Vacations should be relaxing and truly regenerating and whether your next trip is a solo adventure whereby you can do exactly what you want and when you want to do it, or you have set yourself up for an entertaining (if noisy) family vacation in the near future, the goal is to be as relaxed as possible.
With that being said, here are five top tips for the ultimate stress-free vacation.
- Sign Off from Your Work E-Mails
Even if you are the multi-millionaire CEO of a multi-national company, a vacation means a break: a break from your normal daily life and your professional roles and responsibilities.
This is why, in order to ensure your own vacation is stress-free, you should create an e-mail signature to sign off from the office at the end of your last day, and not even check your e-mails until your first day back at work.
- Avoid Creating a Packed Schedule
The temptation to book as many day trips and sunset boat rides as possible on vacation is understandably high, especially when the date of your holiday is a few months away or more.
However, you must try and allow time to relax, de-stress, and basically, do absolutely nothing in between these iconic and once-in-a-lifetime adventures, as packing too much into one week will leave you tired, fatigued, and needing another holiday to recover.
- Book Your Transfers
Another simple, yet incredibly effective method of keeping your and your partner’s stress levels to an absolute minimum whilst embarking upon a well-deserved vacation is to book your transfers ahead of time.
Look into reputable and renowned taxi cab companies operating at your destination airport and arrange airport pickups for both on the way and on the way back.
- Speak to Locals for Restaurant Recommendations
Unfortunately, if you are traveling with small children, it is likely you have booked to go on vacation in the school summer break and therefore, the most popular and well-publicized cafés and restaurants are likely to be booked to the rafters.
Instead, then, if you are willing to go off the beaten track, ask locals in the area for their own recommendations for restaurants and other entertainment venues, which are likely to not only be quieter, but probably cheaper as well.
In addition, remember to find out about the rules for tipping in your local area—as well as any other customs different from your own—to avoid embarrassment.
- Have Someone Look After the House
Finally, there is little to no point in going on vacation in the first place—especially you are flying out of the country—if you are going to spend the whole time worrying that you left the oven on, or if you definitely locked the back gate.
This is why it is certainly worth asking a trusted neighbor, a friend who lives nearby, or even a family member to either regularly check your home, or even stay over for the period you are away, so you know that everything is being taken care of in your absence.