For some people, going on vacation generally consists of a little more than just packing up a few things, and going for a weekend trip. While that can involve going on a caving adventure or a nice long hike, this is considered extreme to some people.
If your past few “vacations” involved sitting in front of the television or going to the mall, you might need a wakeup call from your sense of adventure. The following is a reality check on what a vacation should have to keep things from going downright stale.
Get Off the Couch!
If you feel like you’ve been keeping your couch company, you really need to get out more. Rather like the start of any journey is a single step, the start of your amazing vacation involves actually getting off your couch for a reason other than going to the bathroom or grabbing a snack. When you get off your couch, turn off the TV and the lights. Now take a little walk and think about where you’d go if you could go anywhere in the world.
The funny part is, you actually can go anywhere. Traveling is cheaper than it was a few years ago—the airlines and hotels really want your business. You can be anywhere on Earth in just a couple of days. How can you not travel?
Skip the Tan Lines
Do you enjoy being naked? Of course, who doesn’t? So why waste time under the oppression of unnecessary clothing? Some of the best resorts in the world allow you to strut around wearing only what your maker gave you.
Seek out places where the words “dress optional” mean more than just choosing not to wear a tie. When you feel the sun on your back—hopefully wearing sunscreen—and the wind all across your skin, you’ll tingle in the best possible ways. Bring someone you’re really close to if you want it to be even better.
Reconnect With Your Lover
It doesn’t matter who you love. In most of the world, you won’t be judged as long as everyone is able to willfully and legal consent to… well, that’s your business. Reconnecting with your lover might involve nothing more than a stroll along the beach or through an especially majestic mountain path, or it could involve trying to rollerblade hand in hand through a Dubai marketplace or along the Great Wall of China.
If you think you have to do something lascivious to get your heart racing, think again. Some of the most exciting vacations are things you could guiltlessly tell a child or a priest all about.
Buy an Island
Believe it or not, you don’t really have to buy an island. However, a really fun thing to do when you get to an island is to scope it out as if you were planning to buy it. Throw a little swagger into your step and really dig into the island itself. Is this the kind of place you’d buy if you had the money for anything?
If not, what would you change if you could move mountains? Considering that you can sometimes buy an island for not much more than the price of a luxury home, you might even consider a vacation dedicated to checking out some waterway real estate.
Get Your Pulse Racing
Checking out the girls on the beach might be your idea of a heart-racing activity or it might not. But if all else fails, use your time away from home to get out there and sweat. If your natural avocation isn’t to just lay around in your daily life, go outside in your vacation setting and take a run or a swim. A little activity goes a long way.
Think of Fun
When some people see a cliff, they think, “I’d better not fall off of that.” When other people see the very same cliff, they think, “How can I jump off of that without dying at the bottom?” Still other people think, “Wow, I’d love to climb up to that.” They’re all looking at exactly the same place, they all see different things, and they’re all totally right. Your version of fun is as unique as your fingerprint, and it’s something to be celebrated.
There’s no shame in doing anything that you find enjoyable, even if it’s mostly just lounging on the beach with a good book or meditating in a temple.
Bringing it Home
Some people think that a vacation is all about getting great pictures to take home. While pics are fine, they’re not the reason you need to take a great vacation. You need to connect to your inner life force, and do something that’s exciting and different. You have but one life, and there are no redoes if you “forget” to live it the way you want to.
