Here are 3 ways to fully unwind on a trip, according to a psychologist
Monica Virga, a 38-year-old entrepreneur based in Norway, found it unsettling to go from a period of working 20 hours a day to almost zero while on holiday, she said.
“I would… end up popping into my emails again and checking up on things with work that I didn’t need to be in,” she said. “I would end up coming home realizing I didn’t even feel like I went on a vacation because I was doing all these unhealthy kind of habits.”
But now, that’s changed.
Ahead of a trip to Morocco in October two years ago, Virga began her preparation.
Monica Virga and her daughter in Marrakech, Morocco.
Source: Monica Virga Alborno
“At the end of August, I started doing a little extra work once a week for a couple hours,” she said. She also packs her belongings three to four weeks in advance to avoid last-minute stress.
Her approach echoes advice from American psychologist, Guy Winch, a member of the American Psychological Association, who told CNBC Travel that planning ahead is key. He shared three tips to fully rest and recharge on holidays.
1. Slowing down before the trip
It can take days — sometimes weeks — for people to slow down after being in a constant state of busyness, Winch said.
“What usually happens is that people try and get ahead at work before they leave for the vacation,” he said. “Before they leave the house … they’re already stressed out and tired.”
That’s why, on short getaways, travelers may only find themselves settling into the rhythm of a vacation just as the trip is ending.
The solution isn’t to stop everything, but to ease into a slower rhythm.
“So you’re not in your fifth gear, you’re in your third gear,” he said. “It’s a little bit easier and quicker to go down to first.”
2. Follow your own pace
Vacations are relaxing when the activities are planned according to one’s physical and mental capacity. One way to do this is to focus on experiences, said Winch.
When Virga, who is a mother of two young children, goes on trips, she no longer crams it with activities. Instead, she searches for calming experiences for the family.
That includes “some childcare component, where I could go get a massage, or I could go do some yoga, and my kids are being looked after,” she said.
It’s no longer about ticking off the perfect bucket list, but to do activities that interest them, she said.
“I’m a very big believer now that traditional vacation is not built for parents, like that idea of going on a cruise ship … even an all-inclusive resort,” she said. “Kids are eating all this food that’s really bad for them, there’s just so much overstimulation.”
Managing expectations is also a huge part of making vacations a relaxing experience. Marissa Goldstein, a mother of four, believes that the moment parents start chasing the perfect holiday, they’re setting themselves up for failure, she said.
“They’re going to end up … either feeling like I’m a horrible parent, my kids are terrible,” she said. “[Or thinking] ‘Why can’t we travel like everyone else that I see on…
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