Do you get super stressed when planning a vacation, trying to nail down exactly how you will fit everything in, see all the sights, and make sure that you are having the Best Time Possible? Then this blog post is for you.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
I was like that too.
I would spend hours ahead of any vacation or trip researching the best restaurants, the best places to stay, transportation options, deals and discounts and I would end up with a to-do list half a mile long. In my head I'd try to keep track of tour schedules, restaurant hours, which experiences required reservations and how far in advance you could make them.
By the time we actually arrived I was almost bored with the place! I tried to pack in as many "experiences" as possible and ended up with vacations that felt more like crossing off a to-do list than an actual break.
Luckily, my husband (and most frequent travel partner) quickly got fed up with this.
He told me on a trip to Disney World (a place where you can REALLY overschedule!) that he was actually nervous about the trip and not looking forward to it because he could tell I was already stressed the night we arrived.
"I'm not stressed! I'm excited! I'm on vacation!" is what I wanted to explain. But instead I asked "what is it I'm doing that is creating stress?"
He told me that the way I had tried to plan each day with specific times and places to do everything left him feeling like I wouldn't be happy unless we did everything "right" and that he felt worried he would mess up my vacation.
He was right, in a way. By trying to control everything I'd brought my perfectionism on our trip with us. I had arranged the "best" schedule and it left almost no wiggle room, so if things went perfectly that was fine, but if anything went unperfectly? It felt like I let myself down. And when's the last time you had a vacation where everything went perfectly?
In that moment we committed to making the trip better. I took out my phone and started cancelling reservation after reservation.
We made a compromise.
I could plan 2 things each day.
One ride or show,
and one meal.
Everything else we did would be following what we felt like it. We'd just wander around and see where the day took us.
It was the BEST Disney trip I'd ever taken.
No rushing to get a fast pass.
No stress waiting in line (it's not like we have something planned for after this anyway).
No worrying if we were having the "best" possible experience.
We were able to just enjoy the moment we were in. And enjoy each others' company.
Having the one meal planned and the one experience forced me to get more intentional about what I really wanted to do, and gave us a bit of a framework within which we could "riff' on our day. It was a stark contrast to the previous trips I've done at theme parks, which were all about tight schedules and timing the lines right and getting the right seats for a parade.
It. Was. Magic.
Since then we've adopted the same rule when we travel anywhere. I can pick one or two things a day (one is often food) that I really want to make sure we do. And from there we let ourselves explore and float.
It's completely changed my experience of travel. I can actually ENJOY my vacations now, instead of constantly being in planner/problem-solver mode. And so I figured it's too good not to share.
Try this new style of planning for your next trip and let me know how it goes!
P.S. - travel anxiety about a big trip getting you down? Sign up for one of my $33 soul check sessions and we'll create a plan to help you actually ENJOY your vacation that's completely unique to you!