Happy Monday sweet souls. Today I want to write just a snippet on how to truly recharge on vacation. As you may know, my husband and I returned Wednesday from a 10 day vacation in Italy. We traveled with my sister/photographer, Tillman, and our brother-in-law, Blair.
Whether it was the length of our vacation, the fact that it had been a year since our last vacation, or a combination of the two, I really feel relaxed, recharged, & ready to get back to work. Next, I actually made a point to unplug and it did a lot of good for my mental health and happiness.
I want to note some points that I feel helped me recharge during our trip so that you may use them on your next vacation.
- Turn off your phone. A true personal moment of realization of the power of social media and the comparison game was when I was on our honeymoon in Paris. I got wifi and started browsing through photos. I felt a tinge of jealously the moment I saw a blogger somewhere else in Europe. I realized, “wait, I am in PARIS, on my freaking honeymoon, so why on earth could I possibly feel the least little bit of insecurity or fomo? From that point on I have understood how terrible and unrealistic social media can be. I now make a point to leave my phone on airplane mode to avoid social media on trips. Live in the moment!
- 2. Unplug from work duties completely. You should probably check your pride if your response to this is anything other than that of agreeance. Life does go on outside of work, and work will go on outside of you. Set an automated away message, TRUST a coworker to cover for you, and leave your laptop/work phone AT work. It will be there when you get back, I promise. Besides, you will be energized, clear-minded, and focused when you return recharged.
3. Prepare your home for vacation. This is my favorite tip. Laundry is always required after a trip. Since it is unavoidable, make your life easier by cleaning your house, going through mail piles, vacuuming, cut grass, and at least starting the dishes before you leave. Unplug everything, lock windows, close blinds, leave one light on, and even change your sheets so you don’t come back to a huge to-do list. You will be INCREDIBLY appreciative of yourself for making this extra effort!
4. Pack minimally. I made a point to have outfits down to the jewelry and underwear picked out for every day. I reused everything and stuck to dresses, jumpsuits, or skirts that could be worn multiple days. This reduced post-trip laundry and took the stress out of repacking and picking out outfits every day. It made the whole trip easier.
5. Return to work on a Thursday. Something about having JUST a 2-day week really made the return to work easier. It was just long enough to catch up on emails and get back into the swing of things. In addition, it was close enough to the weekend to be able to catch up on sleep or unpack fully just after our trip. At minimum, plan to take Monday off if you get back on a Sunday.
6. Be smart with time zones. Prior to Italy our bedtime was 1 AM. We started going to bed an hour earlier each night and getting up an hour earlier each day 5 days before our trip. We flew out of Toronto at 7 PM and hit the hay with the help of Benadryl and Melatonin. Although we woke up and landed at 4 AM US time (10 AM Roman time), we were rested and ready to go. On the way back we decided to keep our early bedtimes and early mornings. We are now going to bed at 10 PM (we had a long day and was equivalent to 4 AM Italian time) and wake up between 6 and 7. Be weary of your return time if you are traveling west.
7. Eat intelligently. I hate the idea that vacation is when we eat crappy. For me, I have more time to focus on eating healthy and working out, so I get in better shape during vacations. There is no need to stuff your face or shove beer down your throat because you are on vacay. Enjoy yourself, but be mindful so you do not “have to start a diet” on your day back. I feel better when I eat better and vacations are about recharging to me. I eat better so I will feel better back, and I have the time to do so.
8. Go with the flow and stay in the present. It is easy to get stressed out by an itinerary, but go into any vacation or trip with the assumption that you WILL be back. Visit sites based on importance rather than location, so it will not ruin your schedule if you forget a souvenir at an Airbnb. Budget $200 for logistics-gone-wrong in case you miss a train or decide to go on a last minute excursion. Also, stay in the present. Avoid television and enjoy the people, sights, smells, sounds, and feel of wherever life has led you.
I hope you can use some of these and get a rest break on your next vacation or even long weekend off. Have a wonderful week!
With Joy,
Audrey
*and possibly forget a painting at an Airbnb*
😱😱☺️ blushing over here.
Author
No biggie! It is all a part of the adventure 🙂 <3 Troubles always make great stories and anecdotes, also!
Love this article! There are many points here that I never thought about and definitely will be using my next vacation.
Author
So glad you loved the post, Ashley! I hope you are having a wonderful fall! <3