8 Tips to get the most out of your vacation
Exhausted after your vacation or did it pass by in a blur? Most people are able to get away once or twice a year and don’t notice the patterns that prevent them from experiencing everything they want to get from their time on the road. Here are eight tips that will make your vacation more successful.
Don’t try to get everything done before you travel. It’s way too common to think that everything you’ve ever wanted to get done professionally and personally are suddenly critical to cross off your list before you go on vacation. Pause for a moment. Make a list of what’s really critical to get out of the way and focus on those things only. You’ve probably procrastinated over many of those things, so they can wait another two weeks without the world falling apart.
Pack less than you think you need. No one looks forward to the ton of laundry that follows you home from a trip, so curate your wardrobe carefully. Bring a small capsule wardrobe with a neutral and coordinating color and skip the rest. It will be much easier to do two loads of laundry when you return versus half a dozen. And regardless of how long you will be gone, pack for no more than a week. You have permission to wear clothes more than once and mix and match. Your back will thank you that you don’t have a ton of luggage to carry, and you’ll be grateful when get home that you don’t have a ton to unpack and put away.
Stay in a place and get to know it. If you don’t want to have to take a vacation after your vacation, we suggest you spend more time in one place and allow yourself to settle in and get to know it. Find a coffee shop and frequent it every day. Change up the other places you go, but have a routine and get to know the locals and have them recognize you creates special experiences. Give the places you visit time to grow on you. It’s much less exhausting to explore one or two cities on your trip than packing up and moving around every one or two days.Those other places will still be there when you want to visit again and focus on them.
Don’t jam too much into each day. Limit your day to no more than two big sites per day, ideally a morning activity and an afternoon/evening activity. Give yourself time to have a relaxing lunch and to get from one side of town to the other (or try to do activities that are near to each other if possible). We’ve sometimes been so exhausted after throwing too much in a day that we’ve had to cancel an additional activity from our agenda. Vendors don’t typically refund your money, but doing things when you are depleted doesn’t create the best memories. Slow down and allow yourself to just BE.
Allow yourself to feel some discomfort about the unfamiliar. Some destinations are much different than what you’re used to at home or other places that you’ve been. You may be outside your comfort zone, but that’s the beauty of traveling. Allow yourself to experience new flavors, customs, languages, and lifestyles that may be different from what you’re used to. Those things all are part of the adventure and exposing yourself to them and embracing the differences gives you richer perspectives and more empathy and understanding about the world. You also may learn a thing or two!
Take time to eat. There likely will be a lot of stimulation in your vacation location, so make sure you are taking time to eat and stay hydrated. No one likes being around someone who is hangry and hangry people don’t get sufficient enjoyment out of their surroundings. Getting the proper fuel also will give you energy for all the activities you are doing.
Track your spending. If you don’t want to be paying for your vacation for the next twelve months or more, stick to your budget. Give yourself an estimate of how much you want to spend in food costs, activities, and souvenirs. If you decide to overspend in one place, figure out where you can make up for it somewhere else. Allow yourself to have some spontaneity, but don’t go overboard. Do you really need to eat out at restaurants three meals per day? Stopping by a farmers market and assembling a picnic lunch allows you to experience fresh, in-season foods like a local. Don’t bring regrets back from your vacation.
Souvenirs. It’s easy to want to bring back something for everyone, but this is one category in your budget that you can trim. Most of the time, souvenirs are actually made in China, not the place where you are vacationing, and often they are made with subpar materials. Also, your friends and family probably don’t need more stuff in their homes or another t-shirt. If you’re buying for yourself, make sure you aren’t just adding clutter and have a practical purpose for what you bring back. In most cases, taking pictures is the best way to have memories from your trip.
