7 Ways to Make Your Holiday More Relaxing

1. Don't rush to arrive: You may believe that the faster you get there, the faster you'll start relaxing. But this is not necessarily true. Rushing your departure will build up your stress levels, making it harder for you to relax once you have arrived. Instead, take your time. Don't leave right from the office on your last day of work; plan for a relaxing pre-departure night at home. If the trip will be long, plan scheduled layovers and take advantage of that time to see a new place or simply relax in the luxury of a hotel room.

2. Make it longer than 3 days: A three day trip means two days of travel and only one of relaxing. Try to expand this in any way possible so that you have more time to relax and enjoy your holiday. This is especially important if you find travel stressful.

3. Stay closer to home: If you don't have the time or money to travel far, then stay closer to home. This is especially true if your holiday will only be a few days long.

4. Leave Work Behind, or Leave Later: If your personal or professional life is too hectic for you to get away completely, then schedule your holiday for a later time. This means ensuring that you will be able to leave the office behind and give relaxing your full attention.

5. Don't Over Schedule: Visiting a new place can be very exciting, but trying to see it all can also be very stressful. Take some time before leaving to prioritize a few highlights that you don't want to miss, then leave the rest of the time open for relaxing or being spontaneous.

6. Don't Overindulge: Do your pants seem to shrink when you're on holiday? A new place with new food can make overindulging very tempting, but worrying about losing weight once your home will create more stress. Instead, think about your favourite type of food or meal and give yourself permission to indulge in this area only. For example, if dinner is your favourite time to indulge, then plan to eat very healthy at breakfast and lunch.

7. Arrive Home with Time to Spare: Don't schedule yourself to arrive home late the night before returning to work. Doing so will create stress should your flight be delayed and will also leave you without time to unpack and unwind from the travel. Instead, plan to arrive home early on the last day of your holiday so that you can organize yourself and feel well prepared to start a new work day.

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