How to Recharge on Vacation

For many of us, vacations are the ultimate way to recharge our batteries. For months and months, we look forward to our chance to get away, unplug from our work lives, and spend a few days exploring somewhere new and doing whatever we want.

So why is it that we sometimes come back from vacation …feeling like we need a vacation?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a proponent of active vacations. While some people might long to lay on a beach for a week straight, I enjoy doing, seeing, experiencing, and milking every single moment of a trip. But I’ll be totally candid—there have been a few times when I returned home from a trip feeling just as exhausted as I was when I left.

So how can we stay active on our vacations without nullifying their recharge potential? Like most things in life and in health, it’s all about balance.

On our most recent vacation, we tried to strike a better balance between activity and rest. We took a socially distant trip to our family-favorite locale, Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont. While there, we enjoyed many of our usual activities—hiking, taking walks, and playing volleyball, to name a few. 

But we also focused a little bit more on recharging activities, like catching up with some old friends who were also vacationing, listening to some music outdoors on the green, and enjoying some great wine without a care in the world. As an ambivert, I enjoyed a little bit of alone time, as well as lots of time hanging out with our small group.

Your version of a recharging vacation might look similar to mine … Or, depending on your personal preferences, it may look a bit different. Either way, it’s all good! The important thing is that you use your time away to soothe your soul and recenter yourself before heading back to “the real world.”

So let me know … How are you vacationing this year? Even if your vacation is a “staycation,” I’d love to hear more about what recharging looks like in your life right now. Leave your thoughts below!