How To Make The Most of My Vacation

On Thursday I’m heading out of town on vacation…I’m counting down the hours. It has been a long time since I last had a proper vacation and I’m eager to get this one started! While I’ve been getting ready to go on vacation: wrapping up loose ends at work, packing, paying bills and the like I began to think about how I wanted to make the most of this vacation. So I did something very unlike me, I made a list of ways I want to make the most of my vacation. Here’s what I came up with:

Read.

That’s right, read. I want to take advantage of all the time I won’t be at work by putting in some serious time reading. I plan on finishing at least two books while I’m gone. I won’t be burning through them either, I want to take the time to enjoy the fact that I can sit down and read for as long as I want, no meetings on the horizon, no phone calls or e-mails to respond to…it is going to be so nice!

Nap.

I’m a big fan of naps already, but there isn’t much better than falling asleep in the hammock on vacation. It’s the ultimate state of relaxation. Vacation is a great time to recharge your batteries, take advantage of the time and enjoy some mid-afternoon zzzzz’s.

Eat well.

I want to take advantage of the local cuisine, spend a bit more to get that steak I usually don’t get, actually order desert this time.

This isn’t about gluttony but it is about enjoying myself. So I'll spend a bit extra and treat myself to something delicious.

Try one thing I wouldn’t normally do.

I want to go out on a limb and push my boundaries. Do something that is going to stretch me as a person. This might be challenging my presuppositions about a culture, addressing my fear of heights, or even doing karaoke at a bar. Vacation is a time to experience new things so I want to put myself out there and be adventurous!

Meet new people.

If I am going to try new things, why not meet new people too?! One of the best parts about going somewhere on vacation is meeting new people and hearing their stories.

I’m a total introvert but meeting people on vacation is something that I (read: my wife) make myself do. If I spend all my time reading and napping I’m going to miss out on the great stories and potential friendships that come from meeting new people. So join me in putting the book down for a few minutes and engaging with those around you.

I think this is a pretty decent way to make the most of my vacation. I’m excited to see what stories I come back with.

What would you add to the list? Or take away? I’d love to know!