I love a good holiday - in fact, it’s one of my favourite things to do in life. However, at some point over the years juggling work and home life, holidays became too few and far between.  I lost sight of the criticality of rest and the extreme value of experiencing different cultures and  places.  Not only is it incredibly good for our bodies, but it's immensely beneficial to our minds to rest, recharge and find inspiration for our next adventure.

Planning your rest is a critical element of health, within our focus area of preparedness.  And as I always say, you can't argue with science. And science has proven the importance of regular breaks during the day, the week and especially annually, so you have that time to really reset. 

There are two types of rest I want you to consider today: big breaks and mini breaks. I talk through the benefits of each one and give you tips on how to best plan for them. 

We’ll also explore how to beat the back-to-work blues, where I share the fun ritual my family and I have to select our next adventure and give us something to look forward to. 

Whether you're yearning for a tropical getaway or seeking inspiration for your next trip, I hope this episode is a helpful roadmap to planning your successful next adventure. May it also inspire you to seek the much-needed rest and recharge we all need for a joyful, more balanced life!

Connect with Me: 

Website: www.balanceathand.com 

Instagram:  @balance_at_hand

Resources mentioned: Travel Planner Checklist

Hello and welcome.

I've just got caught in a

huge rainstorm while on the

way to school pickup, and I

thought now is the exact time

to talk to you about planning

your rests, especially while

I'm thinking about my need

for a tropical holiday.

I love having holidays.

It's one of my favorite

things to do, but being

so busy, they used to

be too far and too few.

Between.

I didn't appreciate the

criticality of rest for

all of us and the extreme

value of the experience of

different cultures and places.

Not only is it incredibly

good for our bodies, but

it's incredibly beneficial to

our minds to rest, recharge,

and have some adventure

and find your inspiration.

Planning your rest is

a critical element of

health, within our focus

area of preparedness.

And as I always say, you

can't argue with science,

and science has proven the

importance of regular breaks

during the day, during

the week, and especially

annually, so you have

that time to really reset.

There are two types of rests

I want you to consider today.

One is the big breaks,

which are at least a week

in length, and the other

is small mini breaks.

First up, the big breaks.

These are the super extended

fun downtime holidays where

you either have an adventure

or you go and lay by a pool

and do absolutely nothing.

There are so many

things you can do.

I really, really like for

people to plan these in

advance because you know,

everything's easier when

you know a holiday is coming

up, especially at work.

With big breaks, you

really need to think

through what your plan is.

You can set up a savings plan.

So you're ready in advance of

the trip and you're booking

things as well as doing all

the research you need so

that you have the best trip

with all the experiences that

you want to have, including

where you want to stay,

what you want to feel and

achieve out of the trip.

Work out what you

really want from a rest.

For example, if you want to

break from the everyday, then

getting a rental where you

still have to cook and clean

may not be the best outcome,

and you'll probably come back

as frazzled as when you left.

To then balance the time

between your big breaks, I

have found absolute magic

in monthly mini breaks.

Not only does this give me

something fun and pretty

immediate to think about,

But a mini break rejuvenates

with regular adventure.

At least once a month,

I plan a weekend or day

doing something special.

This may be an overnight

camping adventure, a day

hike, a picnic with friends,

or a visit around the city.

I have really embraced

this as a chance to explore

my own backyard, and it

is truly inspirational

to see and experience

different things each month.

Doing this?

And by the end of the

year, I have had at

least 12 mini adventures.

For my family to set

up our plans, we have

a super fun way to beat

the back to work blues.

At the end of a trip,

we select our next trip.

So there is something

immediately to

look forward to.

In our house, we have two

jars, one for big drips

and one for mini breaks.

Annually, we sit and we

fill the jars with pieces

of paper that each have

a destination and an

experience written on each.

For example, on this piece

of paper I have in front

of me, the destination says

Africa and the experience is

to see elephants in the wild.

And I really hope we

pick that one out next.

Anyway, fold your paper

up and pop it in the jar.

And then at your first dinner,

after you come back from

your big break and you've

got a bit of back to work

blues, you can make it a

really, really fun ritual

to select your next break.

And we do exactly the

same with our mini

break jar as well.

To help you start your

own jars, I've created

a free template you

can print and make into

a fun event to select

mini break and big break

destinations and experiences.

You can grab a copy of

this from balance at hand.

com to inspire you in

your destination ideas.

Recently.

I've had the absolute pleasure

of talking to Christina

Carlson, founder of your

dream life starts here.

And I've asked her a couple

of questions about travel.

Let's have a listen

What is the favorite

place you've been to?

Oh, there

are so many amazing

places around the world.

One of my highest

values is travel.

And if I can combine work

and travel, I am in heaven.

But I have to say Maldives

is one of my favorite places

to go to because There

is not a lot to do more

than reading, doing yoga.

And I love warmth and

walking and just spending

time with my family.

And we used to go there often

on the way back to Sweden.

And it was such an amazing

holiday as a family because

my kids love surfing.

They love swimming.

My partner serves and there's

yoga, there's good food,

but there's not a lot to do.

So I always had a suitcase

full of books and, I just

spent so much time and reading

and on getting up early and

filled probably three journals

each time I went there.

It's such a beautiful place.

And, um, saying that I also

love bustling, big, amazing

cities and different cultures,

but in terms of holiday, and

I think specifically because

I work so much and I've

worked so much over the years.

So I think having a holiday

Maldives doesn't give me

that stimulation that often

a place like New York or

Paris or Dubai would give

because they would give me

so much business input versus

Maldives will actually get me.

Uh, into much calmer state

because there wasn't so

much business inspiration.

Oh, it

sounds lovely.

And where would

you like to go?

Where is somewhere that you

haven't necessarily been yet?

I haven't been to Antarctica,

so I want to go there.

I haven't been

to South America.

you know, I want

to go to Argentina.

I want to go to Brazil.

So lots of places, but also

I spent a day in my own city

on Wednesday and I went to

the gallery and because I

used to travel so much and

I don't travel as much.

And I think most of us don't

travel as much of a COVID.

Because it's so much easier

to do a lot of things online

in terms of travel for work.

And, uh, I walked into

town, which took me

about an hour and a half.

I had a coffee on the

way I went to gallery.

And often when we go

traveling, we go to those

places like the galleries

or the museums or the

restaurants in the new city.

And sometimes we forget to

do that in our own city or

perhaps don't forget, but

we don't take the time.

So sometimes I think just

to see, you know, smaller

cities or smaller towns

in our own country is

incredibly rewarding as well.

Oh, so inspirational.

I could listen to

Christina all day.

Planning big trips can be

overwhelming if you're not

an experienced traveler.

So if you are after some

support to plan through

each step of your trip,

head to balanceathand.

com where I have created

travel checklists for

big travel planning.

And one of them has a special

focus on tropical trips.

So if you need to beat the

return to work blues or

want to be more organized

with planning your

rests, I really recommend

setting up your own jars.

Think through the timing

of your next break.

What do you need on your

next break and make sure

that you're prepared because

that makes your rest even

more rewarding because if

you're prepared, you're

excited, you're ready, and

you're moving towards a

wonderful, balanced life.

I can't wait to hear

about your adventures

until next time.

Live your best balanced life.