Are We Vacationing or Just Checking Boxes?
Leaving no time to relax means I need a vacation after my vacation.
At our hotel in Mallorca, we walked past rows of Germans sunbathing like pros. They weren't in a hurry – unless you count the urgent shuffle to the bar for another drink. Meanwhile, we were rushing back and forth from our hotel to various other parts of the island, anxious to see everything we could while we had the opportunity.
After a few days of this, I had an epiphany. I realized that many Americans – maybe most – approach a holiday differently than our European counterparts. With limited vacation days and the time required to travel to most countries, we want to cram as much as possible into every single second of our precious time off. So instead of lounging by the pool and recharging our batteries, we make lists of all the most famous sites, visit them as quickly as possible, and move on to the next thing.
In other words, we spend almost no time relaxing when we’re meant to take a break from the daily grind of work. We turn our vacations into another to-do checklist.
I’m 100% guilty of it. I am a self-described “traveler” rather than a “vacationer.” If I’m spending time and money to visit a place, the last thing I want to do is stare at the hotel room walls or beautiful grounds. I want to explore and take as much of it as possible because who knows if I’ll be back?
The problem with that is leaving little time for actual rest, which is kind of the point.
As I’ve become a more experienced traveler, I’ve gotten a little bit better at slowing down and packing less into our days. But the tendency is still there. My husband complained a couple of times during our Mallorca trip that we had no time to chill and relax. He’s right. I tried to do too much – again – even though I’d only planned one or two activities each day. But when each one took us to a different island corner, it turned into less of a vacation and more of a relay race.
In late summer, just before school starts, we’re headed to Asturias, a place I’ve been dreaming of visiting since we arrived in Spain last August. It’s an area of Spain that’s quieter, dramatically mountainous, and a nature lover’s paradise. We’ll be in a tiny pueblo just outside Oviedo – the capital of Asturias – close enough for adventure, far enough for quiet. Mountains breathe life into my soul, and I’m looking forward to seeing this green, lush region of Spain.
Perhaps this time we can relax. Or at least sit still for a minute before I reach for the Wanderlog app again.