Baggage packed, tickets handy, and accommodation reserved, ready for a vacation. Before your travel date, you must have spent some time reveling in this vacation.
Going on vacation should be full of excitement and lots of fun. Whether we decide to go solo on vacation or with a group of other people, we should enjoy the thrill of the moment that being on vacation brings.
Studies show that vacation is important for people to become resilient and successful in life. In other words, we can also say, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
After all the bustling and hustling of everyday hassles, it would be enthralling for us to escape from mental and physical distractions by having a vacation. Through the process of going on vacation, we get to rest and replenishment as our reward.
To truly have this rewarding experience of going on vacation, we must engage ourselves in activities that we enjoy doing. A little understanding of our minds on what we enjoy doing is paramount for us not to return from vacation and feel exhausted.
You can get the best out of your vacation by breaking your existing regular routine prior to the holiday and beginning to explore new things you are interested in or that make you really happy.Â
How does exhaustion occur?Â
The error many people make when on a vacation trip is that they still continue to live in or maintain their monotonous day-to-day routine instead of having fun, and as a result of this, their vacation sucks.
Others kill the fun in vacation by just staying in their hotels, eating and sleeping, or probably chatting with their friends online.Â
After returning, they may get antsy because they are simply exhausted. It will be best to outsource certain chores or activities while on vacation to mitigate the effect of being stressed like getting a nanny if traveling with kids to reduce housekeeping and child care activities.Â
Also, avoid unending to-do’s, requests, and obligations that are most imposed on us by others, and we cannot say ‘No’ to.Â
What is a vacation if we don’t get reinvigorated after it? What is a vacation If we just eat and sleep in our hotel rooms? It would be better to just stay at home and sleep in all day.
I am not trying to dissuade you from going on a vacation. I have compiled 16 creative things you could do on vacation to have a mind-boggling experience in any good destination of your choice.
16 Fun Ways To Spend Your VacationÂ
1. Take a boat trip
Another way to enjoy your vacation is going on a boat trip. Join others on a cruise along the river and have fun onboard. There are lots of beautiful sights to see around.
Some interesting vacation spots where you will enjoy boat trips are Hamburg canals in Germany, the canals of Venice in Italy, and Brazil’s tropical Costa Verde.
Boating trips in these places are very enjoyable. The experience is lovely. There’s never a dull moment while on a boat trip.
2. Take picturesÂ
You are now on vacation and would one day like to look back and treasure every moment of this adventure. Also, taking pictures will give others a peek into your life, and you will use them to narrate your unforgettable experience. Strike a good pose from any nice angle for a perfect picture.Â
An excellent way to do this is to have a camera handy to make your capturing come out well. Take pictures of monuments, landscapes, wildlife, waterfalls, and so on.
However, do not overdo this, as this could irritate other family members or friends that went on the trip with you as they would have to stop every now and then from what they are doing to get a shot.Â
3. Go for a walk
Walking is one way of making our health better. Walk around the vicinity you have visited on foot; this is a great way of saving transportation costs. When you are going for a walk, have a bottle of water with you to keep you hydrated. Listen to music as you go along.Â
In addition to that, make sure you are comfortable dressed for a walk. Go for a walk when the weather conditions are favorable, that is, early in the morning or in the evening. Get more familiar with the environment as you may see a street with a name that sounds funny to you.Â
Also, try to sit at some places for rest and feel the gentle breeze on your skin. Shopping centers would be a nice place you could just walk around in and appreciate the products on display.Â
4. Have a picnic
This is an outdoor activity that you would take delight in. Pack your meal, snacks, and drinks that you must have gotten from the buffet at the hotel you are lodging, or you could just buy from around the location.Â
Do not forget to check the weather forecast before embarking on this trip, as precipitation could ruin your picnic.
Also, you could relax under a shelter to read if you are with kids; they will be so happy to have a new playing ground.Â
5. Create your story
Write down events that you experienced daily in your diary to not miss anything out when narrating to your folks after returning from vacation.
Tell them of something or someone that you found funny or enjoyable while you were away. You can also keep souvenirs; they help you remember certain memories.Â
To make the story real to your friends, neighbors, colleagues at work, loved ones: miniature customized soap, toothbrush, toilet rolls that you got from the hotel accommodation, complimentary calendars are good examples of souvenirs to display to them. Souvenirs will make recounting your story of vacation unforgettable.
6. Attend a festival
Find a festival while on vacation; you will learn more about the culture of the place. Some festivals you could attend are Carnival of Cultures in Berlin, Germany, The Masked Ball in Cornwall, the Uk, Fallas in Valencia, Spain, Cartagena International Music Festival in Colombia, and many more.
