relaxing vacation for you was. Did you like the shorter holidays? Were you able to decompress quickly?
Don't take work with you.
I know this is hard for small business owners because it is so easy to do these days. But try your best not to take too much.
Don't check your email or social media.
This one can be hard too. If you want to check your email, check it first thing in the morning or at night ONLY. This tip will help you keep it to a minimum, and you can still enjoy your stay.
"On vacation, I totally unplug. I don't bring a laptop with me." ~ Will Wright
Add relaxation time to your vacation.
Because you are on vacation, it doesn't mean you need to do everything. Think of only the top to-dos you want to do on your vacation. Make reservations for them. Then create a separate wish list. Some examples are places to eat, places to visit but you don't need a reservation for, and food to try. Include on your wish list: the name of the store or eatery, what it is, the address, and the phone number. This way, if you have some time and what to find something to do, you already have a list to choose from.
Create a Plan B.
Not all plans will go according to the program. We can't always determine when this will happen, so have a backup option researched beforehand to help you relax if something goes wrong and the plans must be changed. The wish list above will also work as your plan B. Remember, it's OK if this happens. Sometimes things happen outside of our control. Going with the flow is best for everyone.
Plan kid projects
If you have little ones traveling with you, be sure to plan for several shorter projects for them.
Giving the kiddos short projects to do during a vacation will keep them preoccupied and allow them to get some well-deserved relaxation. Short car games, coloring books, drawing pads, and small bags of Legos are some things to bring for the kids.
If you want specific traveling tips, check out my Traveling tips page. It includes all my posts about traveling and will hopefully help you stay relaxed and organized.
Feel free to visit our other vacation trip tips!
Now it's your turn. What is your favorite travel tip? Please leave a comment below.
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Nancy Haworth says
Thanks for these great tips, Sabrina. I agree that 5-7 days is a good length. I've gone on too many "less than 3 day" trips, and they are never relaxing!
Janet Schiesl says
Great tips. I agree that 5 to 7 days is an ideal amount of time. Enough to wind-down and relax, but not too much that you are overwhelmed once you get home. I still find it hard to drop technology altogether. Going on a cruise would be a challenge for me! I am going on a vacation on Saturday!
Seana Turner says
I just returned from a short vacation (weekend) where I made the intentional choice to leave my computer at home. I gave myself permission in advance to be free of all of that, and instead brought a book I had been wanting to read. Turns out, I was able to read the entire book. Quite a lesson in how much time I actually have!
Janet Barclay says
As you say, it's very challenging for solopreneurs to leave work behind as for many of us, work is life. But my husband and I just spent a week at a cottage and we did it! Although we had our mobile devices and wi-fi, we didn't check email (except for my personal account) and spent minimal time on social media. It's really surprising how quickly time passes when you're not doing anything! Now to bring some of that feeling back with me when I go back to work next week.
Sabrina says
Wow, good for you Janet! That's awesome. I hope you had a great vacation.
William Rusho says
What great tips. I know some people who get wound up at work, and then get wound up planning and taking a vacation. I think the best advice is to understand a vacation will not be perfect. Expect and accept things that go wrong, otherwise you will be wasting the time you needed to relax.
Jeri says
I do check my email once a day on vacation, but I do manage to not be active on social media. I've never taken editing on the road, but I have graded many a stack of essays at various Labor Day campgrounds. My recent vacation consisted of eight nights of tent camping in our different locations. Some would not find that relaxing, but I do 🙂
RoseMary Griffith says
I've heard of people who don't relax on vacation, but can't be accused of being one of them!
Luckily, one of the areas where my husband and I really hit it off from the start is traveling together. We don't plan every minute, we have a broad list of things we want to see or do and we wing it a lot. For us, that's relaxing!
Susan cooper says
Hi Sabrina, great ideas. For me I think the best way to have a relaxing vacation is to unplug completely...no cell, texts, laptops. For that short period of time it can be like it used to be, before cell phones and internet, when you weren't constantly ON and bombarded with info. 🙂
Erica says
Honestly, I haven't been on a trip that lasted more than 4 days in 5 years. Actually, it will be 5 years this week. I guess my priority just needs to be scheduling a vacation. And I definitely need to schedule it out of a city. I live in a city and my last weekend type vacations were San Diego and Vegas. So it's been a while since I've been in nature. Relaxation type is really so important.
Doreen Pendgracs says
Great tips, Sabrina.
As I am a travel writer, I hardly ever get to take a true "vacation." I'm almost always 'on', as I never know where my next story will come from. But I've found that the past 2 winters when we've taken longer time away from home, I have taken m,ore time to slow down and enjoy the peace and quiet, and it's been WONDERFUL! Enjoy your holiday time!
Marquita Herald says
These are wonderful tips Sabrina. I tend to prefer keeping as much of my itinerary open as possible, but then I'm not traveling with family. On one of my favorite trips to Europe we left an entire week open and just took the train through the south of France and stopped where we felt like it. We ended up staying in a villa on the side of the mountain overlooking a bay! It was amazing, and available because it was 'off season' ... just the kind of finds that make the trip an adventure. 🙂
Phoenicia says
I only truly relax when away from home; whether in the UK or abroad. I need a change of environment in order to distance myself from the every day pressures of life.
Weekend breaks are too short for me. As soon as I have unwinded, it is time to return home.
I agree with you about switching off for social media. However, it can be difficult if you are a blogger/run a business online. On our last family holiday, I allocated an hour a day to update my FB business page and deal with enquiries regarding my online make up business.
Donna Janke says
It's good that you ask people to think about the type and length of vacation they need to relax. Not only may that vary from person to person, it can be different for one person across time. Needs vary from year to year. Sometimes you need to be in nature and do very little; other times you need to explore to relax. When traveling with families, it's important to find activities and ways to travel which give everyone time to relax and enjoy themselves. That can be a challenge with young children but necessary. I think it also helps develop respect and consideration in children.
Catarina says
Good suggestions for a relaxing vacation, Sabrina. The main thing, normally, is to unplug completely. If I went on holidays for the next two weeks, however, I would not be able to do so for the simple reason that on July 12th I know if I have been admitted to university or not in the first round. Would be really stressful to ignore that:-)