3 Tips For a Stress-Free Vacation

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, but let’s face it – sometimes stress comes up. Here are three things to remember to maximize your fun and enjoyment!

Here are 3 quick tips to a stress-free vacation:

1) Give yourself lots of time.

Unless you get a thrill running up against the clock, you’ll likely be stressing if you don’t give yourself enough time. This doesn’t just apply from getting to and from an airport, but also setting the agenda for each day of your trip. If it’s essential that you relax on your vacation, don’t pack your day with too much activity. Giving yourself extra time will allow you to be more present in the moment, and be able to more successfully handle those around you whose stress you can’t control.

2) Put together a plan for the things you really want.

If you desire a specific result and are not willing to “wing it,” it is essential to plan ahead. A good example from this weekend was that we decided to show up to the mountain without signing our kids up for ski school in advance. When we showed up, they didn’t have enough spots remaining in the class. While they went to investigate what they could do for us, we were nervous because we had to scramble to put together a backup plan. Luckily, we were able to get the kids into ski school, and lesson learned: next time we will sign up ahead of time, and use that extra time during our trip to have more fun, rather than dealing with logistics.

3) Remember why you’re going on vacation in the first place.

When stress gets the best of you while on vacation, take a minute to remember the purpose of your vacation. Is it to get some much needed rest? Is it to share some great memories with your family? Is it to enjoy being disconnected from your regular day-to-day? Whatever it is, recall this reason when you’re feeling like something’s off, and focus on making sure that you get out of the trip what you ultimately want. You don’t want to go home feeling worse than when you left!