There’s a buzzy new travel term floating around, and seeing it written out was an aha moment for me in realizing what was missing from my vacations. Slow-cation. As you can imagine, a slowcation is basically a vacation, near or far, that prioritizes rest. The funny thing is, that’s exactly what vacation is supposed to do—it’s supposed to be some sort of getaway from everyday life that makes you feel joyful, inspired, and at peace. But honestly, I don’t know that many people who take real vacations anymore, and it seems that’s why this new trend of slowcations is taking flight in 2024.
Why should I take a slowcation?
There are many reasons vacations are less relaxing than they perhaps used to be or are romanticized to be. The biggest factor is that more and more people take their work with them on vacation. As a freelancer, working throughout my trips is often the only reason I can actually go on them—I’m not afforded paid vacation time by my employer (I’ve asked her, she can’t afford it) so the only way to travel is to continue making money while doing it. My partner on the other hand has paid vacation, but the pressures of his job are so great that he rarely takes it, and when he does he feels anxious without at least checking in every now and then. Even if he’s not working, unfortunately a lot of times his mind isn’t exactly on vacation. And this is the case for most people I know. And/or they have other pressures, such as navigating travel with young children.
Even when we have all of this relatively sorted out and are ready to unplug, I personally have a hard time switching into vacation mode. And I think a lot of this has to do with not prioritizing it—which is why a slowcation may be important to plan.
We’ve gone on a couple of trips over the last year that have made me realize how important it is to balance activities so you have a good time traveling. I’m not sure about you but I am not at my best if I haven’t had ample sleep and being on the go all day seriously wipes me out. I love to visit major cities on a lot of my vacations because it’s so fun to see how other people live and what people love to do, eat, and drink. But that usually makes for a packed schedule full of Instagram-worthy stops, checking off an enormous Yelp list that I spent weeks curating. I also struggle with flight anxiety (amongst other anxieties), so not only does travel exhaust me perhaps more quickly than other adventurous types, it also always feels so… high stakes. Every time I go on vacation, I am going way outside my comfort zone in some way. It has always been worth it, but that doesn’t make me less stressed in the process.
When I learned about the new concept of a slow-cation, it finally clicked that I should inject a little of the slow living movement into my own travels. I think not only it would make for more downtime, but it will allow me to be present and enjoy the more involved activities I pencil in, like choosing to go to all of Chicago’s many Christmas markets in a single weekend, or exploring as much of San Diego’s Coronado Island on foot as possible before the last ferry back into the city. Over the years, I’ve begun to incorporate some of these relaxing “travel hacks”, but this is still pretty new to me. Here’s the advice I have so far for giving your vacation a little of that slowcation energy:
How to turn travel into a slowcation
Book another day
If you’re traveling OOT, book an extra day than you normally would. I love to maximize my time, minimize my spend, but I’m finding that an additional $200-$300 to stay an extra night is worth it, especially if flights line up in a way that will rush us through the last day. Sometimes making cuts elsewhere in the budget makes sense.
Plan a slow first day
If you’re going on a long flight, don’t fly in in the morning and pack your schedule for the rest of the day. Instead, schedule the more lowkey activities for when you’re already a lower energy and potentially hauling luggage around until your hotel’s check-in time. (Also, ask if you can store your luggage there before check-in.) Getting into town, checking in, and going for a nice meal and walk nearby is a good first night to me! Then I’m ready to go the next day.
Leave room for surprises and fun extras
Don’t plan every day, just a few highlight events. I’ve never been great at making room for surprises. But not only will things come up, if it’s a place you’ve never been before, you’ll probably come across some activities or sights you didn’t know you needed to explore! Or, you’ll fall in love with a place and want to visit it again before time is up.
Schedule your downtime
In the middle of all this, work in some downtime. If you’re staying some place luxurious or cozy, plan time to hang. If you really want to stay on the move, at least plan some more relaxing activities—maybe explore a spa or a farmers market or whatever feels chill to you.
