Taking a vacation can put your mind at ease and make you forget about all of the world’s worries. It’s a chance to let go of the hustle and bustle of the daily grind and indulge in life’s moments. To make sure you enjoy your next trip to the fullest, here are some tips to help reduce the stress that may pop up during your time away.

Plan Strategically

Choosing when to go
The time of year of the vacation is extremely important. Sure, you may want to hit the beach when it’s warm and sunny, but planning your trip around weather alone isn’t a good idea. The biggest consideration you should make is your regular, everyday schedule. If you know work has more demands during the month of June, for example, that shouldn’t be the time for the beach trip. Instead, maybe visit in August once things have slowed down. Doing this will help reduce stress in that it mitigates worries about work.

In the event of an emergency
While it’s important to stay positive and not dwell on the fact that something can go wrong during vacation, you should have a plan in place, or at least an idea for how you will handle a bad situation. Traveler’s Insurance is a great bet to protect yourself, especially if you are traveling outside of the country. Should you forgo the insurance, at least take time to learn about your credit card coverage. Knowing this and preparing in advance will no doubt put you in a better position in case something happens.

Stay Active

It’s no surprise that exercise, in general, makes you feel good. Every time you exercise, endorphins are released. These are chemicals in the brain that fight pain and also improve the ability to sleep and ultimately reduce stress. Now combine that with vacation. Exercising when you’re on vacation will only enhance your ability to reap all the mental benefits of your time off. Participating in aerobic exercise, especially, helps to stabilize your mood overall; it only takes five minutes to produce anti-anxiety effects.

Your body can also produce endorphins with meditation, acupuncture, and massage therapy. Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco found that while everyone benefits from vacation, both physically and psychologically, learning how to meditate is key. Starting or continuing a meditation practice can help regulate stress and fight off diseases, lower blood pressure, and increase your brain’s chances to respond more patiently and compassionately. More importantly, its stress-reducing effects can last for almost a year, well beyond your vacation.

Keep Your Home Safe

While you’re traveling, the last thing you want to do is deal with a burglary back home. Here are some useful tips to protect your home and allow you to enjoy your time away peacefully:

● Stay quiet on social media. Don’t post about vacation plans before or during your trip.
● Stop your mail, or have a neighbor or friend pick it up while you’re away. If someone is willing to do this for you, provide a spare key; don’t hide a key nearby.
● Hire someone to mow, if needed.
● Leave your car in your driveway, and set house lights both inside and outside on timers. Setting TVs and radios on timers works well, too.
● Hide jewelry and other valuables and lock up any legal documents.
● Place a sign in your yard that shows you have an alarm system in place.

Final Thoughts

If we don’t take a break from work, our health deteriorates, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh’s Mind-Body Center. Simply put, going on a vacation and engaging in other leisure activities is good for our health. When on vacation, it certainly pays to enjoy it to the max. Use these tips for good measure.