Sometimes it feels like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation.
You’ve had vacations like that, right? You came home exhausted and then had to face the pile of laundry, the damp tent that will mildew if you didn’t get it up and dried out, all that gear to put away, not to mention the ecstatic dog who refused to leave your side for the next two days, the yard work you’ve neglected and the phone messages and emails awaiting your attention.
You stare at it all and wonder if it was worth it.
Sometimes, we do all that work so our kids (or parents, or grandkids) can have a great time. In those cases we can say it was worth it even if we return home a teeny bit stressed. But if every vacation leaves us drained, grumpy and unsatisfied, maybe there is something wrong.
After all, aren’t vacations supposed to be good for you? Aren’t they supposed to be fun and relaxing?
Ah, therein might lie the problem—can you have both fun and relaxing at the same time? It depends on how you and your fellow vacationers define “fun” and “relaxing.” One person’s relaxing is another’s deadly boredom. One person’s fun is another’s meltdown.
Time to remember the Be Lisa rule.
I have friends who often post photos of gorgeous and exotic places. They seem to spend a lot of time traveling. Other friends spend their vacations surfing, or cross-country biking, or jumping from cliffs. All this sounds so very exciting, but if I am honest with myself I realize that what seems fun to others might not be fun for me.
I may wish I was fit enough to ride a bike to California, but I’m not, and I don’t have the drive to ever become so. I may wish I spent my weeks traveling around Europe, but I must face the fact I’m not a good traveler. Neither of those options would end up being fun and relaxing for me. I need to admit who I am, and who I am not.
The first step toward a truly satisfying vacation may admitting what activities we will never enjoy, not matter how much we think we ought to.
The next step may be finding a way to satisfy various family member’s definitions of fun without forcing everyone into a bunch of activities they dread.
Two solutions to make vacations more fun and relaxing:
The local option
We live a few miles from a state park. It has campgrounds, trails, a lake, a swimming pool—the whole nine yards. We know many local families who like to camp there. Some may think, why on earth would you want to camp five miles from home? But those who enjoy it claim it’s camping without the stress: no long car trips, you can run home if you forget something, or if the weather gets nasty, and you don’t need to arrange a sitter for the pets. If that three-hour car trip is what puts your family over the edge, maybe camping at the park next door will put the relaxing back in your vacation. It’s almost like a “staycation” but without the temptation of being in the house and seeing all those weeds in the flower beds.
The group approach
We have been camping at the beach with the same group for many years. Why? Because it gives us the flexibility to enjoy ourselves in different ways. My husband wants to get to the beach, so he can spend the day fishing and swimming. We ladies are not in such a hurry. In fact, if the weather at the campground is pleasant, we might spend the day reading, talking, playing games, or napping, and never make it out to the beach at all. Having friends who can join us in our kind of fun makes it work for everyone.
How about you? When was the last time you came home from vacation feeling refreshed? What is your perfect vacation?
