I just got back from vacation. It was fantastic! I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on how to make the most of vacation. After you read the post, I would love to hear how you make the most of your vacations. Here we go:
Prepare – Anytime I am going somewhere, I research what the “must-do’s” are. I also research the best places to eat! I’ll put them in a note in Evernote. While I am actually on vacation, I’ll ask as many locals as possible what I have to do and where I should eat while I’m in town. I’ve gotten to see some pretty cool things that I would have never seen had I not done the research and asked around.
Vacation Traditions – No matter where you go, make traditions with your friends and family when you take trips! Whether it’s taking similar photo’s each year, letting each person pick what to do each day, always going to a nice dinner, you name it.
Eat Everything – I set no boundaries when it comes to diet while I am on vacation! It’s wonderful! I must have consumed 10,000 calories a day on vaca! Throughout the week, just for dessert, I consumed: 7 ice cream cones, 2 whoopie pies, 2 pieces of blueberry pie ala mode, 7 pastries! It was awesome! Enjoy life!
Unplug from Everything – On trips where I don’t have to work. I unplug from everything. I don’t take my cell phone with me anywhere I go, I try not to check social media sites, I don’t respond to texts or calls unless I absolutely have to. This is hard for me because I am social, but it’s one of the only times all year where I am fully engaged in every moment with the people I love most.
Make Memories Intentionally – This is a core value for me. Whatever you have to do to make memories, do it! Once you make a memories, record it in a journal so you don’t lose it and you can always go back to it and bring it back up on future vacations and dinners with friends and family.
Take as Many Adventures as You Can – This is a core value for me to! If there is adventure to take, I want in on it! I want to climb every mountain, take every excursion, see every historical site, eat at all the famous restaurants, etc. Experience everything you can in life!
Review & Reflect – This probably consumes the majority of my time on vacation. I am constantly reviewing and reflecting on my life. Where I’ve been, where I am at, where I am going in every area of my life. Am I hitting my goals? Am I growing? Am I accomplishing what I want to be? Am I living by my priorities?
Commit – Once I’ve reviewed and reflected, I usually get 3-4 things that I recognize I need to change and commit to. I’ll write those 3-4 things down and commit to making the changes when I get back from vacation. Then I’ll ask someone to hold me to what I’ve committed to!
Read – I read as much as I can on vacation! I love reading! I always try to find a few books to go through while I am on vacation!
Take Pictures and Journal – These are the two things you’ll be able to leave your kids when you are old! Pictures and words that you journal are the only tangible things you’ll have to remember your vacations and memories! Capture everything!
These are some of the things I do to make the most of my vacations, what do you do?
