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Whatever the destination or however you choose to spend your time away, the allure of the holiday lies in its escapism. Whether you opt for fast-paced city culture, a sun-drenched beach paradise or a quaint rural retreat, we choose to go on holiday for the pure, unadulterated relaxation; feeling far away from day-to-day stresses, we can let go, recharge our batteries, forget work and indulge play, returning home refreshed, shiny and new. However, that post-holiday glow you get isn't just from putting your feet up, as travel is good for us in more ways than we think...
It may be a cliché for people to go away to 'find themselves', but in lots of little ways it's true. In our daily life, our schedules are often inflexible – what time we have to get up / leave the house / do the school run / be at the office / go to that meeting – but on holiday we can wake up and ask ourselves 'what would I like to do today?' which reminds us of who we are, not just what we do with our time.
Whilst we constantly face challenges in our lives, our day-to-day routines have usually been tweaked and refined until they work for us, but travelling throws up the unexpected. However, far from being a negative, it is actually the opposite; getting lost in a new town abroad may sound stressful, for example, but dealing with this gives us a confidence boost (and at the least, gives us a humorous holiday anecdote!).
The idea of 'making friends' is often regarded as being exclusively part of childhood, and being a bit 'sad' in adulthood, but meeting new people is fundamental to our happiness, especially as we grow and change. On holiday, you'll find people are much more open and friendly away from the daily grind, so remember your Mum giving you 'don't be shy!' encouragement in the playground and go and say hello! You might meet someone who changes everything...
Yes, we understand the irony of you reading this on the internet – so if you're on holiday now, stop reading! Social media is great, but it has a time and place. The constant stream of information that is other people's thoughts and feelings and lives can increase our stress levels, prevent true escapism, and updating our own statuses can stop us enjoying the moment. Switch off!
It's not that we want to be someone else, but being anonymous can take the weight of your shoulders. Whether it's work or home life, we all have responsibilities and people expect certain things from us, and we also have ideas about ourselves that can hold us back. Being anonymous gives us a bit of freedom – no, you don't need to meet anyone else's expectations, and yes, you can be the eccentric in a big straw hat drinking prosecco at 11am by the pool if you want to!
Learning keeps our minds sharp and gives us a deep sense of achievement, so make the effort to order that cup of coffee in Italian (even if you get it wrong), sign up to that painting class, or do the watersport you've always thought looked cool, but scary. If it's nerve-wracking, the sense of achievement will be even greater.
There's nothing like a few days away to make you appreciate 'back home'. Sending postcards or making phone calls from your holiday reminds you to communicate with your family just for fun, and there's something wonderful about stepping back into your house upon your return, looking at it with fresh eyes, and sleeping in your own bed. And if you're reading this and thinking 'appreciating family and home – yeah right, I don't think so...' then you probably need a holiday!
