Today we are talking about travel. Maybe it's anecdotal but so many people consider travel a big part of their self-care and I am guilty of being one of them. Vacations are a time when we can slow down and nurture ourselves, and for nurses experiencing burnout, they can provide relief from the stressful shifts nurses experience.
While vacations can be amazing for self-care, if you are in burnout it can feel overwhelming to plan, expensive to do, and just another stress on your plate. Here are four travels tips to make the most out of your time off.
1. Go to a place that is a place your soul needs.
As much fun as is it to go to Disneyland or Las Vegas, if you need a quiet retreat, honor what your soul needs instead of trying to push through because you think you are supposed to.
One of my most memorable trips was a solo trip to the Big Island of Hawaii in March 2016. It was a time period where I was recovering from burnout and in limbo about what I was doing in my career. I landed in Kona and got a rental car with no plans on where I was staying. It was emotional and a cathartic trip. I remember to this day trekking out to the Papakolea Green Sand Beach allowing myself time to cry and grieve. When I finally scaled down the cliff to the beach, the saltwater felt like it was cleansing and healing my soul.
2. Do not be afraid to travel alone.
Traveling alone opens you up to experiences you possibly would never have if you went with friends and family. You don't have to do activities you don't want to do. You can change your itinerary without upsetting someone. Solo travel is becoming more popular with searches and in one survey more than 70% of people indicated that they enjoy traveling alone or considering it. Traveling alone can be an amazing experience, but check out the Solo Traveler's safety tips before you go.
Interested in Solo Travel? Check out these links:
https://solotravelerworld.com/travel-safety/
3. If at all possible, do not go back to work the day after you get back from your trip.
If you are like me, it is so tempting to squeeze every extra minute out of my trip that I can. While that seems like a good idea, usually it turns into being jetlagged on the job and frantically trying to get back into your routine.
When you are planning a trip it is so easy to want to spend as much time as you can on your trip at the expense of having to go back to work the next day. One of the best tips I ever received was to come home at least two days early to allow yourself time to unpack, unwind, and get settled in before going back to work. This allows your brain time to adjust from vacation mind to regular life mind.
4. Do not underestimate the staycation.
If money is tight, a staycation can be a great solution. Whether you are staying at home or wanting to find something to do less than a few hours away, staycations are an easy way to keep your stress levels down on your time off.
Interested in staycation ideas? Check out these links:
Reader's Digest - Best Staycations by State
TripAdvisor
Better Homes & Gardens - Staycation That Feels Like a Vacation
5. Get Help/Hire a travel agent.
Planning a trip can be a lot of fun, but if you are finding yourself getting stressed on planning the trip and are not sure what you want to do, you can always hire a travel agent to help you. What is nice about working with a travel agent is they can help give you options based upon your budget and the experience you want to go on.
Do you have any other travel tips? Share them below in the comments.
Xoxo,
Mary B.
P.S.
Self-care is just just one of the tools I teach nurses who are struggling with burnout and unhappy in their careers. Go to burnoutward.com to learn more about how the Unbreakable Nurse Society can help you take back your career from burnout and find a job you love.
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