General Information
Over the next few months, many of us will be taking a break from our routines and go on a vacation. We may take a few days or a couple of weeks. Our vacation may involve travel to new places or visit family or friends. It may include staying at home and taking care of some projects around the house. These qualify as a vacation if they bring rest and refreshment to our body, mind, and soul. However, not all vacations measure up.
Vacations can be stressful before, during, and after. They can steal away whatever remaining joy we might have. Ineffective vacationing drains us. When we finish, we feel more like a survivor than a vacationer. We return saying, “I need a vacation from my vacation.” We have all done it. We have greedily packed so much into our precious time off that relaxation gave way to anxiety, and rest yielded to keeping to a schedule. We over planned and under-recreated. We placed a higher priority on getting it done than on ourselves, our family, or our friends.
Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring ways to find joy in our vacations. Remember, a vacation is a vacating of your routine life in order to change the scenery, rest, refresh, see things from a different perspective, and allow yourself to simply be. We spend so much of our year doing, earning our living, justifying our existence in work that we simply need to step back and be who we are. This may require getting back in touch with ourselves and those closest to us. It may mean turning off the company email and allowing others to take over our responsibilities. I hope you re-discover the joy of vacationing!
Vacations can be stressful before, during, and after. They can steal away whatever remaining joy we might have. Ineffective vacationing drains us. When we finish, we feel more like a survivor than a vacationer. We return saying, “I need a vacation from my vacation.” We have all done it. We have greedily packed so much into our precious time off that relaxation gave way to anxiety, and rest yielded to keeping to a schedule. We over planned and under-recreated. We placed a higher priority on getting it done than on ourselves, our family, or our friends.
Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring ways to find joy in our vacations. Remember, a vacation is a vacating of your routine life in order to change the scenery, rest, refresh, see things from a different perspective, and allow yourself to simply be. We spend so much of our year doing, earning our living, justifying our existence in work that we simply need to step back and be who we are. This may require getting back in touch with ourselves and those closest to us. It may mean turning off the company email and allowing others to take over our responsibilities. I hope you re-discover the joy of vacationing!
Tips
There are several questions you may want to ponder before planning your next vacation. These grow out of my own experiences.
Early in our marriage, I planned our family vacations around a very tightly, organized schedule to maximize our time. After a couple of these, the family rebelled because these trips were making me a nervous wreck and I was yelling and screaming all the time. And so, Marlene and I came up with three rules for the road on vacations. 1) We travel, as much as possible, on non-interstate highways. 2) We eat at non-chain restaurants and try to order their specialties. 3) We plan our itinerary one day ahead. Over the years, we have modified these a bit, but they helped me to break many of the unhealthy habits I had developed around vacationing. With these few articles, I hope you will be able to write your own rules for the road for your next vacation.
Not everyone vacations in the same way. As you prepare, ask yourself a few questions and then listen carefully to your answers.
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Your answers are simply suggestions about how you might create your vacation experience. Enjoy preparing for a vacating of your routine day-to-day life.
Early in our marriage, I planned our family vacations around a very tightly, organized schedule to maximize our time. After a couple of these, the family rebelled because these trips were making me a nervous wreck and I was yelling and screaming all the time. And so, Marlene and I came up with three rules for the road on vacations. 1) We travel, as much as possible, on non-interstate highways. 2) We eat at non-chain restaurants and try to order their specialties. 3) We plan our itinerary one day ahead. Over the years, we have modified these a bit, but they helped me to break many of the unhealthy habits I had developed around vacationing. With these few articles, I hope you will be able to write your own rules for the road for your next vacation.
Not everyone vacations in the same way. As you prepare, ask yourself a few questions and then listen carefully to your answers.
- In your work-day living, are you a planner or an explorer? What will be more relaxing for you, continuing to plan every step of the way or setting off into the unknown like an explorer?
- In your work-day living, are you engaged with people or pretty much on your own most of the time? What will bring you a greater sense of renewal, being with your close family or engaging with others? If with others, would you be able to enjoy being with family, friends, and/or strangers who have a common interest?
- In your day-to-day living, do you follow closely kept routines or is every day a new adventure? What would make your vacation less stressful, establishing a routine and sticking to it or just letting each day unfold as it will?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Your answers are simply suggestions about how you might create your vacation experience. Enjoy preparing for a vacating of your routine day-to-day life.
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