Festivals usually feature music, theatre, art, circus, literature and debate, film, and many dances, which you may love to feature in.Â
7. Watch the local news.
It will be best to listen to local news of any place you have gone for a vacation. Watching local news could save your life; it could also prevent you from being taken unawares if there is a problem or the government is about to put into law something that may not favor you.Â
For instance, before this Covid19 pandemic, many people had gone on vacation in Dubai; those who listened to local news were well informed of the time they would be going on a lockdown and quickly returned to their various countries of residence.
Those that were not listening to the local news are probably still trapped in the lockdown of Dubai.Â
8. Relax at the beach
If the current place you have your vacation in has many beaches, why not go relax and have some adventures in any one of your choices? Wear sunscreen to prevent sunburn, sunglasses to protect your eyes, bikini, and you are good to go.
If the water is safe enough, you could swim in it; if not, no need for it. But you could borrow a boat and do some fishing too.
Moreso, you could just lounge with your feet in the water while your kids could collect seashells, cowries and build sandcastles at the beach.Â
You could also read some magazines and have some afternoon nap on a beach. Watch the birds chirping at your feet and flying overhead in this pristine environment.
Do not forget to come along with your snacks and drinks too. Depending on the season of the year, you could get to see the adorable dolphins..yes!Â
9. Visit museums
Visiting a museum is fun and enlightening. It reveals the ancient civilization of a particular group of people.
Furthermore, museums can help you gain a deeper understanding of cultural and natural heritage. You can also take good pictures in museums if allowed. You could get a glimpse of the historical records of the place you are at a museum.Â
Even more, you could just be there for sightseeing of exhibits at various galleries. Be spontaneous. Anything interesting could pop up while you are at a museum.Â
10. Socialize with locals
Get to familiarise yourself with the locals; this is a way of mixing up with people from various walks of life. You can make meaningful connections while on vacation by interacting with acquaintances who eventually become your best friends forever. Remember, you are in a foreign environment; you never can tell who among the locals could help you.Â
Besides, the more you mingle with the locals, the more comfortable you get during your vacation. Do not just be an observer of the locals. Participate with them in any of their activities you find interesting.
The locals could also help you discover inexpensive hidden things if you mix up with them well enough. Perhaps if you are single, you could meet the love of your life while mingling with the locals.Â
11. Play games
Playing games is one thing you could easily do to eliminate that nostalgia you have while on vacation. It usually needs luck, skill, and strategy for one to win. Moreso, games are a perfect way to while away time after a long day of exploring and socializing with locals.Â
12. Visit a national park.
This is one way to get a first-hand experience on a plethora of outdoor adventures. National parks are usually endowed with good scenery of landscapes, waterfalls, nature, and lively wildlife from birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles to fishes.
Other recreational activities you could enjoy while visiting a national park are kayaking, biking, hiking, swimming, and so on.
13. Learn something new
Vacation is an opportunity for you to leverage by learning new things. Imagine after arriving at a beautiful destination such as Paris. Then, there is this foreign accent of the French that you find really amazing, and you want to become proficient in the use of the language, and you happen to do your vacation there.Â
Let’s say, prior to your vacation in France; you managed to learn the basics of the French language. Grab the vacation opportunity you have to boost your use of language proficiency by being in constant interactions with the natives in the locality.Â
You could even use this as an opportunity to advance your career prospects, all because you gained mastery of the language. There are many things you could learn to become successful in life.
How about learning to cook, do some karate, dance steps, play a musical instrument, typing, etc. Just lay your hands on something good to learn and be perfect at doing it.
14. Workouts
This is one thing to do when on vacation that you can also enjoy. Workouts are good for everyone as they help us to keep fit. There is no harm in doing that workout you have been planning to do. Exercises raise our dopamine levels- that is, our feel-good hormone as well as strengthening our body.Â
Moreover, it will be good to burn out all the excess calories in your body from consuming many edibles in the locality.
This way, you will still be able to keep fit while on vacation because workouts boost your confidence level and physical stamina. Remember, health is wealth; workouts are good for our physical and mental well-being.Â
15. Camping
Find out from the hotel concierge if there is any good camp you could go to. Ensure to tip the concierge as this person is likely to give you credible information on places that you would really enjoy. Â
If you are thinking of going on a camp with children, the campsite should be kid-friendly for safety reasons.
Returning from a camp has a way of making us see things from a different perspective after staying in a tent or pop-up gazebo for a while in camp, we begin to treasure all the little things in our environment that we once took for granted.