People generally spend more time planning their holidays than their careers. Given the significant investment of time in planning a holiday and the relatively short time you have to enjoy it, how do you make sure you squeeze the joy from your holiday experience? What can you learn about your capacity to enjoy yourself, returning to work both energised and refreshed? Can some of those skills that are helpful at work also serve you well in planning and enjoying your holiday?
I recently returned from a three-and-a-half-week holiday, which included a cruise to Alaska and touring parts of Canada. I’d been planning this trip with my husband for a long time, to celebrate our move into freelance work. It was a fabulous trip, featuring breath-taking scenery and perfect weather. During our trip, I reflected as we travelled around. Here are the things I learned about myself and what I enjoy most about holidays.
Delegate to experts
I decided, having ordered several books on Canada and watched BBC’s ‘Race Across the World,’ that I was so overwhelmed by what we could see and do that it would be easier to ask a travel agent to arrange our trip for us. I was so glad I did. With just an outline of what we wanted to see and do, Lisa, our travel agent, swiftly created an itinerary which matched our budget and timeframe. This meant that everything worked smoothly – we simply had to be in the right place at the right time. Delegating this task meant significant time-saving and stress.
The ability and willingness to let go of the things you’re not so good at, just as you might at work, really will save you time.
Expect the unexpected
It’s easy to make assumptions about how your holiday will pan out. invariably there will be surprises and unanticipated events that are simply not possible to predict. Good things as well as challenges. Try and remain open and use flexibility to deal with the unforeseen. Here were a few of ours:
Positives
- Enjoying the cheesy aspects of cruise entertainment. We did- and so we did things we wouldn’t generally have considered…silent discos, signing along to Queen and Abba songs, attending evening entertainment and concerts.
- Riding an exercise bike in the cruise gym while looking out on a choppy sea in the hopes of seeing whale was a surreal experience.
- Finding that it was pretty much impossible to take a bad photo in the Rockies- the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful everywhere we went.
- Discovering the GetYourGuide, Viator and Explore apps were a great way to plan hassle-free routes and excursions.
Challenges
- Our outbound flight was delayed by 4.5 hours. You cannot control the airways. Patience, perspective and adaptability are key. Make sure you have plenty to do if you’re unavoidably delayed. I read a compelling novel, while my husband spent a lot of time frustratedly pacing up and down.
- Falling down some stairs in one of our hotels, landing head first on the tiled floor. Spending three hours in A & E being patched up wasn’t something I could have anticipated.
- Resigning ourselves to the fact that most Canadian food would be underwhelming. (We should have spent longer researching good places to eat).
- Despite the many boasts from fellow travellers and those posting on local Canadian Facebook pages, (these were very useful sources of local information) during our trip we saw: no bears, four bald eagles, five lazy fat sea lions- and hardly glimpsed a whale. I had to remind myself that holidays are not a competitive sport.
- Driving/being driven anywhere in Toronto is a nightmare. We learned from locals that there are two seasons in Toronto; Winter and Construction.
The curve-ball of my accident slowed us down a bit- but much like work, persistence was required. We still had a schedule to keep to- a hire car to collect, a new hotel to get to, so we kept going despite our setbacks.
Bucket lists and tick boxes
Our drive through the Rockies on the Icefields Parkway was a top highlight- easy roads to drive and navigate. Unlike many of the most popular beauty spots-where you had to elbow your way through people to get your ‘perfect once-in-a- lifetime’ photo. I found this frustrating and was tempted to ask some people “just how b*****y interested do you think anyone will actually be in your thousands of damn selfies apart from you?” but managed to restrain myself from saying so, or from pushing anyone into a lake.
The experience reminded me of working deliberately through a work ‘To do’ list. You may take some pleasure from crossing tasks off- but probably not much joy. The places I enjoyed the most weren’t the high-profile tourist hot-spots but the quiet, understated beauty in smaller places, where we’d had no particular expectations. Bucket list places began to feel too much like work. On holiday, you have nothing to prove. Presence, not productivity is key. Take your time to smell the roses, to stop and be still. Enjoy glimmers of joy when you stumble across them.
Stretch out of your comfort zone
Much like work, you’re only learning, growing and discovering yourself when trying new things. Driving in a country where you’re not familiar with the roads. Going up in a dizzyingly high gondola (my husband is very uncomfortable with extreme heights but managed three of these, even though he was as pale as a ghost each time). Trying Poutine (I found it very comforting despite its appearance). Sorting- or attempting to sort out my insurance claim with no phone signal. Getting used to paying/calculating gratuities/taxes. Finding our way around new destinations in lots of different places.
Manage your energy
On holiday, you imagine you’ll have boundless energy. However, you still have the same number of hours in a day. We found if we tried to cram in too much, we got tired. Accepting this and prioritising what you want to do most, means you don’t over-commit.
As you get older, jetlag getsworse. It’s taken us a week or more to fully recover.
In summary
When you plan a holiday, there’s a lot of pressure to have the ‘perfect’ trip. Your hard-earned cash should surely deliver this for you if you’ve invested time in planning and preparing. However, just like work, unexpected events/priorities may interfere and best laid plans don’t always work out. Whales do not turn on schedule.
Acknowledging this at the outset and drawing on some of the skills you use in the workplace can help. Delegation, adaptability, flexibility, patience and openness will mean you’ll cope with unexpected events while ensuring you genuinely enjoy your break.
Final tip: take a copy of your travel insurance with you wherever you go- don’t leave it, as I did, in the hotel room.