Hello friends! Hope you're staying well (and inside) this Easter weekend,
It's natural, when suddenly faced with a dramatic reduction in freedom, space and stimulation, to reminisce about the 'good old days'. In the midst of the sudden amount of spare time I have, I find myself daydreaming about all the things that I'm missing about 'normal' life. 'Do you remember when we used to just walk down the road and go for breakfast at the local cafe?'
Whilst craving being able to hug people, visit my family, or be out of the house for longer than an hour, there is something that I surprisingly find myself not missing, and something that I think a lot of people miss the most.
That would be, going on holiday or travelling to a different part of the world.
I am well aware that many many people may not understand AT ALL where I'm coming from here. But the sad fact is that I often find holidays to be stressful, under (or over) stimulating and anxiety-provoking. Often I don't look forward to holidays, and can't wait to come home. It has forced me to ask the question of myself - do I even know how to travel? And it's something that seems a good topic to explore amidst this global period of reflection.
I have gone travelling solo twice in my life - once inter-railing around Europe, and a 3 month trip across the US. Both times, I have felt this immense pressure to travel 'right' and have felt like I have somehow failed to have the best time. Here are some of the reasons why:
- I'm not a huge fan of museums, art galleries, churches etc. I find them quite boring if I'm honest. Therefore, I have often struggled to know exactly how to fill my time in cities, when these pursuits seems to be the socially acceptable thing to do. I can't tell you how many times I've forced myself to walk around a cathedral and felt so bored that I've just gone back to my accommodation and had a nap.
- I get bored lying on a beach, and I feel pretty ill when I'm in the sun for too long. So many 'fly-and-flop' holidays I've had, where you are under pressure to RELAX! inevitably just makes me antsy and agitated.
- I am fairly introverted, so struggle to be around other people for long periods of time. I once went on a 'booze cruise' sailing around the Croatian islands in a group of 15 people, and it genuinely took all I had not to jump off the boat during the first round of drinking games. This doesn't mean I love being alone, but it does mean that I need to find some alone time for myself after a while, which can sometimes be tough. Being introverted also means I find it hard not being around my creature comforts!
So, does this mean that I am destined to a life without travel? That sounds like a real shame to me, so I'm determined to crack the code on how I, as an individual, like to travel. So I've created a 3-point plan of considerations if you, like me, struggle to know how to create the perfect holiday for yourself.
Make a list of past holidays
This should give you a bit of an idea of what tickles your fancy when travelling. Think back on those holidays - what bits did you like about them? What bits didn't you like, or stressed you out? From this, you can start to come up with patterns. This is how I understood that being out in the heat for a long time didn't work for me, along with my feelings on the usual 'cultural' tropes. It also helped me realise that I really enjoy holidays that are well planned and thought-out, and that give me opportunities to be alone.
Think about your hobbies and interests in daily life
Although travel is about escapism, and it's nice to experience difference (whether cultural or otherwise), understanding what you like in general is a good indicator of ways to feel stimulated and fulfilled on holiday, especially for someone like me who is a bit of a homebody. If you think about it... if you wouldn't enjoy doing it at home, why would you enjoy it somewhere else?
For example, I enjoy hiking, camping and sports. These are things to consider when looking for activities on holiday. I also love to read and have downtime, so injecting some normality in to my days by reading quietly can really help my stress levels on holiday.
Stop thinking about what you 'should' be doing
The main hang-up that has jumped out at me during these reflections has been that I, deep down, believe that there is only one way to travel. This includes:
- Chasing the sun
- Meeting lots of new people
- Being out and about all day
- Sunbathing/tanning
- Not wasting any time inside
- Knowing instinctively how to relax/have fun/enjoy yourself
- Just 'going with the flow'
I think that these assumptions have ultimately been my downfall. Now I am learning to believe that in fact, travel is extremely unique and the messages society gives us on how to travel appeals to a specific type of person. I am slowly realising that this person isn't me, and that learning how I like to travel is a really valuable project.
After all this introspection, a few takeaways for my next holiday are:
- Avoid a holiday that is solely spent on a beach!
- Schedule in 'down-time' days, which are spent alone with no expectations on where to go and what to do
- Research the area thoroughly before deciding on a destination, not choosing somewhere just because it's 'popular' - are there things that I want to do and see?
- Choose areas that have plenty of quiet places to retreat
- Choose areas that are in nature
How about you? Do you struggle with knowing how to travel? Is there anything I've missed?
C x
