For many of us, vacation is perceived as a time to unwind, relax and participate in activities of our choice. Despite this conception of what a vacation should be, many return from their trip feeling no better rested than when they departed. If you return from your vacation still feeling tired and stressed, consider whether you had the following issues throughout your trip.

Not Disconnecting

The whole point of vacation is to have a break from your normal life. Using your precious vacation time to respond to emails, take work calls and complete tasks, prevents you from fully enjoying this current time of rest. As a result, you’ll return home feeling no more rested than when you embarked on your trip.

Too Many Activities

As ironic as it might sound, sometimes to make the most of your trip, you have to minimize the number of activities you participate in. For most of us, a trip has a set start and end date, which only leaves us with so much time in between to experience our travel destination of choice. 

Not only does packing in too many activities prevent you from fully experiencing any one fully, but it doesn’t leave you with any down time to just explore on your own or simply relax. So, although you’ll be busy throughout your entire trip, you’ll return home without having truly rested. 

The Wrong Vacation

When planning a vacation, your activities should be planned around what you’re trying to get from the trip.  Our travels often center around certain themes such as adventure, exploration, sightseeing or relaxation. Regardless of why you’re travelling, it’s important to plan activities that further your goal! If you’re hoping to rest, maybe it’s best to opt for time at the spa over a long hike!

Not Incorporating Recovery Time

Upon returning home from a trip, it can take time to get back into the normal routine and shake-off any sluggishness that came back with you. Depending on where you travelled, you may even travelling through different time-zones, which can definitely throw your body off. Prior to going on your trip, book a couple days off once you’re back home, to give yourself the opportunity to catch-up on sleep and get back into rhythm before heading back to work or school.