Ask Mike: Relax, It’s Just Vacation
Hey Guys,
Everyone loves a vacation, yet the time away can be quite stressful. The planning, the cost, and the embarrassment at not being able to speak the language… these things often add up to two weeks that are more draining than everyday life. What to do?
I asked the Answers community for tips on how to make vacations more like a vacation and people had plenty of ideas. Interestingly, some of these ideas conflicted. For example, several people wrote that proper planning is key. They argue that if you plan well enough, you won’t be a huge ball of stress when you arrive at your destination. Makes sense, but not everyone sees it that way. HappyMom recommends taking it easy on the plans and just letting things happen. Very Zen, HappyMom.
Other community members offered advice on who you should (or shouldn’t) travel with. Shleenish wrote four little words that many people will no doubt agree with — “don’t go with family.” Fellow responder tan0301 agrees, writing that she and her husband both took their respective mothers on a joint vacation and she nearly went bananas.
Finally, mylifeisHis gave some sage advice that I think many people often forget: Don’t cram two weeks of activities into one week of travel. Be aware that you won’t see everything, so don’t try. Heck, you can always go back.
Do you have advice on how to stay stress-free while traveling? Do you plan everything a la Clark Griswold or do you like to go with an open agenda? Please leave a comment below and let me know.
Thanks for reading,
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Mike, just a note for the Blog people that you still have YA links going to the old blog page. Noone should go on vacation from YA until you get caught up.
For me backpacking and taking YEARS off is the only way to get real feel for travel.
Living and traveling abroad is not an accessory or something you can buy from expedia….Its an act and hobby that will only give you a piece of mind seeing other places. NEVER PLAN TO MUCH…..for being in those funny situations that you try to avoid are the moments that you will really cherish later. Happy traveling. Jay
can u tell me how does Yahoo!s so good
I Love It It Rocks Really
I normally take the “middle ground” when it comes to vacations. Whatever my destination, I look things up to see what I would want to do when I get there, and then list them in order of priority, and synchronize it with others’ lists. When we get to our destination, firstly, we ALWAYS sleep until we wake up – no alarms (it is a vacation after all), and then start doing things we’ve listed.
Everyone has to be on the same page though before the vacation starts, so there are no squabbles later. If we don’t get to see all the places or do all the things we wanted, it’s not a big deal. We can always go back next year…
And when all this is agreed to beforehand, it doesn’t matter who is coming along.
open agenda leave much room for enjoyment of vacation .
I’m not really stressed Mike cause I went to Mackinaw Island!
I would need to do some planning.
To travel I need to know plans: destination, events, time, – the big picture , agenda.
In advance: I’d need to a chance to clean up my surroundings, organize personal details, see about wardrobe etc. Would take 6 weeks + .
I am lucky. I am free from obligation now. I’d like to make it simple and pleasant!
Hi Mike. The Link To This Blog Is Working On The Us Side. I clicked It And It Brought Me Here.
I Answered Your Question About The Vacation Travel
We do an annual travel somewhere with my whole family–parents, my sibs, their spouses and kids–and it works out well. The understanding is: no one has to do anything they don’t want to, no one has to feel guilty about not going with the group, priorities are always our parents and the younger kids. The various family units like to do different things–one is very sports oriented so seeks that out, another is more for sedately fishing, another likes no-cost serious hiking. My parents are elderly and can no longer do much physical activity so one family unit plans their day around what our parents can do and might enjoy (sometimes we split mom and dad apart since they don’t always do the same things). And we plan to have supper together as a whole family the first night of arrival and one either on or close to the last night we are there, we try to make reservations in advance at one of the fancier, well-recommended restaurants. It has worked well (although we keep our family vacations to just one week, any longer and it would get itchy). As soon as we decide on a possible place to go, we all jump on the internet to see what there is to do there that would interest each of us because some of these things you do need to make reservations in advance (and sometimes they are cheaper if you reserve in advance and/or buy a package activities thing).
My big gripe about traveling is always the airport stuff and the plane ride–I get antsy and hate to be confined, plus that high pitched sound in planes makes my head hurt. I figure if I can get through the airport stuff (security, check-in, customs, claiming baggage) and the jetplane stuff, the rest of my vacation is easy and quite doable.
To clarify. On the USA site, some work, others go to the old site. They have multiple links through YA.
I was just thinking about how it must be to have a job that allows you the luxury of writing in such a cosmopolitan style. I mean to say this in the most flattering way possible, but you must remain so politically neutral that you become an icon of small talk. I have become a student of your small talk. Small talk is very important, so keep up the good work.
Pack light if possible. We like to take old clothes that we can leave behind, like old holey underwear, etc. The more stuff that you take adds to the stress.
I want to say thank you to 2 people who answered my first question for ‘ANSWERS’.
I stopped taking vacations. wherever I go, there’s always me. Just try to mix some fun stuff in every day. We seem to believe the fun stuff is happening somewhere else. You can’t chase happiness, except away. magnamater
I would only plan the flight and location. AEverything else I would just fly by the seat of my pants. Who knows…one morning I may decide to enjoy the room and not even get out of bed!
For a mountain trip or any outdoor vacation …
Living in a ski resort town, I would say that winter and summer visitors that come with more of an open mind, not too many activities planned, have a better experience than those who start planning a year ahead with a fully booked schedule of activities.
