The whole point of a holiday in Cyprus is to relax and relieve stress, but all too often, you need a holiday after your holiday to recover from your time off. Here are nine tips to make your vacation the stress-buster it really should be.
1. Take a Vacation
Taking a vacation shouldn’t make you feel guilty. Too many of us don’t use our vacation time, perhaps thinking that we look like we’re harder workers when we don’t go on vacation. That’s silly. Go relax. Here’s our start-to-finish guide to a perfect, stress-free vacation.
2. Work on Vacation & Travelling with Friends
Sometimes you have to take work with you on vacation, it can’t be helped. If that’s the case, try setting aside small blocks of time that you’ll use to catch up on work and save the rest of the time for enjoying your vacation. Traveling with friends is a lot of fun, but it can also drive you crazy, since you’ll be together constantly and probably won’t agree on everything all the time. Keep your cool by making sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to accommodations and planned activities.
3. Don’t Let Work Ruin Your Vacation Time
If you don’t really have to work while on vacation, though, don’t. You can force yourself not to get sucked into work mode with a vacation email address. Schedule your vacation well in advance and block those dates as “out of office” so you avoid having regular work conflicting with your vacation desires. If the thought of going back to work stresses you out while you’re on vacation (or before you leave), plan to hit the ground running when you return with a few simple tricks like cleaning your home and desk before you leave and starting your day a little earlier so you have some alone time.
4. Streamline Your Vacation Planning
Sometimes vacations are stressful just because you have to make a ton of decisions and coordinate with other people. There are lots of travel planning apps that can simplify your plans. You can plan a trip itinerary using your own custom Google Map or this simple spreadsheet too.
5. Head to an Underrated Vacation Destination
If you like crowds and long lines, visit a popular destination in prime tourist season. Otherwise, you might enjoy your vacation more if you head somewhere less popular, like Pomos and Argaka area. Similarly, the summer might not be the best time for a vacation, depending on where you go.
6. Travel with Your Kids While Keeping Everyone Happy (Somehow)
Traveling with kids adds unique challenges, especially when you have to schedule around nap and feeding times. Don’t let having young kids (or kids of any age) keep you from traveling, though. All you need is some extra planning and preparation for a smooth trip. Even flying with kids doesn’t have to be a nightmare, especially if you travel on a kid-friendly airline.
7. Let Someone Else Plan Your Trip
Most of us go the DIY route when booking our trips, but a travel agent can save you time and stress when you have a complex vacation planned, such as traveling with a group or you have health issues that need to be accommodated. You can also save a lot of money by using a travel agent if you’re planning an international trip.
8. Take a 10-Day Vacation
A three-day getaway is nice and a week-long one is quite common, but 10 could be the magic vacation number. You’ve got enough time to travel to where you’re going, maybe with multiple stops, and you’re away long enough that you’re forced to off-load your duties at work.
9. Know Why Vacations Are So Stressful
If you only take a vacation once in a while, it puts a lot of pressure on that time period for everything to be perfect. Try taking breaks every quarter or twice a year and keep your vacation itinerary flexible so you don’t end up stressing out on your vacation.
Via Life Hacker