How to Relax on Vacation

Posted on June 25, 2009 - Filed Under Beach and Vacation Travel Tips and Help, Vacation Time

Have you ever gone on vacation and then come back feeling just as bad as you did before you left?

Or have you felt that your vacation just wasn’t as good as it could have been?

Vacations come way too infrequently to not enjoy them to the fullest, and I have the answer for how to relax on vacation. Well, I have the answer that works for me. Everyone is different. Some people want adventure, like the Indiana Jones vacation. Others (like me) like to relax. In my last post, I explained how to make your vacation last longer.  In this post I will let you in on my secret list to relax.

1. Relax

Sounds simple, I know, but it’s true. If you want to get recharged and enjoy yourself, then don’t start running all over the place. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off is for back when you are at work.

2. Keep Your Expectations Low

Low? Seriously? Yes, seriously. If your goal is to sit on a beach and read a book, then don’t plan on doing everything you can. If you get out and see some sites, then great; you did more than you planned on. Just don’t try to plan too much when you don’t really want to.

3. Adapt, and Overcome

Things change. You have to accept it and deal with it. Sometime we make plans to go do something, and then you can’t do it. Don’t get upset, just go do something else. See #1 and #2.

4. Take the Day After Vacation Off

I know many people who, if they have five days of vacation, they will leave on Friday night, spend all week on vacation, and get home the next Sunday night. This is the worst thing you can do. You enjoy your vacation, then kill yourself by trying to squeeze every last bit out of it. If you get home, and have the next day or two off of work, then you are still technically on vacation, but you aren’t paying for it.

Do the same thing you were doing on vacation, go sit on your deck and read, find something fun to do. RELAX!

5. Don’t do the Tourist Thing

This can be a hard thing to do. If you’ve never been somewhere, you want to see all the tourist spots. However, if you go to a certain place a lot (like we go to Newport, Rhode Island) then stay away from anything touristy. Go and do things that the locals do.

6. Eat Where the Locals Eat

This is the most important point to me. If you eat at tourst places, most likely you are eating the same thing you can get at home. Find where the locals go and eat with them. You enjoy finding new places, and you can relax because the local places will almost always be cheaper than the tourist or chain restaurants.

This list is made form experience. My wife and I have had our share of vacations that felt rushed and short. But last year, we had the best vacation we’ve ever had. We had no plans but to sit on the beach, and we fulfilled every plan we made.

Do you have any tips on how to relax on vacation? Let us know in the comments.

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