If you’ve allowed traveling to take a backseat in your life for the last few years—whether it’s because you were worried about your health, your finances weren’t in order, you were recovering in a senior living facility, or some other reason—you might be a little nervous about taking your first trip back into the world of travel. Luckily, there are some things that you can do or keep in mind to help you have a great travel experience now that you’re willing to get back out there.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three travel trips if you haven’t taken a vacation in years.
Treat Yourself With A Longer Trip
Since it’s been so long since you’ve been out on a trip, one thing you might want to consider is taking a longer vacation so that you can truly make the most of your time.
Especially if you haven’t taken vacation days from work, you may have some saved up so that you can afford to take a longer than normal vacation. This is perfect for your first trip in a long time as it will allow you to go and do more things than a typical vacation. So if you can swing going for a few weeks rather than a week or shorter, this might be a wise idea so that you’re spending less time getting to your destination and more time at your final destination.
Find Ways To Deal With Stress And Anxiety
If you’re nervous about traveling again, there are things that you can do to help reduce some of the stress and anxiety that can come with traveling.
One thing you might want to do as your trip gets closer is to expose yourself to the parts of traveling that stress you out. If you’re worried about navigating in an unfamiliar area, try doing this in parts of your own city that you’re not super familiar with. If you’re nervous about speaking with strangers, try to do this more in your daily life so that the shift isn’t so big when you’re traveling.
Use This Time To Really Disconnect
Because it’s been so long since you’ve been able to take a step away from your life through traveling, you should try to really disconnect from work and social media on your upcoming trip.
If you set an out-of-office email, give yourself permission not to check in on things that can wait until you’re back in the office. And while it can be fun to post on social media about all of the adventures you’re having, make sure you’re staying present and giving your attention to what’s happening rather than viewing everything you’re doing through the screen of your own phone.
If you’re going on your first vacation in years, consider using the travel tips mentioned above to help ensure you have a great time.
