Is Travel Relaxing?
 

Just returned from almost a month on the road to the Southwest. (See "Back from Arizona: a trip report".) A friend asked me,
"Did you enjoy a relaxing trip?" In discussing this I realized that while a very enjoyable trip I was more relaxed after getting home. For instance, while away I woke up each day with a sore jaw which surely is due to tension. That went away immediately upon being home. Also a cough I had.

My friend was agreeing that especially as we grow older travel can be stressful. We may not realize it even as we are having a good time. Those miles on the highway and in motels and sightseeing are not really relaxing enjoyable as they are. That city traffic and interstate contest with semis and long stretches of highway does take its toll.

I've decided that human beings need two things. The one is comfortable and familiar surroundings. Isn't it great when you can kick off your shoes and lean back in your lounge chair with a good book? But wait, eventually you get restless. You want to take in a movie or dine with friends. or take a trip. So the other human need is for new experiences and adventure. Even though it may be relaxing aboard a cruise ship or on the porch of a mountain cabin, still you had to face the hassle of a plane or car trip to get there, to say nothing of packing and eating plans. When we travel abroad we are excited to view castles and mountains. But would you call that relaxing?

So we all do enjoy planning and being on trips and also taking those digital or camera picts which others may or may not want to see (but which store memories for us). And we do relish turning the key in our front door being greeted by familiar surroundings. "Yes, it's good to be back home again."

ozarksbill

I don't go on vacation to relax. I can relax all I want when I get home, but while I'm on vacation, I ((L)) to go, go, go!

Utahtea

I make a distinction between Vacation and Travel. A "vacation" to me is sitting around and relaxing. Travel is much more active and involves exploring cultures, interesting destinations, etc.... I don't think either one is better than the other, and I like to do them both regularly. In fact, I like to build in rest days during my travels - sort of a mini-vacation - to deal with the stress of travel.

Ozarksbill, are you retired? If we take a 10 day trip, we consider outselves lucky. I find that at around day seven, I miss home.

This is what I am noticing lately. We used to be able to take weekend trips and feel great doing it. Now, we are noticing, that we don't "recover" so easily from our weekend trips! Mainly because we are going 7 days without a break and we are tired people, lol.

We try and plan a balance when traveling. This summer we are going to Portugal -- we will cram as much in as possible because that's what we enjoy doing on those types of trips. But then I try and plan some quieter away time - on a Florida beach. We might "do" some stuff, but we are mainly there to relax.

And the tension in the jaw...well, sometimes that happens to my husband too after a long drive. But you really had an adventure!!! If I had to drive all those miles with my DH, my foot would be sore from pressing on the "imaginary" brake! ;) :D

I like a combination of vacation and travel on my trips. We generally plan one or two activities per day and then play it by ear. That way we have plenty of time to just hang out if that is what we feel like doing.

I've built relaxing time into my life routine, so I've no reason to take off time from life to do that. In fact, I get bored easily when I've traveled with people who insist on doing "nothing" while vacation. For me, when traveling I'm on the go from the time I wake up until I settle in at night.

It's like I get a high from all things that surround travel - the planning, the packing, flying/driving, being there, new experiences. It's like a drug in many ways, and the rush is rather addictive. It's simply what I enjoy. (Though I do like "coming down" and walking through my own door and eventually sleeping in my own bed when it ends!)

I don't expect everyone to agree with the following, but here's my view on travel:

I have never understood the concept of relaxing on vacation. People have told me, "I want to go someplace where I can sit around and do nothing." WHAT?? Why travel if you're going to sit around and do nothing? If I want to do nothing, I'll save my money and spend a lazy day at home.

My travel is not relaxing. It's about adventure and fun, not just sitting on my butt. Sure, I can enjoy an hour or 2 of sitting in an outdoor cafe and watching the world go by, but that's only after a day of going non-stop to see all of the sights. Then once I've had my time to rest, I'm off again to my next adventure.

I will say that travel relaxes my brain, as I'm not thinking about problems from home. So it's mentally relaxing, but physically exausting. And I like it that way!!

But each to his/her own. :-)

Good discussion, and yes I am retired. Strikes me that travel/vacations are different before and after retirement. This has caused me to reflect further because you certainly do travel just to get away while employed and have less time. But after retiring you can actually go places you've wanted to see and be more relaxed. My point is that in the very act of traveling there is built in tension but that this also provides adventure.

