8 Things I Learned from Taking a Vacation

A week ago today, Cory and I and two of our friends landed in Omaha after a 2 hour flight home from Phoenix. I was excited to see my kids, no doubt, but I was also dreading this awful Nebraska weather. (Turns out I’m not really cut out for winter. #yuck)

But, I gotta say, while it was hard leaving that warm Arizona sun, I returned feeling SUPER refreshed. I felt caught up on sleep, fully rested, and like I could take on the world.

Vacation has a way of restoring us – Making us feel more relaxed, more calm, more ourselves.

Looking back on the 5 day trip I spent in the land of palm trees and sunshine, here’s what I learned from taking a vacation:

1. It’s ok to take a break from everything.

Emails. Phone calls. Facebook. Apple watch (see point #3). To do lists. Grocery lists. COOKING IN THE KITCHEN.

On my recent trip, I learned that it’s ok to take a break from all. the. things.

It’s well known that vacations are a beautiful break from the physical demands of life. But what I feel like people don’t talk about enough, is the mental break a vacation provides. It’s a chance to make less decisions and cut back on some of the regular responsibilities you have at home.

2. It’s important to plan a trip with just your spouse.

I LOVE my children. And I really missed them while I was gone! But you know what else? MAMA’S AND DADDY’S NEED A FREAKIN BREAK. Trips with just me and the hubs are necessary. Not just important, a MUST to keep a marriage thriving.

I didn’t realize how much time I spend focusing on the kids until I went away with just Cory. The poor guy doesn’t get much attention on the day to day! It was great to reconnect and remember who we fell in love with so many years ago. I guess I still kinda like him. 😉(Thank heaven he still likes me!)

3. The world doesn’t end when you take a break from electronics.

Before I left on vacation, do you know how many days a week I went without my Apple watch? Zero. Zero days. Zero half days. Maybe I should have asked this question in the amount of hours because when I’m in my regular routine, I only take it off long enough to charge it.

I went without my watch for 2 FULL DAYS in Arizona. You might be laughing at my ridiculousness here, but go with me. I stepped away more from electronics on this trip than I have at home in a good looooooong time.

Like I said in point 1, vacations have a way of leading to unexpected mental breaks. And taking a couple small breaks from social media and my watch constantly dinging at me with every update, was just the mental break I needed.

4. If possible, spend a day of your trip exploring the local hangouts.

We took a day of our trip to get outside retirement-ville (aka Phoenix) and headed to Scottsdale. While there, we hiked and tried out a couple local places for food and beer. (Nothing better than a crisp Blue Moon after a 4+ mile hike!) We also explored Scottsdale’s old downtown area and spent WAY too much on a what ended up being a delicious latte.

I realized that it’s easy to go on vacation and want to stay inside our norm. It’s convenient to stay inside the box of what we know and keep from stretching ourselves. But I think it’s important to take a day (if you have the time) to just explore a different area and immerse yourself in the culture of something new.

5. Likewise, it’s also ok to spend a day of your trip binging Netflix.

I know, I know. I’m totally contradicting myself, but hear me out:

If we would’ve spent every day of our trip going and touring and sight-seeing, it’s probable that I would have returned home feeling just as exhausted as when I left. So I learned that it’s also important to take some down time. For me, it was taking an afternoon to watch a couple movies on Netflix. Maybe for you it’s to read that book you’ve been wanting to dive into for the past few months.

Whatever it is that you view as complete down time, don’t be afraid to stay inside and do it! Vacations are all about balance. So take a day to do something out of your comfort zone, then take a day to completely chill.

6. Wear Sunscreen.

You guys. I’m FAR too old to be reminding myself to wear sunscreen, yet here we are.🤦‍♀️ If I’m going somewhere with sun, I always look forward to getting a little color on my skin and for the most part, I tan pretty easily so getting a sunburn isn’t a huge worry of mine.

HOWEVER. My skin got drrrrry and irritated while in Phoenix! I wasn’t great at washing my face every night like I am at home, and I definitely didn’t use any sunscreen, and now I’m paying for it by trying to get my skin back to it’s normal self. I’m all for taking a break away from the regular routine and fully enjoying vacation, but I still need to remember to take care of my skin. Yeesh.

7. A vacation does wonders for your focus when you return.

It seems weird to say, but I can’t explain how crystal clear I felt about my priorities when I returned home last Sunday. Getting out of my regular routine and far away from the every day norm gave me a chance to truly clear my head. When I got home, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of the day completely focused on my kids. I knew the laundry could wait, the dishes could wait, and unpacking my bag could wait. The kids couldn’t.

I think it’s easy to loose sight of the things that are important to us when we’re muddling through the day-to-day. A vacation is a great way to push the reset button and remember why we do what we do.

8. Be present for all. of. it.

The most important thing I learned on this vacation was just to be on vacation. Be present in what was happening. Take in the views from the highest point of our hiking trail. Eat a grapefruit fresh from the tree. Try Topgolf for the first time and find the best margaritas.

This will probably be the only truly relaxing and kid-free vacation I take for a while – which is totally fine! – But I didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t want to take the trip for granted. I wanted to enjoy everything about it, whether we were lounging around the house or out and about trying a new restaurant.

Wrapping up.

If you’re a scroller (like me) and took the cliff notes through this post (no judgement here!), I just want to be sure you understand the MOST IMPORTANT THING I learned from this vacation, which was:

TAKE THE TRIP.

Take the dang trip. Book the flight. Rent the car. Organize schedules with family or neighbors so they can help out with your kids while you’re gone. I’m not necessarily advocating for putting yourself into debt by taking a vacation, but if nothing else, start putting money away with a goal date in mind. Everyone deserves to get free from their everyday life and go explore this beautiful earth God created just for us. You won’t regret it.

As for me, I’m back and still sorta-refreshed. I remember how much I hate winter, though. 🥶 Here’s to many more palm trees and relaxing vacations in our future! Cheers!

I’d also love to know if you have any take-aways from a recent trip? Have you gone anywhere lately that you felt was an absolute dream vacation? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!