Tips for Relaxing on Holiday
Want to relax on your next trip? Make sure you do these five things.
It’s
finally here. You’ve spent weeks planning, often thousands of pounds booking,
and hours of time preparing to go on your long-anticipated summer holiday…
but you just can’t seem to embrace it and relax. We’ve all been there. As a
nation, we spend two days of our holiday on average worrying about issues at
home; whether it is checking in on your work emails or worrying about the very
situations you’ve gone on holiday to avoid! This guide to relaxing on holiday
will help you to sit back and enjoy your break.
1. Before you leave
The reason many of us just can’t seem to switch off on holiday is because of
work. Of course, we spend the majority of our time in the office, so it’s only
natural to feel out-of-sorts when leaving it all behind completely for two
weeks. Before you leave work for your trip, try to tie up as many loose ends as
possible, set
an out of office responder, and ensure you’ve got people in place to cover
for any problems that might arise in your absence. Set aside some time during
your first day back to catch up so you have peace of mind that you can take
care of everything when you return.
2. Flight times
If you’re off on a family holiday, the time of day you set off can make a
difference between starting your holiday on a high and starting it with high
stress levels. Don’t book a flight at 5am if it means the entire family will
spend the first day and a half catching up on sleep. If you are able to, it is
worth spending extra on an afternoon flight.
3. Get adequate travel cover
There’s nothing that spoils a relaxing holiday more than worry. Ensuring that
you have reliable travel cover to help you with anything from big emergencies
to small problems will leave you with one less thing to worry about. If you go
on a long-distance holiday, medical costs can run into the thousands without
insurance cover ($30,000
for a week in a US hospital!) and minor annoyances like lost
passports are made less stressful when the cost is covered.
4. Leave guilt at the airport
When we’re on holiday, a lot of us actually forget that we’re supposed to be
taking a break. For most of us, this flash in the pan relaxation comes only
once a year, so we shouldn’t waste time worrying about drinking too much at
lunch (within reason of course) or consuming too many calories. Embrace the
holiday spirit, have that third cocktail with lunch, and try
as much local food as you can eat.
5. Don’t over schedule
It’s sensible to make a list of ‘must-see’ or ‘must-do’ activities and excursions
that you don’t want to miss out on while on holiday. Often, we only visit a
destination once in a lifetime. However, what isn’t advisable when looking to
minimise stress on holiday is to over book excursions. Make sure that you limit
the amount of activities you plan during this short space of time, as having
each day jam-packed with activities will ensure that your relaxing trip turns
into more hard work!