Should vacation be a break from everything?
When I worked for corporations, vacation was a badly needed respite from 60-to-80-hour work weeks. Early in our marriage, my husband and I began taking an annual week off. We quickly learned it wasn’t enough. We increased it to 2 weeks, and that’s worked for us ever since.
I should explain our vacation is defined as totally vegging out on a beach all day, every day, just reading and enjoying the sun, sand, and breezes. Whenever we do a sightseeing-type trip, it rarely lasts longer than a weekend.
Every year as I pack, I think it would be fun to also bring my portable projects such as hand-sewing, watercolors, or art journaling. Some years that’s worked. Other years, I never touched them.
This year I have three dilemmas:
Do I still send out this newsletter while I’m gone? I do love writing it.
Do I bring my hand-lettering notepad and pen? I find the exercises very soothing, so this activity can enhance the vacation vibe.
And how about that travel art kit I’ve put together but have yet to use because I haven’t gone anywhere since I created it?
I know I need a serious break from daily life. Does that mean letting go of hobbies, too?
Have hobby, will travel.
For many, travel is an opportunity to expand a current interest or explore new ones. Some hobbies lend themselves easily to being on the move and helping you avoid travel burnout.
Of course, traveling itself can be a hobby. If creating art is the focus of your travel, that brings up more considerations.
One of my favorite artists, Amy Maricle of Mindful Art Studios, writes that doing art when she travels is as essential to her as the activities she does with her family on those trips. She’s created a simple art kit that’s easy to tuck into a tote or suitcase (hers was the inspiration for mine). Having it always nearby increases the amount of play time she’s able to carve out of a busy life.
My plan (such as it is).
I’ll first focus is on settling in after we arrive. Then I’ll figure out the rest as the days go along, something I’m not comfortable with, being a die-hard planner. Yet, given how hard the last three years have been, I may need more time to decompress than I think.
I’ll be back in your in-box by mid-March at the latest.
Thanks for reading!
—Mary Anne Shew (Instagram: @shewphotos)