Interesting point about the difference between travel and vacation.

ozarksbill

Most of our trips are very active with hiking, snorkeling, skiing, touring, discovering, bird watching, photographing wildlife and wildflowers, rock climbing (not any longer), dining out, meeting local people, making new friends, visiting with old ones. We love every moment of our busy schedule. Usually once-twice a year we go to a beach destination to relax but after two-three days we are ready to go snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, walking, talking, whatever is there we will find it, if it's not there we will come up with new activities. But that's us. Upon return home I need more time to get back to our everyday life after more relaxing trips than after more active and demanding trips. We are just like Utahtea, go, go, go and then we go even more. We get up early on our trips and late afternoon just read, write and relax knowing there are more activities waiting for us the next morning. We do not seek out a nightlife while traveling, once a while we go to a concert, movie, night drives or night hikes, nice restaurants, to watch sunset and afterglow. For us going out for dinner while on vacation is sometimes more tiring than all day hiking and this is why we like to cook some of our meals during our trips. I don't mind packing, repacking and packing again and I don't mind flying, changing planes and waiting for connections. My husband and I love traveling but we also love being at home too. After two weeks away from home we are sometimes ready to go back. Then after two weeks home we are ready for our next trip or at least are in process of planning our next adventure. 'Is travel relaxing?' Certainly to us but we do what we want to do not what others think we should do and this is why we chose to remain independent travelers.

There are some trips that I need to come home and reflect on before I realize that I've had a good trip.

As someone who has traveled extensively for both business and pleasure, I never get tired of it. Sure, I've had my share of 'inconveniences' on the road but being exposed to new people, places and ideas is absolutely invigorating to me! I'm still 37 years young so maybe this will change as I get older but for now - send me anywhere, anytime!

Having said that, good traveling partners make all the difference in the world. Spending time with someone who is not flexible or willing to try new things is a major drag. Life is short and it's meant to be lived!

What an interesting thread! I realize that I have sometimes been troubled after returning, exhausted, from a trip--as though I had "failed" to find it relaxing! On reflection, I find most travel exhausting because it involves external deadlines (especially airlines, scheduled events, anticipation and avoidance of rush-hour traffic). The logistics are what get to me--where to put the luggage, how to get from A to B in an unfamiliar area. That doesn't mean that I don't relish traveling, but I think that from now on I will consciously try to build deadline-free periods into each trip, so I don't have to stress out over getting somewhere on time.

The only truly "relaxing" vacation for me is a week on the beach.

Everything else is more like adventure, which is great, too. It's like mental stretching that gives everything a different perspective when I come home.

No it's not relaxing it's not supposed to be(!) unless it's a week at the beach or something. Excitement is one sign of a successful trip.

I disagree that people need comfort and familiar surroundings. Sure some people do, but you can't generalize about something like that.

It depends - our trips to Europe are exciting, interesting, but not particularly relaxing (although I do forget about work at the office). Our trips to Mexican beaches are very relaxing once we get settled in. Our trips in the US lie somewhere in between.

"Excitement is one sign of a successful trip."

But excitement can be finding a great little store or a lovely restaurant or a nice, leisurely walk and a refreshing nap. No Battaan Death March vacations for me. If I want scheduled, I'd go to work.

Well I didn't say excitement had to be exhausting! I'm a proponent of the whole "slow travel" approach. But being in a foreign country, even if simply sitting in a sidewalk cafe, is invigorating and certainly counts as un-familiar surroundings.

While I love a massage and a beautiful beach as much as most people, I prefer to be active on vacation. After a day at the beach, I'm like, OK, now let's go DO something.

My husband and I went away by ourselves last year, but not too a typical "romantic" getaway. We chose Glacier NP in Montana and we mountain-biked, white water rafted and hiked a ton. Hiking for 8 miles through amazing scenery is more mentally relaxing to me than sitting on a beach for 8 hours.

I figure I can sit at the pool or do nothing at home, I don't need to fly 5 hours to do it. I want to see and do and experience new things - that's a great vacation to me.

I'm with Utahtea on this one.

Back in the old days when everybody worked at the steel mill all day, 17 hours per, barefoot... vacation needed to be 7 nights at some resort somewhere when you didn't move a muscle for a whole week.

Now, if you don't get up and go-go-GO on your vacation, then when in the world will you ever get any exercise (mental or physical)?

I always need a vacation from my vacation. I can't stand the relaxing vacation. I relax in MI at the lake.

So I guess my vacation travel, is really what I call it, an adventure, and NOT a vacation.

I do know that friends will not travel with me because they want to sit and soak. I don't- ever.