Vacation Rules: 8 Things You Must Know Before Going on Vacation

I try to travel as often as I can because in my opinion, going on vacation every once in a while is necessary to clear your head, relax and reward yourself for working so hard all the time. Here are a few little things I hope will help you get the most out of your next vacation.

Have a plan - relax. Yup, that’s the plan. If you are the kind of person who always likes to make a plan and you know exactly where you want to be and when (and if you’re reading I won’t be surprised to hear that you are that kind of person), then don’t do it. You have probably done a research that wouldn’t shame the University of Cambridge before you decided on your destination. You know all the hotels, guesthouses and apartments in the area, and all sites, parks, shopping malls and restaurants in a radius of 200 kilometers; you are a walking TripAdvisor. That’s enough. Once you booked your flight and accommodation just relax. Allow yourself to try it different this time. Go there and do what feels right at the moment. If there is something in particular you would like to do, do it. There’s nothing stopping you.

If you’re not the kind of person who does those things, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get a little bit of research done, just to know where you’re headed. Even if you just randomly picked a place or booked the cheapest flight, the internet is full of information and in ten minutes you can find most activities, just to have a clue if there’s anything in the area you wouldn’t want to miss.

No loose ends. This part should be organized. Make sure you forget nothing. Packing everything you need, health insurance for the stay abroad, asking a neighbor to feed and walk your dog (preferably one you trust and that likes your dog. I’m sure your dog will appreciate it), with not a single task to do at work and of course, notifying everyone you won’t be available because you are going on your vacation.

It starts the second you leave the house. You leave those boring everyday life to a short period of time (no matter how long, on vacation it is always too short) and you should exploit every minute of it. Have a drink at the airport, what’s wrong with a piña colada at 5 am? You are on vacation. Feel free to do things as different as possible than your everyday life. That’s the whole point of being on vacation.

Lay off the internet. Facebook app is the same in the California, Argentina, Germany and Israel. You’re here for something different than your everyday life. Like uploading pictures? Great, when you get back you can upload to your Instagram a new picture every day for a year, this way you can enjoy your vacation, inspire people to go on one as well and have fun reminiscing until your next vacation at the same time.

Do something new. If you’re from a hot country go to a snowy place, go skydiving, meet interesting new people and just ask them what they are going to do tomorrow and join them. Anything you can do to make this different.

About the money. I’m far from being rich, but I think that if you already decided to go on vacation it means you deserve it, so there’s no reason to cheap out on yourself. You are here to enjoy it. Spoil yourself with good food, drinks, special activity, extreme sport or anything you can think of. Of course it doesn’t mean you should spend everything you have until you have to go back home and need to sell your underwear to pay for dinner, but you know what I mean.

Don't look at the time. Try to free your mind. Not knowing the time (or even, god forbids, the date) and not caring about it is a wonderful feeling of freedom. You set your own mood, if you make it a race, so it will be. Let yourself be in a mindset of relaxation. Worried how will you know when to have lunch? Just eat when you’re hungry, it’s not that hard.

Be as yourself as you can be. I think that even though it’s not that easy to do, this is a healthy way of life. Being on vacation and the feeling of freedom makes it easier to be yourself, say what you really think, do what you really want to. Exploit that chance. Be as free as you can. Who knows, maybe you when you will see how good it feels it will even help you feel a little bit more like yourself when you get back home.

I hope these few tips will you enjoy your vacation a little bit more and come back happier and more energized, at least until the next one. Feel free to share any thought, opinion or experience from your vacation on the comments section.