Oh no! My Vacation is almost over!

We’ve all had that feeling - soon, we have to go home. At first, it is just a nagging feeling we try to ignore. Pretty soon though, we know we have to go back to regular life. Just as we counted ‘sleeps’ before our vacation, we now know there are only one or two days left until we return.

Reactions to this vary. I was on a trip with friends, who missed their teenagers and couldn’t wait to get home. I have also been on a trip where we all contacted the airline and extended our vacation by a few days.

My face pressed up against the window, sadly watching the shadow of our plane heading home…

How do you approach the end of vacation? There can be a temptation to cram as much as possible into the last few days. Running here and there, making sure no landmark has been missed. May I suggest the exact opposite approach. While one important purpose of vacation travel is to see new places and do new things, another important one is rest. When we are away from our home and our jobs, we have a chance to just do nothing.

The best last day of a trip I have enjoyed was spent doing almost nothing. Rest. Eat. Walk around a little. Rest again. No panic, no anxiety over the end of a wonderful trip. Just slowly savoring the exotic environment, and letting go of stress.

Now, on our most recent cruise, the last day was a sea day. This was a perfect opportunity to unwind. But what if you have booked a cruise and the last port is an exciting one? One at which you just absolutely must see several amazing things?!

If you have booked that cruise, and if you can swing it, seriously consider spending an extra night in your end port. It will make exiting the cruise less stressful, and give you the opportunity to slow down, before everything speeds up again back home.