Over planning tends to create too many expectations. Mother Nature doesn’t always agree with all your plans (most activities in the mountains are dependent on weather). It is better to have the mindset that you are getting away and you are going to enjoy your vacation no matter what … an adventure and a break from your normal routine.
I’m with Tanya A., above. You need to pick a destination and place to stay. Not doing this will surely lead to trouble. But you don’t need every day planned out after you get there. This can leave you feeling trapped. Make a list of the top things you want to do and just see how far you get. Don’t feel bummed if you don’t get to all of ‘em. There is always next time. I usually alternate….one day to kick back, the next to be active, and back and forth. You can satisfy several needs this way.
very helpfull it is very good
SIGN LANGUAGE IS BEST..IF THAT DOESN’T WORK , GO HOME….
Ok, well it would be silly to not have any plans at all. Leave some for chance but have a broad generalized plan for what you want to do. Thats the reason one picks ones destination.
Mike, you are so right… rushing around is no way to vacation.
And a little piece of advice is to book everything ahead of time; that way when you get there, everything is taken care of… and dont book an ‘earlier flight’ last min. It NEVER works!
other than buying my tickets and securing a place to stay (which requires some slight planning so you know where to get your rooms and when).. otherwise i just kind of go with it. i usually have a few things in mind i’d like to do and if i don’t get to them all, cest la vie!
HappyMom has the right idea. Hopefully, she lives her life the same way. Why plan anything?
Think about living is not living.
Unless you are going on a strict must-see-everything-this-town-has-to-offer kind of vacation, just plan how you’re getting there, and where you are going to stay. Make sure you have enough money for your trip, and just enjoy what you find when you get there. I think this kind of vacation is the best. It’s more fun and less stressful, because if you miss something, it’s ok. You didn’t screw up your itinerary.
I think the whole idea of taking a relaxing vacation with the only 2 weeks that corporate America gives to it’s overworked citizens is a vicious scam. In most industrialised countries workers get at least a month. It’s no wonder Americans are sick and overstressed. Not going anywhere for a vacation but de-stress in order to go back to being a slave is succumbing to the scumbag greed of the CEOs and the government who doesn’t represent them but corporations and their CEOs and a legislature that passes no regulations to protect the majority of Americans who work and don’t own a company. It took bloodshed and suffering for workers in America just to get an 8-hour workday and two days off out of the week where American workers were shot at by police and the national guard for protesting against companies, like Ford Motor Company, for treating them the way third world workers today are treated by global corporations overseas where most of America’s manufacturing jobs have gone.
in my case, iīd rather plan all details in advance , searching the best place to go , fancy restaurants,decide the means of transportion and their timetable schedule etc.itīs important evaluate the budget, a good quality-price, the my last trip was awesome, 20 days into europe highways with my wife and a friends couple.we got through 8 countrys. then was v important study and planning and the same time i got chill out, of course setbacks came out but itīhappening.. the trip is made up of 3 phases: plannig , the trip , the bill when the credit card get home.
Sleenish is right. I always like to say, “I need a family vacation- that is, a vacation from the family.”
Hi Mike,
Firstly, about the planning aspect: I think it depends on the type of vacation you’re on. I have been on leisure vacations and adventurous ones like backpacking through Europe. I think the leisure ones need a certain amount of planning, like hotels, special sites, and even certain activities. But the Eurotrip I took was a lot more fun when things sprouted from the moment.
A quick comment about mylifeisHis’ suggestion: I disagree. If you’re in a place where it would be difficult to re-visit, for whatever reason, then I think you should try to do as much as you can whenever you can. Plans can get canceled due to weather, illness, or anything of the like, so do what you can when you can. I mean, when is the next time you’ll be in Hong Kong or Egypt?
And finally, when you’re on vacation, my number one rule is have fun and do what you want to do. If you enjoy museums, see all the museums you’re able to. If you like beaches, spend days on the beach with the waves crashing in the background. If you like being adventurous, go skydiving in the Alps!
this is in reply to relax during vacation. You myst plan the vacation well in advance, finish up the work pending before leaving, bar all phone calls, dont have any hectic schedules, stay put in one place and relax its your vacation
Best rules I have for stress-free vacations:
1. Bring half as many clothes and twice as much money as you think you will need. Believe me, this greatly reduces the stress.
2. Make sure you have a contact liaison back home who knows where you’ll be and who has copies of all your important papers (ID, SSN, etc.) and can fax you the copies on short notice.
I would love to relax.
To let go and experience a fresh start.
I cherish my loved ones and appreciate everything they have done for me. Their patience has been amazing.
Planning, patience, progress . I’ll get there!
Just my point of view. Happy travels everyone!
hey i dont think that is correct
Another point, please-
For me: planning is needed before a vacation.
I enjoy exploration and spontanity on arrival.
If i was traveling i would listen to music to stay stress free in everything or maybe bring a little dvd player in look at movies to stay clam
Take everything you keep on your bedside table. Taking nothing you’ve never worn or used.
Technology really is an inescapable aspect of our daily lives, and I am fairly confident when I say that we have passed the point of no return in our relationship with technology.I don’t mean this in a bad way, of course! Societal concerns aside… I just hope that as technology further innovates, the possibility of uploading our brains onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It’s a fantasy that I dream about almost every day.(Submitted on FFBrows for R4i Nintendo DS.)