As I post this blog today, I am actually away on vacation someplace south with warmth and ocean waves. My husband and I started doing this annual trip four years ago. Although it has not always been easy financially, we have always made it a priority. We don’t spend a lot of money and do all the touristy things available where we go, but we focus on time away with our children.
The first year, we went on the suggestion of another family to join them for this vacation. It took a lot for us to make it happen financially. But after experiencing the rest, relaxation and memory making with our children, we knew we had to make this a priority moving forward. There is just something about stepping away from the demands at work, school, the house, and other responsibilities that opens up space to reflect and be grateful.
How to vacation with less stress
Now, vacations aren’t perfect. You can have a fight with your spouse, crappy weather, or crabby kids. Vacations don’t solve everything but they help us to unwind from the daily grind. The following are some suggestions of ways to make vacation less stressful:
- Plan ahead financially. Research where you want to go, make a rough budget, divide the amount by how many months you have left before the trip and save up for the trip. This can alleviate the post-vacation stress of trying to figure out how you will pay back credit cards once you get home.
- Have realistic expectations. I once heard our pastor say something like, “If you have a crabby teenager at home, you will probably have a crabby teenager on vacation.” Remember that you are all humans and there may be some normal, rough patches along the way.
- Don’t over plan activities. That is called a trip! Vacations should allow some time for slowing down, relaxation and time away from a schedule.
- Something for everyone. One idea is to get a travel brochure or check out the town online and allow each family member to choose one thing they would like to do while on the vacation. This allows each member to feel invested and like the vacation fulfilled their expectations.
- Stay at a vacation rental. We have been using VRBO for all of our vacations recently and personally, it allows for a more relaxing vacation. When you have more rooms and bathrooms then a hotel, it allows more space for each person to spread out. Also, if you can cook some of your meals at the house, you aren’t feeling rushed to be at restaurants for meal time. This also saves a lot financially.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Even if everything doesn’t go as planned, choose joy. Spend time at the end of each day having each person share something they enjoyed that day in order to focus on gratitude.
- Don’t feel like you have to travel far away. Even a few days away to a local town or city that isn’t too far away is still time away.
There is a lot of newer research on experiences contributing to increased joy and happiness rather than the accumulation of material things. Prioritize time away with those you love! For me, this is such an important piece of self-care.
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