Traveling/ Vacations

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any travel tips? I am going on vacation in a few weeks I am really looking forward to is as I usually do. However I always find when I travel no matter where it is , caymans, aruba, cape cod etc… I tend to feel very out of sorts and find it hard to enjoy myself which is so frusterating being in such beautiful relaxing places. I also pack everyting under the sun which is also frusterating because I dont need it and makes my hotel room cluttered. I really want to try and just bring a minimal amout this time. But I always say that.

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

A simple strategy I find that works well, both for vacations and even for something as simple as a meal out with friends is this:

I create a context or a goal. Sometimes several.

So for a dinner I might decide, as we’re driving there, that “I am going to learn a whole bunch of stuff about these friends that I never knew before.” It’s even better if I get specific, “I’m going to find out what their families are like, what their parents did, and any weird or amazing characters they have in their family tree.” Hey, everyone has at least one amazing family story or weird relative.

For a vacation I create something bigger. Perhaps that I’m going to learn a whole bunch about the place I’m going to before I leave, so it’s way more interesting, “See the slots on the turret of the castle? That’s where they poured boiling oil down on invaders.” The more I know about a place, or the people, or it’s histories, or the current political situation, the more interested I am.

When you go to somewhere ask the hotel staff, or the person who runs the water ski concession about getting a local tour off the beaten path. Or at a museum ask the staff if you could get a tour of the back rooms. You’d be amazed what happens if you ask. When I was in Belgium, way back in the 70’s, I managed to get in to meet and spend a half hour talking with a hero of mine, George Remi, aka Herge, the creator of Tintin and Snowy and Captain Haddock.

The other thing, when I’m restless and can’t relax is to stop the stream of thoughts… “I’m restless, I hate this, I’m edgy…” and switch it to “I’m edgy but I can relax. If I take a deep breath. If I actually look around and look at what’s here, and give it a few minutes and just breathe and admire the view for a few minutes, it’s okay, yes you’re upset, that’s okay, relax, calm down, look at Ava, look at the kids, they’re happy, forget work, it will be there when you’re back home…”

And if that isn’t helping I go for a brisk walk, burning off energy.

Those are a few suggestions.

Lemme know if they work.

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[shutterbug55]

One thing I picked up on was the “I pack everything under the sun”. For me, what works is a list. This way I pack all the clothes I will need for X many days. Then I try to make a list of things I want to do, and pack the stuff I will need for that.

I don’t take many trips, because of my work situation, but when I do, I am constantly de-railed by all of the new things. I have gotten lost, or lost my family, and wandered for hours trying to find them. Cell phones are wonderful. We also pick a landmark, and agree to meet there, if we get separated. Now I am not afraid of loosing my family in a crowd, which allows me to relax a little and… what was that word? “enjoy” myself.

The new sights, sounds, and smells overwhelm me sometimes. For that, I have found going back to the hotel room, drawing the curtains and doing something familiar in the quiet of the room helps calm me down. My wife taught me how to knit, so I do that, because I have to concentrate so hard on it. This allows me time to process everything. After that down time, I can go back out into the world.

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[Monika]

jlmccarthy,

In case you read this before you leave, this is from my favorite organizational website, http://www.flylady.net

It’s a very special combination packing and reminder list.

http://flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_PackingList.asp

If you don’t see this until you get back, Hope you had a wonderful time. , M

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[Monika]

Going to the Grand Canyon in a few weeks with family and am feeling a bit nervous about it. I’ll use your tips about asking hotel staff about “must see”s Rick, Thanks!

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