Here are 3 ways to fully unwind on a trip, according to a psychologist
Monica Virga, a 38-year-old entrepreneur living in Norway, said she found it disturbing to go from working 20 hours a day to almost nothing while on holiday.
“I would end up going back into my emails and checking things related to work that I didn’t need to be in,” he said. “When I got home, I was realizing that I didn’t even feel like I was on vacation because I was doing all these unhealthy habits.”
But now this has changed.
Virga began her preparations two years ago ahead of her trip to Morocco in October.
Monica Virga and her daughter ride a camel in Marrakech, Morocco.
Source: Monica Virga Alberno
“At the end of August, I started working a little extra for a few hours once a week,” he said. He also packs his things Three to four weeks in advance to avoid last minute stress.
His approach reflects the recommendations of the American psychologist. Adam CraneA member of the American Psychological Association told CNBC Travel that planning ahead is crucial. He shared three tips to fully relax and recharge during the holidays.
1. Slowing down before the trip
Winch said it can take days, sometimes weeks, for people to slow down after being constantly busy.
“Usually people try to get ahead in their work before going on vacation,” he said. “Before they leave home…they are already stressed and tired.”
Therefore, on short getaways, travelers may only find themselves settling into the rhythm of the holiday once the trip is over.
The solution is not to stop everything, but to switch to a slower rhythm.
“So you’re not in fifth gear, you’re in third gear,” he said. “It’s a little easier and quicker to get down to first place.”
2. Pace yourself
Holidays are relaxing when activities are planned according to one’s physical and mental capacity. Winch said one way to do this is to focus on experiences.
Virga, a mother of two young children, no longer crams it with activities when she goes on trips. Instead, he looks for calming experiences for the family.
This includes “There’s a child care component where I can get a massage or do yoga and my kids are taken care of,” she said.
It’s no longer about checking off the perfect to-do list, he said, but about doing activities that interest them.
“I’m now a big believer that the traditional vacation is not designed for parents, like the idea of going on a cruise ship, or even an all-inclusive resort,” he said. “Kids are eating all these foods that are really bad for them, there’s overstimulation.”
Managing expectations is also a big part of making the holidays a relaxing experience. Marissa Goldstein, a mother of four, believes parents are setting themselves up for failure from the moment they start chasing the perfect vacation.
“They’re going to end up feeling like either I’m a terrible parent, my kids are terrible,” she said. “[Or thinking] ‘Why can’t we travel like everyone else I see on Instagram?'”
His family travels without a fixed plan.
“We’re just figuring it out…we get lost in the day and have no expectations,” Goldstein said.
Marissa Goldstein is in South Korea with her family.
Source: Marissa Goldstein, @twinsonthegox2
To keep her kids busy, she uses ChatGPT to create scavenger hunts about the destination and makes sure it’s teen-friendly.
“Our best experiences are when we’re hands-on, when we get dirty, when we want to have fun, and it’s not expensive, fancy stuff,” he said.
He added that although he enjoys luxury holidays, it has nothing to do with the kids.
3. Step away from ‘your own work’
Psychologist Winch said holidays are only restorative when we disconnect from work psychologically.
This is because taking a vacation is not just about traveling to a different place, but also about taking a mental break, he added.
But mentally disconnecting from work can be difficult, and for independent business owners like Goldstein, it can seem nearly impossible.
“When you work for yourself, it’s really hard to separate yourself from the work,” Goldstein said. One way out of this situation is to rotate shifts with her husband while traveling.
Winch says he takes a similar approach. “I can’t leave completely… I have to respond every once in a while,” he said, but “at a very specific time that isn’t interrupted by other things.”
He emphasizes the importance of responding at the appropriate time rather than making promises at a specific time. “Schedule this at a time that is convenient for you,” he said.
