What Vacation Means to Me.
What does a vacation mean to you? Does it mean not answering e-mails, not eating clean or not working out? Maybe a vacation means no cooking or cleaning and sleeping in? The definition of a vacation is “an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling”. A vacation to me doesn’t necessarily mean no alarm clock or being by the ocean. As most of you know I’m spending my spring in Europe, travelling, exploring, visiting, volunteering and even working! I consider waking up early, working out, preparing lunch, spending my day at different cafes answering emails and on phone meetings being on vacation! I’m fulfilled doing those things, it makes me happy knowing I’m being productive. I have a busy life and sleeping in and lying down on the beach 7 days a week would honestly make me feel sluggish and like I’m wasting my time. Don’t get me wrong, a day here and there to just chill out is so necessary and I appreciate those days.
Here’s a list of the 5 things I love to do on vacation
1) WORKOUT! Even when I’m home I love to lose myself in a workout class or do my own circuit in the gym. Starting the day with a sweat is how I want to step into everyday, it clears my mind and gives me the jolt of energy that my body craves. When I’m in a different country or city I always try to make it to a workout class to learn new techniques. Get one of my workout plans here.
2) VOLUNTEER. Every new place I go to I make it a priority to give back to the land or to the people. There’s no better way than to learn about the culture, heritage and history then from the peoples themselves. This has made such an impact on all my trips and I highly recommend everyone tries this as well.
3) ADRENALINE ACTIVITY. So this may not be for everyone, but Mensah and I are HUGE adrenaline junkies, therefore every trip we go on we organize some sort of crazy adrenaline activity. Whether it be a challenging hike, climbing a steep hill, water rafting or honestly anything that will make my stomach twist and turn has my name ALL over it!
4) WORK. Yes, you read that correctly, I work on vacation. I still answer e-mails, I still hop on phone call meetings, I still book trips to come home to make it to special events. I still write blog posts and post on all my social media platforms. Why? Because I love my job, I love what I do, it fulfills me. Me working is me growing and I never want to stop expanding.
5) SPECIAL CITY ACTIVITY. Before going to a new place, I do my homework on that location and I make sure to book a special tour with a local. The activity can be anywhere from doing a boat tour, a bus tour, a hike, a cooking class, honestly anything that teaches me something about the land and the people.
To me a vacation is learning how to grow as a person, after every trip I come home stronger. I have new ideas and mindset for my personal life and more knowledge and appreciation for cultures around me.