October 8, 2015
Have you ever asked someone how there trip was, and they turn to you with exhausted eyes, an exasperated, forced smile, seemingly unsure how to answer? They say it wasn’t long enough, or they need a ‘vacation from the vacation.’
Then that’s because they are doing it wrong!
The photo above is one of 10 major waterfalls in about a 10 mile hike. Oh and I’m soaking wet. (Oregon- whatcha gonna do?) It was amazing! And no it’s not because I particularly like hiking in wet cloths
Time to learn how to vacation like you mean it!
Train for Adventure
My travels usually fall into one of two categories: either they are about relaxing on a beach, or they are about seeing spectacular places, and doing new exciting activities. It’s either serenity or adventure, and I try to alternate between them. Here’s the thing though, at any given time, my body is more built for maxin’ and relaxin’ than running up a mountain, if you know what I mean. It’s not that I’m sooo out of shape, but a good adventure demands a little more.
Of course, that is where the training comes in. Whether I plan to hike up a mountain, ski down one, or kite-board a gorge between them, I spend weeks to months before my trip trying to work out the muscles I know I’ll need. The worst thing is trying to learn or enjoy something new, only to find out you’re too exhausted in 20 minutes to do it. Everything in life takes practice. If you are like me, and want to try out some new activities on vacation, you are probably going to need to warm up a little for them.
Putting this into practice is pretty straight forward. (Remember, always consult your healthcare professional when making big changes to your level of exercise.) While you may not be able to practice exactly what you want to be doing, you can often strengthen the right muscles, and increase your cardio-endurance to where you need it to be. Think closely about the muscles you will be using, and find exercises that will train those to respond and strengthen. If you want to go hiking, inclined treadmills and stairs might be helpful. If you want to go rowing out on a lake, think about the muscles in your back and arms that involves. Then think about auxiliary muscles. New activities have a good likelihood of using muscles you are not really used to using. Take hiking again: besides the big muscle groups in your legs needed to power you up the path, walking the uneven ground uses smaller muscles in your ankles, legs, and core to maintain balance and stability. The closer you can get to what you will actually be doing, and/or the more you can very your exercises the more likely you are to be prepared.
Plus, I have found that there is nothing quite like using the excitement you feel about vacation, to motivate a workout. You feel like you are actually working towards something (because you are) instead of just being a hamster on the wheel. Every motion has a purpose. Every step has a goal. Instead of pounds off, pounds on, or being able to pick up slightly heavier random objects than a few days ago, it becomes about being strong enough to have a kick-ass time! Those feelings of being too tired for the pain of the workout get overcome by the desire to do something you really want to on your trip. In the end, you trick yourself into being more fit in general, but you will also be able to genuinely enjoy the demands of your adventure.
Know People Who Know
Then ask them. Even in an age where so much information about places you’ve never been to is online, nothing replaces talking to someone who’s been there. I planned an entire two week trip to New Zealand, a place I’d never really considered going, based on the suggestions of a stranger in Mexico. I consult friends and family that have been places like the Smoky Mountains, or Oregon before going there myself. Where-ever I go, I ask friends and family what they have liked.
The next step is to ask people who live there. It can be at a visitor’s center, or just some (friendly looking) strangers you happen to eat lunch close to. Learn to be curious again. Ask people what they have enjoyed. I let a friend I had only met once show me around Amsterdam, and another acquaintance lead me around Munich. Let the people that know the area show you the best it has.
Allowing people who have actually done something to personally tell you about it has 2 results that are well worth the venture outside of your comfort zone to ask. First like I’ve alluded to, they are often better at telling you what you should really see or do. Sometimes they have a personal knowledge of what you will prefer. Sometimes they have more first hand experience of what is the best of the best. Either way, you receive better advise than you can get from a travel website trying to appeal to everyone, and highlight everything.
Secondly, getting people talking about what was exciting or amazing to them is contagious. It primes your expectations. It is the difference between reading the movie description, and seeing the trailer before you go. Before you even have a chance to travel, you can experience a small piece of what they did. It is a appetizer to make you hungry to have a great trip. Then once you arrive it gives you permission not to second guess your choices. “This is pretty great, but should I have done B instead? Maybe it would have been better. Nah, Jimmy said they had a great time at this waterfall. This is pretty relaxing!” Try as we may, we are social creatures, and influence of others is everywhere. It’s ok to own your own story, and still enjoy the highlights of other people’s.
Leave Time for Life to Happen
Sometimes in the effort to have a great trip, we over plan. We only have one week, and we want to see everything a place has to offer. Well it ain’t gonna happen, so stop right there. It becomes a detriment to plan out every last hour of the day. It limits and constricts you. That is something I try to avoid on vacation. Sometime, vacationing like you mean it means not having a clear plan. Having the time to stay a little longer at an overlook you are really enjoying is freeing. Just taking in the afternoon sun, and conversation after a long lunch at a street side cafe is calming. Leave time in your schedule to wander across something you had never thought of, but, as it turns out, you would really like to do.
What’s the worst that is going to happen? You get bored? Good! Because now that we travel with our phones off, boredom means resetting the baseline. Without apps to play with, and texts to read, and notifications to address, you may be forced to just sit, and watch the world around you. [Gasp!] Or to sort through some of the mental clutter in you mind, just thinking. [Double Gasp!] Take the opportunity to use your down time to bring your consciousness back to a place where you aren’t overwhelmed half the time. Let your mind settle. Let your stress response take a few plays off. We become so on edge, always in a state ready to act, like a compressed spring, that every little thing triggers our stress response into action. You may not feel stressed per se. However you can see its effects. You over react to a situation- even if only slightly. You switch quickly from contentment, to irritability. You feel worn down, and emotionally drained. Sometimes these are very small. But they are there. Let your body, and mind find a new baseline, where not everything needs a reaction. Let yourself relax, and breath, and enjoy the life happening around you.
Vacation doesn’t have to be some draining endeavor. Which doesn’t mean it should be all about ignoring life on a beach. When you allow yourself simple opportunities like empty time vacation gets longer not shorter. When you prepare for the physicality of your experiences they are challenging and strengthening, not exhausting. When you prime yourself to be excited and happy, happiness follows suit.
Vacation doesn’t have to be a rat race sprint through the motions like so much else in life, and you don’t have to feel ready to throw up your hands in defeat at the end. Learn how to win at vacationing.
Vacation like you mean it!
-Michael Speck
Ms Wanderlust
October 10, 2015
I love this!!! I just got back from Mexico (for work) and was able to take a day to do a snorkeling excursion. I am thrilled that I can swim. Something that I take for granted allowed me to see a whole other world. I really do agree with you in getting to a point where you can participate in an activity on your vacation. No one wants to live with regrets of missing out on a certain activity or experience because they did not prepare for it. I am going to Jamaica in a couple of weeks (again for work) and I am physically preparing now. I will be doing a lot of walking under a hot Caribbean sun and that can be draining (like it was in Mexico). But now I choose to prepare and to make the best of this next trip.
Michael Speck
October 11, 2015
Thanks. That’s great Ms Wanderlust! The underwater world is amazing. Have you ever been scuba diving? Good luck on your prep work, and have a great time in Jamaica!