How to Plan a Stress-Free Vacation
Vacations are supposed to reduce your stress and make you happy. They are not supposed to increase stress, overwhelm and frustration. That entirely defeats the purpose of booking an adventure, going on holiday and resting. If you find that you have the urge to book a vacation, but instead you find your friend anticipating, worrying, dreading, anxious, overwhelmed and exhausted, then something is missing. Vacations should not be another chore that leads to disappointment. Instead, it should be the mental and physical break that you need. Not only do you come back tired, but it also adds stress knowing that the cost and effort was wasted.
If your trip feels stressful, then there may be a few things that need to change to make it fun and memorable (in the right way). This might be adjusting your expectations, learning how to manage stress, simplifying your trip, finding a purpose and more.
To help you plan a stress-free trip, here are some top things to consider.
Purpose and expectations
Before you take any steps, take a moment to think about why you are travelling. Do you want rest, adventure, or cultural immersion? This can help shape the right decisions in the planning process, such as where you stay, what you book, and how busy your itinerary should be.
Plan your itinerary
Planning your itinerary can help you to have the vacation that you wanted and keep stress at bay. If you find yourself stressed because you wanted adventure but couldn’t find things to do, creating an itinerary will help you plan activities in advance. You can then go away and enjoy your days. When you write it all down, it will help you to be more realistic about timing, and factor things like meals, breaks, transportation and spontaneous stops.
A clear itinerary will also tell you when you are checking in and out of your accommodation, so you know whether to factor in luggage storage on your trip. It can be extremely stressful trying to enjoy yourself while lugging your belongings around with you.
Prepare documents before you go
Nothing triggers stress more quickly than trying to gather all of your travel documents and pack right before you head off. Before your trip comes around, it can be extremely helpful to gather all of these documents in advance. Place them in a folder and put them somewhere safe. Create a checklist of documents and travel gadgets, so you can organize yourself and check everything on the day of your trip.
Mindset and self-care
Cultivating the right mindset and practising self care before you go is going to help you with a stress-free trip. It is inevitable that there will be crowds, delays, and other minor hiccups. It is therefore important that you consider how you respond, as this will determine your experience. This will start with the lead-up to the trip and remain important throughout. Try to take time to practice mindfulness or breathing techniques to help reduce stress, take mornings nice and slow, learn your limits and set boundaries, get lots of sleep, stay hydrated and fuel your body and most importantly, listen to your body.
Vacations should be fun, not stressful. Follow these top tips to help you reduce stress.
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