Pack more mindfully
People are often underpackers or overpackers. I guess I’m the Goldielocks of packing. I don’t like to be caught without, but I hate lugging too much around and making a mess of a tiny hotel room. (This may or may not be a problem for you—like I said, my travel involves being on the go a lot, and we usually don’t rent a car unless we really have to). But if you want your vacation to feel like a vacation, you will want to pack like it’s one! Don’t just bring all of your fanciest dresses because you know they’ll look great in photos. Bring some cozy outfits beyond the airplane, for those last days when you just don’t want to dress up any longer.
A cozy cabin in Oregon, snuggled up in my favorite blanket.
How to make a staycation more special
Staycations are probably the closest thing to having a slow, relaxing time “away”, because you don’t have the pressure of a packed itinerary or tons of time in transit. They’re usually somewhat familiar places, maybe a quaint small town on the coast or a cabin in the woods. So priorities are obviously different. But there are things you can do to take your staycation up a notch when it comes to R&R:
Look for Amenities
Focus on finding a place with a couple upgraded amenities, such as a hot tub, luxury bathtub, sauna or pool. If you like to take long baths for example, you can then bring all your favorite bath and body washes, salts, scrubs, to make the most of it.
Ask Questions
Ask questions to the hotel or Airbnb beforehand to ensure you are staying in a place you actually want to be!
A room with a view
A nice view always makes a staycation special to me. Here in the PNW (as you can see here), we have so many beautiful landscapes. So if I’m going to stay within a few hours drive, I want to take in some of that beauty in a way I normally can’t/don’t in the city.
Make meals special
If cooking, try to upgrade your meals from what you normally cook at home. Pick special comfort foods or if you love to cook, book a place with a nice kitchen and craft a gourmet meal!
Bring flowers
If you’re staying more than a day bring some flowers to your hotel or Airbnb to brighten the mood. Flowers always make me happy, so I love picking them up on the way in and enjoying throughout my stay.
Pool at the Lafayette Hotel in San Diego – even if you can’t afford to stay at your dream hotel, you can often still visit their on-site bar or restaurant, or even spa.
Can’t get away? Bring slowcation energy to your day off
There are lots of ways to bring more rest into your life even if you can’t book a trip or even commit to spending a weekend away. If you can carve out a few hours, you can:
Enjoy a swimming pool and private recreation activities
A great way to enjoy a spa-like service without spending hundreds of dollars is through apps like Swimply, which is like the Airbnb for private pools! (Jenn has tried and loved this!) This allows you to get away without going far, and you rent by the hour. You can also rent things like pickleball and tennis courts, or rent homes by the hour and create your own retreat.
Group Wellness
Try a group meditation, sound bath, or mindfulness activity. Group wellness sessions will give you that big ahh feeling that a luxury spa at a much smaller cost. Is there a self-care activity you’ve seen on social media and wondered about? Give it a try! I recently did a sound bath for the first time and enjoyed experiencing relaxation in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
Make No Plans
Do you tend to stay busy? Challenge yourself to making no plans for a whole weekend. This is tough for me as I like to know what’s coming up, but also means I forget to schedule downtime.
Prioritize joy and inspiration
Plan a day solely around what inspires you. Art, flowers, good coffee, and being around nature and animals inspire me (cliché as all those items may be). That doesn’t mean I need to commit to doing art or producing something, but surrounding myself with its beauty. A botanical garden, visiting artsy boutiques and new cafes (or our local cat café!) are easy ways to feel inspired and at ease. Choose an interest and surround yourself with it, without expectation to do anything but enjoy.
It feels like we’re in a time that demands constant movement, yet advises slowing down. We’re in a perpetual search for balance among competing demands. We can’t always take a week off to commit to relaxation and nothing else. But we can find ways to infuse more peaceful, mindful moments into the activities we have planned. I hope these slowcation tips remind you to make rest more of a priority in your own life!
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