A well planned vacation can reduce stress, improve sleep and strengthen family bonds. A vacation that includes stress reducing techniques can show stress reducing benefits for up to 45 days after the end of the vacation.
If you want to make sure your vacation reduces stress, make sure you follow the steps below!
Plan Ahead
Planning the vacation at least a month ahead of time. I know that it seems much more romantic to ‘fly by the seat of your pants,’ but studies show that unplanned vacations increase travel stress.
Go Outside
Incorporating time outside has a significant effect on stress reduction. Even if it is just a short barefoot walk on the grass, adding a nature component to your vacation should be a priority!
Make it 8 Days
There was a big survey given that showed that 8 days is the ideal length of a vacation. Enjoyment peaks at 8 days, so you want to leave on a high note!
If you do not have 8 days, do not despair! A three or four day vacation can still be a great escape! If you really focus on planning ahead, incorporating nature and taking a trip outside of your normal travel patterns, you can maximize the benefits of your shorter vacation.
Leave Town
According to one Twitter study, the further away from home an individual authored a tweet, the less likely it was to contain negative words. Getting further away from home seemed to indicate a person was happier!
On the other hand, it has also been observed that staying in a local hotel can reduce stress as much as staying in a hotel further away.
So, whatever you chose, leave home!
Safety
Consider safety. If you are really looking for a stress busting vacation camping will probably top the list, but consider your personal level of concern about sleeping in a tent.
If the goal is stress reduction you may be much happier in a hotel and taking a long hike in a park near by. Make sure you choose a vacation that will make you feel safe.
Consider taking extra safety precautions like hotel safety, renting a cabin instead of a tent spot, renting an RV to minimize interacting with other travelers, staying with family who love you. Choose what feels safest to you.
Budget
Make a yearly vacation budget so that you can save up a little at a time. If you already have the money set aside, you are less likely to feel financial stress on vacation. You can find my free vacation budgeting printable here.
Another reason to budget early is that we tend to be kinder to our future self than our current self! This wild human tendency should be leveraged here! Your January self might give you $1200 for your trip while your March self thinks you can wing it on $300.
When planning how to spend those precious vacation hours, consider these stress reducing tips. Americans are taking fewer and fewer vacations, so lets make them count.
Further Reading
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2019/08/28/what-does-america-have-against-vacation/
