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Despite the happiness and the break that a vacation can offer us, it can still prove to be stressful mentally and physically, both before and during our trips. What if planning overwhelms you or you avoid thinking about the details until the last minute? Here’s some tips to mitigate that stress load so you can stay present and grounded during your vacation.

TO PLAN OR NOT TO PLAN?

A common debate is whether or not planning helps or hinders a vacation. Many claim to benefit from being spontaneous while others are steadfast that planning is a must to be able to feel relaxed during your trip. The truth is that it’s a little bit of both to receive the best mental health benefits. The way you approach planning, though, can make a difference in how it benefits you. If you see planning as overwhelming and restricting, then you will feel overwhelmed and stressed by the process of it and likely avoid it. However, if you break down the process of planning a trip into smaller steps, it can make it smoother and even rewarding mentally, which can last well into and after your trip. Planning the essentials ahead of time means you can have the mental flexibility to be more spontaneous once you arrive.

Studies have shown that when we get excited about planning aspects of a trip it can increase our dopamine levels. Planning a trip can consistently increase one’s mood prior to a trip for up to 8 weeks. The more we engage our senses into the experience, the more our brain can respond positively. This can mean looking at pictures related to your trip, planning fun activities, eating similar foods, talking about travel plans, listening to related music, etc.

Studies have also shown that those that feel they have moderate control over their travel plans are going to feel more satisfied and less stressed during and after their trip. Unexpected events during their trip can then register as being less stressful if they feel as if they were prepared for the rest of their trip. Control doesn’t mean that everything is scheduled though. If you want to be spontaneous on a last minute road trip, then control may mean that you don’t have a rigid timeline for your return or strict budget, so you can have the freedom to go with the flow and with what’s available. Not all travelers will have that type of flexibility though.

The lower the amount of stress during a trip, the higher the rate of satisfaction and dopamine response in the brain, as well as the higher travelers rate their energy levels after they return. Poorly planned trips have been linked to higher stress levels of travelers and stressful vacations have been linked to worsening of pre-existing anxiety and depression symptoms.

A stressful vacation can cancel the positive benefits of going on the trip.

Researchers recommend that travelers plan more than a month in advance so they feel adequately prepared mentally, instead of feeling rushed or anxious in the time leading up to their trip.

Again, note the differences between planning and scheduling your trip. Planning ahead means preparing yourself so that once you’re on your trip you can reduce your mental load and fully enjoy the moments of it. It doesn’t have to mean that you have an itinerary (scheduling) for each day, but that you have planned how to get your basic needs met ahead of time or that you have thought-out the details like transportation, food, reservations, money, and operation hours for all of your ‘must do’s’. For example, if your ideal trip includes a certain restaurant, then making a reservation well in advance would be important. You can modify those reservations more easily as you get closer to your trip, if needed. If that part of the trip isn’t as important to you, then you can make dining plans in the moment, but have realistic expectations about what that would look like. Planning ahead may then mean having snacks on hand if you find yourself having to wait to eat.

Planning for stressors and allowing yourself to adapt plans in the moment can reduce your overall stress and allow you to stay present and grounded in all the positive experiences of your trip. Here are some strategies to help yourself effectively plan ahead.

Stress Reduction Strategies

1) Start your packing list immediately. Hear me out. Once you book your trip you can start a notes tab on your phone so as the trip gets closer and you think “Oh I want to make sure I pack…” you can easily add it to the list on your phone and forget about it until you start to actually plan to pack. It can clear up your mental clutter and reduce your risk of forgetting. You can then fine-tune your packing list as you get closer.

2) Have a physical list or a detailed alarm on your phone for the last minute items to pack on the day of travel. That morning/day is going to be more chaotic and it is easy to forget items on your way out the door. Having a physical ‘last minute things to grab’ sitting on top of your luggage can help even the most organized travelers.

3) Try to maintain your routine. You’ll want to plan for changes in sleeping patterns or eating habits. Try not to stray too far from your norm because it can induce stress within your body that can impact how you feel on your trip. This is especially true for children and I’ll address that more in a following blog. Have snacks on hand that you can easily eat if you’re not going to be able to eat at your typical times. You may also want to take a probiotic or digestive enzymes if you will be eating foods that aren’t typical for you. Make sure you’re drinking enough water, especially if you’re in hotter climates or are more active on your trip than you typically would be.

4) Make sure you have your medications on hand- plan for any challenges that you may have traveling with needed medications.

5) Have a spot in your home that you can hang or set aside items for your trip. It can help you stay organized as well as help you visualize what you already have or still need. You’re less likely to rush for last minute items then. If you don’t like the idea of clutter, you can keep these items in a bin or storage ottoman (below) that you go through as the trip gets closer. It can also help stimulate excitement for your trip when you see it.

6) You can start an album on your phone with screenshots of any email confirmations or information that you’ll want quick access to on your trip. Have photocopies of your important documents in there too. Also you may want to travel with two forms of payment in case anything gets lost or stolen.

7) Be aware of and address your travel anxieties before your trip. I will discuss several strategies for this in the next blog.

8) Prepare yourself for the impacts on your workload at the office- if there are any. Do you have a job that feels like you are going to be overworking the week before your trip or the week you return? Plan ahead and prioritize what must absolutely be done before you go and break it down into manageable increments that you can start weeks before that final work week. Figure out the best way to let your employer or colleagues know that you will be away from your phone and unable to check emails. Do this with enough notice that tasks can be delegated to someone else while you are gone. When you get back to work start another priority list and look over how you can break it down into manageable timelines.

9) If coming home to a clean and organized environment can help continue those feelings of relaxation from your trip, then you may want to prioritize it before you go. This can mean your home as well as your workspace.

10) Manage your expectations. Trips are not about perfection, even the best planned ones are going to have inconveniences if you are looking for them. Instead, remember the benefits that this trip can have on your mental health if you approach it as the rest, reset, and the new experience that it was intended to be.