The Formula to a Stress Free Vacation

Planning a last minute vacation should be fun, not stressful. Being stressed defeats the whole purpose of a vacation yet so many people think that stressful planning is the only way of doing it. The past few years I’ve made it a point to take on as many trips as I can, which more times than not means last minute planning or super short weekend trips and more often than anything a combination of the two. With multiple short, last minute trips under my belt I think it’s time to share some of my tried and true tricks for staying stress free during the planning of and actual vacation portion of the trip.

Work with what you have.
Look through your closet and try to rework pieces you already own. If you’re going on a last minute trip chances are there are already a few unexpected expenses starting to pile up. Last thing you need is to go on a pre-vacay shopping spree, cutting into your vacay-spending money. Start by looking on Pinterest or Instagram and get some outfit inspiration. Once you have ideas of the style you’d like to achieve then look through your closet and try to work some magic. Last resort, taking a small trip to the mall to get a few pieces to complete a look is better than a full on haul.

Let Your Accessories set the tone.
It’s easy to want to go all out on vacation, dressing in tropical prints and white linen because you’re going to the beach etc. But more times than not you end up never wearing those pieces again and if you’re like me there are even cases you never wear them, even on the trip. Truly a waste. Rather than buy head to toe looks think of key pieces that will truly elevate your outfit. Are you going somewhere more glam or metropolitan than where you live? Now’s your chance to sport those heels or statement pieces you’ve been holding on to but never get the chance to wear at home. Maybe you have a collection of straw or colorful handbags sitting in your closet, tie a scarf on one and boom! You can achieve a totally new vibe with small tweaks to things you already own.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: TIPS TO SIMPLIFY PACKING

Set a loose itinerary.
Now I’m a very laid-back traveler, I very much go with the flow for the most part. However, before every trip I set an itinerary. Everything on the itinerary isn’t mandatory but it gives a great guideline of places and activities that are happening at certain times that if I find myself bored will fill my time. I’ll include brunch places, events happening, sites, museum hours and even happy hour times at different places I’m interested in checking out. This is especially helpful on short trips as seeing your time broken up in a calendar reminds you to not take any time for granted.

Now that you have a few places you want to visit, hop on Google maps and see what’s going to be located around you.
I do this for every trip (after learning my lesson) but especially if I know I’m going to be somewhere for only a short amount of time. This is a great way to figure out whether a place is going to be a good fit for you or not without the whole, “wandering around aimless” part. You can browse through the uploaded photos and get a true idea of the vibe. I like to know of at least two coffee shops, a brunch place, a restaurant with a great happy hour and somewhere with a nice patio and I’ve now learned to group certain things together by areas of town so I’m not driving back and forth-wasting time in traffic. I save all of that to my notes in my phone and reference it once I’m there and in need of an outing idea.

Have a record of all of your travel information.
Wherever works best for you, just do it! I have it in two places; my iCal and my notes on my phone. I’ll put all flight times, confirmation numbers, hotel addresses etc. You will at some point wonder to yourself, “What time is my flight home?” or “Do I have a connect flight?” and it will save you so much digging to already have it all there in one place.

I hope this short list of tricks I use to stay stress free when planning and going on vacation helps you! I’d love to hear some of your tricks to staying stress free on vacation! Comment below.

Xx Sylvia