Most of us have heard someone say that they need a vacation to recover from their vacation, and, unfortunately, there is some truth in the joke. You work hard all year so the week or two of vacation coming up has to be great, relaxing, fun, entertaining, restorative, reconnecting you with friends and family in all the most important ways, because, after all, you only get those few weeks, so you have to make the most of them. It has to be great, no matter what, and that’s a lot of pressure. No wonder so many people wind up feeling a little let down by their time off – the reality, even a really good one, isn’t ever going to match the fantasy. There are a few things you can do to free yourself from this cycle, though.

  1. Take your vacation days – all of them. Americans have the least amount of vacation days of any country in the developed world, and yet we generally don’t use the days we have. So make it an annual goal to use all of the vacation days you have, whether in large chunks or small, just use ‘em all.
  2.  Manage your expectations. Look forward to a good trip without trying to convince yourself that this will be the best. Trip. EVER. Instead of imagining a week of perfect, sunny golfing weather at Bald Mountain or Apple Valley, think about what you’ll do if there are rainy days. Maybe make sure your vacation home has a covered porch or balcony with a view over Lake Lure or one of Rumbling Bald Resort’s creeks – a place to kick back, watch the rain fall, and get into that book you brought with you.
  3. Plan, plan, and plan. The more planning and organizing you do before the vacation begins the more relaxation you can do when it arrives. Make a packing list so you don’t forget any essentials. Buy any tickets you want ahead of time, reserve tee-times, go ahead and rent your mountain bikes, do whatever you can to get things set so you have to think as little as possible about the nuts and bolts once you’ve arrived.
  4. Plans? What plans? Having done all that you can to plan your trip, always remember that those plans are not written in stone. It might rain one day. You’ll want to sleep in instead of going shopping, or you’ll decide that you’d rather sit down to dinner by the lake than cook at home. Be flexible. Think of any planned activities as an outline of suggestions. Sometimes a nap after lunch is what you need instead of a canoe outing, and sometimes a morning on the beach will suit your mood better than a hike. Remember, you’re taking a break from rules and schedules, so allow yourself to forget a plan or three.
  5. Take time for yourself. Even on a family vacation, allow for some peace and quiet time all to yourself, whether that means curling up with a book, taking a solo kayaking outing, or whatever. Also, allow the people with you to do the same, even if that means they’re changing plans to do it. It’s their vacation too, after all.

Most of all enjoy yourself, and the people you’re with, especially when things go off script. Those are often the best parts of the trip. Visit www.rumblingbald.com and book your vacation today!