For many people, one of the most enjoyable parts of taking a vacation is the planning. That’s the point where we get to dream, create and escape to our heart’s content. All very healthy ways to boost our level of joy anytime, but especially during a crisis. During our current situation, many of us have had to cancel long-awaited travel plans or at the very least, put them on hold. While it may seem counterintuitive at this point, thinking about those plans in a hopeful way or starting to envision new ones may be one of the healthiest things that you could be doing for yourself right now. In fact, there are many mental benefits of planning a vacation during a crisis and some practical ideas for how to use this process as a way to boost your mood and escape to happiness.

Planning a Vacation Boosts Happiness Anytime

Even during so-called “normal” times, planning a vacation is a proven way to boost happiness, with the enjoyment starting weeks or even months ahead of time¹. A report in the journal Psychological Science shows that “Waiting for an experience tends to be more pleasurable and exciting than waiting to receive a material good².”

Another vacation planning-related study, this one focusing on UK tourists, was published in the Journal of Vacation Marketing. It found that “Those who are waiting to go on a holiday are much happier with their life as a whole, experience less negative or unpleasant feelings and thus enjoy an overall net positive effect or pleasant feelings.” Transpersonal therapist Dr. Shannon South, LPC, ThD, told me that she wholeheartedly agrees. “It’s very stabilizing to the nervous system to have something that we’re excited about. I think it connects us to our more creative, joyful self.” 

Why Planning a Vacation Can be Used as a Mental Escape During a Crisis

Finding ways to connect with that joyful part of ourselves is key during a crisis. We can’t sugarcoat or simply overlook whatever it is that’s going on but finding things to look forward to helps to prevent us from getting stuck in negative feelings or emotions. It gives us an escape.

That’s where planning a vacation, no matter how far in the future or if it’s an unknown travel date, comes in. Sonja Hoyt is a travel writer from over at The Happy Travel Bug. She says that even though she has had several big trips cancelled because of our current crisis, being able to look forward to future trips is a source of hope for her.

According to Dr. Shannon, planning for something good that we want to happen in the future is a strategy we can all call upon during any crisis to use as a source of hope. Planning a vacation and the resulting sense of anticipation is a way to stay creative and hopeful and gives our brain a bit of a boost. “Like a little vitamin or antidepressant image.”

Dr. Shannon says that when we’re constantly bombarded with negative images, news and information, “It’s important to have positive images that we have in our subconscious and in our mind.” They can be a resource to us during stressful times when we’re seeing and hearing the same things over and over again. “We need that positive stimulation. We need that drive. It stimulates us on a different level when we have things to look forward to.” 

Practical Ideas for Using Vacation Planning as a Way to Mentally Escape

We now know that we can use planning for a vacation as a way to mentally escape and give our body what Dr. Shannon calls “joy hormones,” but how exactly do we do that in practical ways? Here are some suggestions from our experts.

Create a vision board

Shannon says that when we give our subconscious mind positive images, it helps to “rewire our system for joy.” It’s good to have pictures of wherever it is that you want to go and whatever it is that you want to do there. Whether it’s a family sitting around a fire if you like to camp, bikers biking through the woods, or sitting on the beach, any image that resonates with you will help to increase serotonin and dopamine levels which will boost happiness and motivation.

Learn all about your ideal destination

Sonja says this is one of her favorite parts of planning a trip. She says that many people go somewhere and don’t really know all that the place has to offer because they haven’t done their research. They don’t really know about the culture, history or natural beauty of their destination. If there was ever a time to do this type of research, it’s during a crisis. When you’re having a low moment, take time out to watch a video about your place. If you’re feeling okay but have a few minutes to spare, read about your destination to keep those positive thoughts coming.

Plan all the details

Shannon says that “the more details we plan about our future vacation the better because then we really get into it and the more senses we get engaged.”

