When Was Your Last Holiday?
I was lucky enough to spend a week in Bali at the start of this year. It was a real of-the-moment decision. I had taken some time off in between jobs (just before starting my time here at Clicks) over Christmas and New Year. It was the longest stretch of time I had ever had off without a plan. As my family and the rest of the the world started to get back into their familiar routines, I found myself with a week of nothing ahead. My husband was going back to work, my kids had all made plans with their friends, and I was at loose ends.
Chatting to a friend about this weird week of not knowing what I was doing, and it being my last week of freedom before the unknown of my new job, I said, maybe I’ll just jump in the car and see where it takes me. She offered to keep me company if she could get her life sorted over the next few days. And over a few drinks, and after those drinks started getting stronger, that little road trip turned into booking a flight to Bali.
It seemed an extreme progression from looking up Airbnb’s in either of Victoria’s closest peninsulas to jumping on a plane and heading to another country. But in some divine way, the math added up and the universe must have heeded my yearning to just… get away.
It later dawned on me, the last time I had traveled further than a couple of hours away from home was in 2019. Not only was that around 5 years ago, but in pandemic terms, it was a whole lifetime ago.
Taking a Mental Holiday
In that simple act of planning a holiday, I immediately felt better. I was a little stressed and a little manic trying to get everything sorted. Let’s face it, there is no last-minute-pick-up-and-leave fantasy that includes a supportive, but bemused husband, and teenagers that felt a little slighted that mum’s holiday plans excluded them also. There were some things I had to navigate and get organised, but I slid through those like a hot knife through butter. No issues. I was excited, I was whistling, I was happy, I was looking forward to something!
Now, as I look ahead to the winter months and thoughts of a European summer weave through my daydreams (and into my social media feed lately), I wonder whether I can start thinking of my next holiday. Not a drop-everything-and-leave-next-week holiday. No, that lightning bolt might only strike once. In my mind I have actually started to put some things in place that might turn into a plan that might turn into action, that might turn into a holiday. And just that has made something shift. All of a sudden, I feel good.
And if it doesn’t go ahead, well it has already given me a solid mood boost.
So, go on, conjure up the sights, the tastes, the adventures of your next holiday and do you know what? Even before you book anything, your shoulders will loosen and your outlook will brighten and then, the more you think about it, thoughts turn into plans, plans turn into actions, and then an itinerary.
Bernadette Liparota