Do You Need Five Easy Ways To Live Your Blessed Life In Luxury On Every Vacation?
Ever feel you’re stuck taking the same vacation every year?
You visit different places, but they all kind of seem the same.
You find the planning exhausting.
You stress out over small things so it’s just easier to do the same things because it’s what you know.
You cram too many things into too little time, and you come back more tired than when you left.
You bring work with you, even when you say you’re not going to. You wind up giving away precious vacationing hours to your job.
Any of these sound familiar?
I’m going to be bold and say: This is not what a vacation should feel like. You deserve MORE out of your vacation.
You work hard and you have earned the time to relax and make memories with the people you love.
Try out these five secrets to having the most relaxing vacation while making the most unbelievable memories.
Trust me — try these on your next vacation and see how much better your memories are.
Commit To Moving Your Body 30+ Minutes Every Day When You're On Vacation.
This is especially important if you have a job that has you sitting at a desk all day long.
I’m not talking about working out; I mean do what your body and brain want you to do, which is move around a little. Lounging is great — there should definitely be plenty of time for lounging — but only lounging for days on end has a de-energizing effect on the body. (It’s part of why desk work can be insanely exhausting, even though you technically aren’t doing anything physical all day long.)
Whatever your level of mobility or fitness, pick something to do every day that gives you joy and a burst of activity: walking, swimming in the ocean, a bike ride, playing with your kids, morning yoga or stretching. If you have some physical limitations, plan ahead and find walker- or wheelchair-friendly spaces to explore, even if it’s just for 30 minutes each day.
Your body and your brain will thank you. Activity actually helps boost your body’s ability to fully relax and soak up the restorative purpose of vacationing.
Soak In The Peaceful, Natural Beauty God Created.
You might not be the camping type (trust me, I’m NOT!) . . . or the sporty type . . . or the outdoorsy type.
That’s 100% okay!
You don’t have to hike the Grand Canyon to sit in total awe of it.
When you’re vacationing at the beach take your morning quiet time and a blanket down to the sand and soak in Gods power as you listen to the waves crash.
Even the biggest, loudest city has peaceful places to just be in the presence of natural beauty. Make it your mission to find that hidden peace of paradise in every city you visit.
If the weather’s nice and you have the option, sit outside for your meals or have a picnic.
Just soak in your surroundings and the view; pay attention to light, sounds, sensations, and smells.
Spending time in nature has so many health benefits. Your body absorbs vitamin D from the sunshine, strengthening your bones and reducing the risk of many diseases such as cancer. According to a study at the University of Michigan, spending time in nature improves short term memory. It has also been said, people who spend time in nature have better mental health, are sharper thinkers and more creative. These are just a few of the long list of benefits when you spend time in nature.
So on every vacation, get outside and soak in the peaceful, natural beauty God created.
Try New Things . . . Be Adventurous.
This one can be challenging — but it pays huge dividends when it comes to creating vacations that are full, satisfying, and memorable. This is less about booking some extreme trip and more about being willing to approach every trip as a learning experience, to being open to the possibility that every vacation can actually make you a better person. Seek out conversations with interesting strangers. Learn some phrases in a new language and practice them and see what happens. Try new foods. Take in a performance that features local music or
dance. Take the risk of not knowing and being willing to ask. People who try new things are people who make things happen.
“There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, we have to be people who make things happen.”
~Jim Lovell~
Put your money into experiences, not things.
Again, this one can be challenging. We’re taught in our culture that having more stuff will make us happier, even though research has proven this over and over again to not be true. Vacations in and of themselves are experiences — so that’s one step in the right direction — and getting a few small things to remember your trip is certainly not a bad thing.
Take a minute to imagine the memories you can make on a private guided tour of Rome. A local tour guide. Just for you and your family/friends. Exploring spots not found in any tour book. A tour designed just for you.
It may mean you can’t get some of the souvenirs. But when you look at the pictures from that private tour and remember those once in a lifetime moments with the people you love, you will forget all about those souvenirs you just had to have.
So, when the moment comes to decide if you want to blow a ton of cash at the duty free shop or a souvenir shop — ask yourself what kinds of experiences you could buy that will be with you forever and that will continue to bring you happiness long after you are home from that vacation.
Treat your Vacation like a Vocation.
Notice there’s only one letter that separates the time you spend relaxing, re-energizing, and reconnecting from the thing you were born to do.
The word “vacation” comes from the Latin vacare, which means “freedom from obligation and duty, release, to be free and at leisure.” The word “vocation” comes from the Latin vocare, which means “to call” — as in, your personal calling, your purpose, the things that bring you deep joy and bring out the best in you and everyone around you.
Think of the joyful energy you would put into your calling — the intention, the planning, the attention to detail, the gratitude.
Consider the other word we frequently use for vacation — “holiday” — and note that it means “holy day.” It’s okay to approach your upcoming trip as something that can hold a bit of magic, because it should.
As Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior adviser and business author writes,
your vacation can be the thing that actually brings you back better than you were before — better for yourself, your family and friends, your work, your life.
If you’re looking for ways to maximize your traveling experiences, but you’re not quite sure how to get there, I’d love to help!
If planning stresses you out, I can be your best ally.
I love this work and can help connect you with the places and experiences that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Let’s talk today — you can reach me by filling out a planning form at www.aatraveladvisors.com/contact or email me at kerry@aatraveladvisors.com