Sonja recommends doing online research to help you think about the following:

• What types of activities do you want to do? Are there museums, shops, hiking, historical excursions, outside adventures, etc. that fit your family’s interests? Let everyone involved pick one thing that they really want to do, and everybody learns about that activity.
• Where do you want to stay? Do you want to camp, rent an apartment or house, stay in a luxury lodge or stay in a central location for everything that you want to do?
• How will you get around? Do you want to rent a car, travel by train, rely on taxis, limit your activities to walking distance or a combination of all of the above?
• What will you eat? Learn about the local cuisine and the most authentic dining options for different types of scenarios such as picnics, informal and formal meals. If you’re thinking about renting an apartment or house, think about whether you want to cook some for yourself or eat out all of the time.

If you’re traveling to a different country, learn a few phrases in that language

Sonja says that this can be as extensive or as simple as you want. If immersing yourself in a language provides a welcome distraction for you, then by all means, go for it. If learning just a few key phrases is enough to help you get a feel for the destination, that’s fine as well.

Cook an authentic meal to reflect your destination

With the help of the internet, recipes that reflect many different cultures and cuisines are available at your fingertips. You can also decorate your table or dining area to represent your destination.

Watch a movie that is set in or depicts life in your ideal destination

This is an effortless way of putting yourself somewhere else without having to leave your current location.

Sonja says that if you even do just some of these things, when the time comes to actually make your reservations, you’re going to be so knowledgeable and prepared that it will probably be the best trip of your life.  And best yet, you will have used these strategies to help get you through this and any other crisis with a more positive outlook and healthier mental wellbeing. Dr. Shannon believes that this isn’t tricking the system. It’s nurturing the system. “It’s a way to nurture ourselves when we can’t actually be on vacation right this moment.”

Lean on Your Community

Has the current or any other crisis caused you to change travel plans that you had been looking forward to? If so, feel free to let us know in the comments below how you’re coping with that? If you use planning a vacation as a way to boost your mental wellbeing, let us know that as well – what your ideal destination is and which strategies you used. We can all get ideas and inspiration from each other.

Sources:

1. Nawijn, J., Marchand, M.A., Veenhoven, R. et al.Vacationers Happier, but Most not Happier After a Holiday. Applied Research Quality Life 5, 35–47 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-009-9091-9
2. Kumar, Amit; Killingsworth, Matthew A.; Gilovich, Thomas. Waiting for Merlot: Anticipatory Consumption of Experiential and Material Purchases. Psychological Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614546556
3. Gilbert, David; Abdullah, Junaida. A Study of the Impact of the Expectation of a Holiday on an Individual’s Sense of Well-Being. Journal of Vacation Marketing. 2002. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/135676670200800406

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Summer vacation means keeping things simple and easy. Which for many, means very little to no cooking. But when it comes to what we eat, giving someone else or packaged convenience foods the power over what fuels us during this sacred time off can backfire if we’re not careful. With a little extra planning and a willingness to think outside the box, cooking for yourself can become an important and meaningful part of your next vacation. That’s why I’m taking a look at what those benefits are as well as 7 tips for making it a fun and relaxing part of your vacation routine.

Why Cook for Yourself on Vacation?

While cooking for yourself on vacation has many benefits, here are my top reasons.

It saves money. There is no doubt that eating foods that you associate with a particular place or foods that place is known for are among the best parts of a vacation. Eating out in these cases is well worth the extra money you may pay for the luxury of trying new foods or old favorites that someone else prepares. But if there’s nothing special about what you’re eating out, think about the cost. Eating a modest breakfast or lunch out for a family of four can run anywhere between $20-$50. Eating a modest dinner out can run anywhere between $45 – $100. Add in snacks of any kind and you may be talking about $105 – $210 a day for food. For a seven-day vacation for a family of four, that’s $735 – $1,470 for eating while on vacation. By comparison, a weekly shopping trip (food items only) for a family of four is usually between $150 – $225. If you plan on providing breakfast and lunch items for yourself for six days out of your seven-day vacation as well as snacks and plan to cook four to five dinners, you could save between $400 – $800 on your food costs.

