Does anyone else find it hard to go from working 10-12 hour days to lounging on a beach? As I get older (I’m still young I know) I find it a bit more difficult.
Since I recently was on holiday, I found myself a bit lost for the first few days – wondering why I wasn’t checking email or writing. One of the challenges of being your own boss is that you know in your heart if you are completely not in contact that there is always a fear you will have no clients left. Sure, I advised everyone in advance but in this day-and-age there are high expectations on communication and service.
But…everyone needs a holiday. After the few months I’ve had with all the work, moving and running around I needed one more than ever.
So I told myself after I had the desire to grab my laptop and start writing again to stop! I decided to make this transition easier, that I’d look on google to see if there were any tips on how to get into holiday mode. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find much. I found lots of articles about how to get out of holiday mode – which was the polar opposite from what I was interested in.
So I looked inwards and said that if I was able to find some good ways of getting myself into holiday mode that I’d share them (after the holiday of course) with my followers. After about day three of our Gran Canaria experience, I quickly figured out the best ways for me to get into making the most of my holiday.
View from our apartment
As a writer, I feel like its my duty to share this. So here goes…drum roll please:
Here are Miriam’s Top 10 ways to get used to being on holiday:
1) Go to a destination where it’s next to impossible not to want to lounge around and do nothing – I am a woman who loves adventure – seeing the sights, experiencing the culture, etc. Now after we’ve come back from Gran Canaria I honestly can say that a holiday sun destination is better than all the rest. Just the simplicity of life, the beautiful scenery and the hot climate makes you feel like all you want to do is sit by the pool, have a cool drink, close your eyes and take it all in. If you want to relax, this is the way to go!
2) Buy a few good books and/or magazines – I love reading but find the only time I have to do it nowadays is right before I get to bed. I’ve always found it helps me de-stress before bedtime and makes me sleepy. That being said, I rarely get past one chapter a night so it takes me a long time to get through a book. On holiday, time is aplenty so why not take advantage of that and get whisked away into another world? This really helped me on this holiday, reading a really cheesy chick lit book, The Perfect Man (ladies – the plot confirms that the title is still a myth…lol). It is just a mindless activity that really made me feel relaxed and like I had no cares in the world.
Cocktail time
3) Have a drink in the middle of the day – I’m not condoning boozing it up all afternoon but there is no better way than ordering a cocktail at 3pm on a Monday to remind you that you’re not working. My fave is a Screwdriver – OJ and Vodka…yummy!
4) Lose track of time - if you can, leave your watch behind. I actually forgot my watch in Israel so maybe someone was trying to tell me something. Who cares if you normally eat lunch at 1pm – you’re on holiday, change it up a little!
5) Eat a late dinner - over 5 years ago I went on my first trip to Europe to Spain. I realized after this trip that North Americans eat dinner very early compared to a lot of others in the world. When I’m away, in line with the whole losing track of time bit, I love to have dinner a bit later. It really opens up your day and you realize that your not in a rush like we all are during our normal working weeks.
6) Wear something you wouldn’t back home – this can mean something different to everyone. Whether it means dressing up, being more casual, whatever. Enjoy – again your on holiday. Don’t get me wrong, depending on where you’re going, you may need to dress a certain way but it’s so nice to change it up a bit when you’re on holiday. Enjoy the experience and have some fun!
7) Let your hair down - not literally – just have some fun! Go out dancing, have a few more drinks than normal and get up the nerve to do that karaoke (although I’m not too sure anyone would want to hear me!). There is no better way to get you in the holiday mode than letting lose. It will do you the world of good.
Catch up on what’s going on in the world – while we were away this time, every morning we would go and buy a couple newspapers. Since Gran Canaria is surrounded by British tourists there were loads of international papers, especially UK ones, available in the shops. The best thing is that they get printed locally so we have access to today’s news. This is a fairly new development thanks to electronic files and at least avoids reading yesterday’s news – literally.
Checking out the caves in Gran Canaria
9) Do something different – go on an excursion for the day, see something new, go skydiving. All of this really goes to the whole idea of revelling in what life has to offer us. If we can’t do that on holiday, when can we do it then? If there is something you’ve always wanted to do, try it out. If you hear about something that sounds new and exciting – be spontaneous and give it a go. We did that a lot on this trip and it really made me feel like I was on holiday!
And last but not least (actually it’s most important)…
10) Soak up the sun - kick back by the pool or at the beach and enjoy what brought you out on the holiday in the first place. Even if you don’t like getting a tan, sit under an umbrella and be taken away with the warmth and that indescribable holiday feeling. If you are holidaying in a cooler climate, enjoy the cold weather by bundling up, grabbing a hot chocolate and enjoying the beauty of the chilly scenery. Not for me – but it is for some I know.
I hope some of these tips helps those planning a holiday to get our overworked society a much needed level of R&R!
Enjoy, Miriam 
