4 Ways to Practice Mindfulness On Vacation
Vacation is something we all look forward to. Whether it’s time off to explore a new place, visit family, or enjoy your time home without certain responsibilities. Depending on your destination, vacation may be a natural form of practicing mindfulness; you’re walking on the beach and looking at the sea. On the flipside, you may return from your trip feeling like you desperately “need a vacation from your vacation!”
To honor your mindfulness practice, there are purposeful intentions we can set. Here are four tips to be mindful on your next vacation:
Create Unstructured Time 🙃
Whether you’re trying to fit in all the sight-seeing or family activities, trip schedule’s can be jammed-packed. Ensuring you have unstructured time in your day not only allows you to wonder freely and “carpe diem” what your gut desires, it also removes the stress of being on a tight schedule.
The recommended ratio to keep in mind is at least 2 days for every 7 days. For my friends not interested in the math behind this, that’s at least 3.5 hours off in a 12 hour day.
Slow Down When Sightseeing 🏃♀️❌
Building off tip #1, a more lenient schedule can make a huge impact. Remember: it’s not a race to get to the next spot. If you came all this way to see it, you should soak in every bit and enjoy the moment!
In addition, paying attention to all of your senses will pay off later down the road when you revisit this time. When you use multiple senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing) to encode a memory, you increase your ability to encode the memory for later retrieval.
Take Time To Meditate 🧘♀️
This tip should be adaptive to your environment. Depending on where you are, your form of meditation may look different. Remember, even 2 minutes goes a long way! Do you prefer:
A Walk In Nature
Self-Guided Breathing
A Body Scan
Paying Attention To The Different Sounds You Hear
Take Time To Journal 📓🖊
Journaling can be a wonderful way to practice mindfulness during your trip by taking a few minutes to reflect on what you’ve done and connect with your thoughts and emotions. It’s also a wonderful tool to look back on as you travel more; a way to jog your memory and see your mindfulness journey.
Not sure what to write about? Here are some of my favorite prompts:
What have you learned about yourself this trip? Is there something you find yourself doing every time you travel somewhere new?
Is there an activity that impacted you on a deeper level than expected?
What has been the most beautiful place you visited? Describe it with all 5 senses.
What is the one reason that makes this place special for you?
Imagine you had an extra day on your vacation. How would you spend it?
As you gear up for your next vacation, keep these tips in mind so you can not only get the most out of your stay, but also feel more present, stimulated, and refreshed upon your return! Have other ideas on mindfulness whilst vacationing? Comment below!