It saves time and energy. Finding new restaurants and trying something different for a specific special meal on vacation can be loads of fun. But let’s face it, having to find somewhere to eat for three meals a day can be a big drain on your precious vacation time, not to mention your energy. I can remember wanting to get out and about bright and early in New York one day and saying we would just find something quick and simple for breakfast. Since the hotel we were staying at was in more of a neighborhood area, most of the surrounding restaurants were nice sit-down type places. Since we were all starving at that point, there wasn’t a lot of appreciating the sights as we walked. Twenty minutes later, we ended up at a Dunkin Donuts. Not to knock the Dunkin, but we could have just as easily whipped up a quick, comparable breakfast on our own and been out and seeing and doing much quicker and with a lot less grumbling.

It gives you control over the food you’re eating. From a health perspective, it doesn’t get much more clear-cut than this. While you probably want to ease up on trying to make every meal and snack healthy on vacation, if you ease up too much, you could very easily wind up feeling worse instead of better by the time you get to the end. If you’re eating the most fantastic food ever, then that might be worth it, but if the food is nothing special, you don’t want your health to be sacrificed in the process.

It can provide some much-needed grounding when away from home. While spending time away from home can be just what the doctor ordered, it can also be a bit of a shock to our system. Eating familiar foods or more like what we’re used to can help ground us so that we can enjoy all that we’re seeing and doing.

7 Tips for Making Cooking on Vacation Fun and Relaxing

1. Make sure you have a kitchen at your disposal. Look for hotel rooms or suites with a kitchenette or at least a cooktop, microwave and full refrigerator. These are often comparable in price to a regular hotel room. Another great option is a vacation rental with a full kitchen. These are also often comparable to or less expensive than a regular hotel room.
2. Scout out nearby grocery stores ahead of time. You can easily map nearby grocery stores as part of planning where you’re going to stay. If you’re going to be in a big city or where it’s not easy to drive, be sure to find a place to stay with a grocery store or market very nearby since you will be carrying groceries. You’ll also want to take the whole family along so that everyone can carry groceries on the way back – or take a stroller! While you may have to make a second trip mid-week if you can’t carry everything at one time, try to get as much in one trip as possible. For the same reason that you don’t want to search for somewhere to eat for every meal, you also don’t want to be going to the grocery store every day either. Another idea is that if you don’t have a car or you really don’t want to go to the grocery store, see if you can order your groceries online and have them delivered. While this will cost a little more, it may be worth it depending on your situation.
3. Plan your meals and make a grocery list.While this is one of the least fun things about regular grocery shopping, it is well worth it anytime, but especially when you’re buying groceries on vacation. This makes it so that you have everything you need on hand and that you don’t end up buying more than you need. It also gives you a clear idea of what you’re looking for when you’re going into a new grocery store, which as we all know, can be a little challenging.
4. Plan for snacks. Snacks on vacation are a must. Fruits and packs of nuts and trail mix are very portable and easy to eat on the go or just sitting and relaxing. Make sure you also have plenty of bottles of water. If everyone is taking a backpack or bag of some sort, just split up the bottles and snacks between you so that no one is carrying everything.
5. Keep it simple. If you just really want to go all out and try to fix a full meal inspired by the local cuisine, go for it. Otherwise, keep the meals you’re cooking simple and familiar. After a full day of sightseeing, activities or being with family and friends, the last thing you’re probably going to want to do is fix a full meal that you’ve never tried before. Eating something different or local is what your eating out experiences are for.
6. Visit a local farmer’s market or outdoor market. This is a fun way to immerse yourself in the local culture and eat seasonally even while you’re away. If you’re in the United States, Local Harvest lets you find what’s available near where you’ll be staying so that you can know your options ahead of time.
7. Create a restful and relaxing setting for cooking. You can do this by having a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail while cooking, bring candles with you or buy them once you get there and play your favorite music or music that matches wherever you are. While you might not do all of this for yourself when you cook at home, this is vacation. Creating a relaxing atmosphere may even make cooking one of the things you look forward to while you’re away.

While cooking doesn’t fit with every vacation, it can be a part of most if you simply think a little differently than what you may be used to. For more tips on how to keep your next vacation relaxing, fun and healthy, be sure and check out  Integrated Wellness While On Vacation and Hotel Fitness Center Tips.

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