Sometimes, a holiday can go from relaxing to stressful minutes after the first vacation day begins. This can be due to unexpected events like flight mishaps and logistic miscommunications or the exhaustion from touring various places in a short period. To make matters worse, some people find it hard to get themselves out of “work mode” and end up checking their emails or reviewing documents despite setting up an automated “out of office” notice.
These situations are not an ideal way to enjoy your vacation and go against the reason you’re on holiday in the first place. Fortunately, it’s possible to minimize these stressors and train yourself to stop working. Focusing on the reason for your trip—rest and recreation—also helps in maximizing your time away from the office. Once you’ve achieved that zen state, you can enjoy your vacation, whether you’re staycationing at hotels in San Juan, Makati, or Quezon City, or spending the weekend in a nearby province. Here are some tips for staying zen on your next long holiday:
Spend More Time Away from Your Screen
As tempting as it is to record every moment of your vacation on your phone, it’s best to minimize your screen time as much as possible during your time away from work. This is because paying too much attention to real-time news, work emails, or social media notifications can pull away your focus from enjoying the location you’re visiting. You’ll only end up worrying about all sorts of concerns rather than being present in the activity you’re in or the place you’re exploring.
Thus, spending less time on your gadgets can ease your worries and help you settle into a more relaxed mood. So, put away your phone for the duration of your vacation. Take in all the sights, sounds, and smells of your current environment, and simply revel in the fact you have zero responsibilities for at least a few days. Whenever you feel tempted to browse the web or peek at your work email, remind yourself that doing so will pull you out of the holiday experience.
If you’re having trouble cutting down your screen time, start small by promising yourself not to look at your apps or devices for at least a full 15-minute block for each day you’re on vacation.
Account for Longer Travel Times and Possible Delays
Putting in the time and effort to plan for your trip, including how to get to your destination, can put you at ease, knowing that you’ve got everything under control. This reassurance, in turn, means you can enjoy your vacation worry-free.
Unfortunately, a lot of people forget to factor in how their travel time can become affected by unforeseen circumstances. This is a common mistake caused by the tendency to plan only for the best-case scenarios, forgetting to take into account that it’s possible to leave the house late, get stuck in congested traffic conditions, or end up with a delayed flight.
So, in addition to factoring in how far your destination is, make sure to think about all the possible delays you could encounter, such as those unique to your chosen modes of transportation. If you’ll be taking a flight, for example, account for the possible traffic congestion you could encounter while heading to the airport, especially if you’ll be heading out during peak travel times. If you’ll be going on a long drive, you need to factor in some blocks of time for pitstops so you can take bathroom breaks, gas up, and get some food to eat.
Set a Budget and Stick to It
Since you’ll be spending quite a bit of money during your vacation, you’ve probably already set aside some money based on your expected travel expenses. That said, do you have a clear budget in place that clearly accounts for every aspect of your trip, from your lodging, transportation, and food, to souvenirs and entrance fees for specific attractions?
If you’re taking a trip to celebrate a special occasion like your birthday, it’s even more important not to go overboard on your spending. Otherwise, instead of feeling relaxed after your trip, you may come home to a huge credit card bill or find yourself without enough cash for your daily living expenses. All this can make you feel more stressed than you already were before going on vacation. To avoid this, make a complete list of your projected vacation expenses, and always refer to it before making any purchases during your trip.
Carve Out Time for Rest
It can be exhausting trying to hit every stop on your itinerary, as if it’s a requirement to visit them all in a set amount of time. However, stressing yourself out about being at a certain place at a certain time goes against the idea of why you’re taking a vacation in the first place: to relax and destress. Your holiday is an opportunity to give yourself some self-love, after all.
Instead of rushing to each destination one after the other, schedule some time in your itinerary between stops. That way, you can rest and recharge so that you can enjoy your next destination more fully. In the meantime, why not unwind by enjoying a meal at a restaurant near your hotel or taking a bubble bath back in your hotel room? These moments of stillness are just as much a part of your holiday as the more exciting activities on your schedule.
There are a lot of things you can do to stay zen during a holiday. All in all, it means being prepared for anything that could happen, being realistic about the time you have, and not stressing over the little details. And if you can get yourself in the right headspace, you’ll be able to let go of all your worries. This, in turn, means you’ll have a stress-free holiday that’s guaranteed to make you feel refreshed before you return to the hustle and bustle of daily life.
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