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Planning Your Rests
Episode 310th April 2024 • Keeping Balance At Hand • Jaqui Bohn
00:00:00 00:08:59

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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

Transcripts

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Hello and welcome.

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I've just got caught in a

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huge rainstorm while on the

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way to school pickup, and I

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thought now is the exact time

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to talk to you about planning

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your rests, especially while

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I'm thinking about my need

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for a tropical holiday.

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I love having holidays.

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It's one of my favorite

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things to do, but being

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so busy, they used to

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be too far and too few.

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Between.

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I didn't appreciate the

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criticality of rest for

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all of us and the extreme

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value of the experience of

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different cultures and places.

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Not only is it incredibly

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good for our bodies, but

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it's incredibly beneficial to

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our minds to rest, recharge,

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and have some adventure

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and find your inspiration.

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Planning your rest is

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a critical element of

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health, within our focus

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area of preparedness.

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And as I always say, you

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can't argue with science,

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and science has proven the

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importance of regular breaks

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during the day, during

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the week, and especially

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annually, so you have

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that time to really reset.

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There are two types of rests

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I want you to consider today.

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One is the big breaks,

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which are at least a week

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in length, and the other

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is small mini breaks.

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First up, the big breaks.

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These are the super extended

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fun downtime holidays where

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you either have an adventure

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or you go and lay by a pool

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and do absolutely nothing.

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There are so many

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things you can do.

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I really, really like for

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people to plan these in

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advance because you know,

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everything's easier when

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you know a holiday is coming

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up, especially at work.

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With big breaks, you

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really need to think

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through what your plan is.

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You can set up a savings plan.

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So you're ready in advance of

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the trip and you're booking

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things as well as doing all

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the research you need so

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that you have the best trip

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with all the experiences that

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you want to have, including

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where you want to stay,

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what you want to feel and

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achieve out of the trip.

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Work out what you

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really want from a rest.

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For example, if you want to

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break from the everyday, then

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getting a rental where you

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still have to cook and clean

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may not be the best outcome,

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and you'll probably come back

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as frazzled as when you left.

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To then balance the time

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between your big breaks, I

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have found absolute magic

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in monthly mini breaks.

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Not only does this give me

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something fun and pretty

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immediate to think about,

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But a mini break rejuvenates

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with regular adventure.

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At least once a month,

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I plan a weekend or day

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doing something special.

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This may be an overnight

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camping adventure, a day

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hike, a picnic with friends,

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or a visit around the city.

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I have really embraced

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this as a chance to explore

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my own backyard, and it

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is truly inspirational

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to see and experience

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different things each month.

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Doing this?

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And by the end of the

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year, I have had at

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least 12 mini adventures.

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For my family to set

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up our plans, we have

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a super fun way to beat

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the back to work blues.

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At the end of a trip,

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we select our next trip.

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So there is something

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immediately to

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look forward to.

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In our house, we have two

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jars, one for big drips

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and one for mini breaks.

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Annually, we sit and we

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fill the jars with pieces

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of paper that each have

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a destination and an

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experience written on each.

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For example, on this piece

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of paper I have in front

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of me, the destination says

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Africa and the experience is

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to see elephants in the wild.

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And I really hope we

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pick that one out next.

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Anyway, fold your paper

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up and pop it in the jar.

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And then at your first dinner,

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after you come back from

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your big break and you've

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got a bit of back to work

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blues, you can make it a

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really, really fun ritual

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to select your next break.

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And we do exactly the

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same with our mini

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break jar as well.

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To help you start your

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own jars, I've created

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a free template you

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can print and make into

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a fun event to select

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mini break and big break

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destinations and experiences.

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You can grab a copy of

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this from balance at hand.

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com to inspire you in

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your destination ideas.

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Recently.

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I've had the absolute pleasure

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of talking to Christina

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Carlson, founder of your

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dream life starts here.

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And I've asked her a couple

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of questions about travel.

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Let's have a listen

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What is the favorite

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place you've been to?

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Oh, there

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are so many amazing

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places around the world.

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One of my highest

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values is travel.

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And if I can combine work

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and travel, I am in heaven.

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But I have to say Maldives

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is one of my favorite places

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to go to because There

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is not a lot to do more

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than reading, doing yoga.

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And I love warmth and

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walking and just spending

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time with my family.

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And we used to go there often

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on the way back to Sweden.

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And it was such an amazing

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holiday as a family because

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my kids love surfing.

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They love swimming.

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My partner serves and there's

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yoga, there's good food,

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but there's not a lot to do.

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So I always had a suitcase

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full of books and, I just

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spent so much time and reading

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and on getting up early and

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filled probably three journals

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each time I went there.

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It's such a beautiful place.

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And, um, saying that I also

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love bustling, big, amazing

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cities and different cultures,

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but in terms of holiday, and

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I think specifically because

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I work so much and I've

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worked so much over the years.

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So I think having a holiday

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Maldives doesn't give me

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that stimulation that often

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a place like New York or

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Paris or Dubai would give

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because they would give me

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so much business input versus

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Maldives will actually get me.

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Uh, into much calmer state

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because there wasn't so

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much business inspiration.

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Oh, it

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sounds lovely.

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And where would

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you like to go?

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Where is somewhere that you

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haven't necessarily been yet?

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I haven't been to Antarctica,

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so I want to go there.

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I haven't been

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to South America.

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you know, I want

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to go to Argentina.

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I want to go to Brazil.

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So lots of places, but also

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I spent a day in my own city

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on Wednesday and I went to

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the gallery and because I

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used to travel so much and

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I don't travel as much.

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And I think most of us don't

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travel as much of a COVID.

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Because it's so much easier

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to do a lot of things online

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in terms of travel for work.

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And, uh, I walked into

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town, which took me

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about an hour and a half.

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I had a coffee on the

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way I went to gallery.

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And often when we go

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traveling, we go to those

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places like the galleries

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or the museums or the

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restaurants in the new city.

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And sometimes we forget to

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do that in our own city or

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perhaps don't forget, but

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we don't take the time.

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So sometimes I think just

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to see, you know, smaller

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cities or smaller towns

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in our own country is

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incredibly rewarding as well.

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Oh, so inspirational.

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I could listen to

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Christina all day.

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Planning big trips can be

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overwhelming if you're not

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an experienced traveler.

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So if you are after some

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support to plan through

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each step of your trip,

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head to balanceathand.

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com where I have created

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travel checklists for

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big travel planning.

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And one of them has a special

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focus on tropical trips.

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So if you need to beat the

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return to work blues or

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want to be more organized

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with planning your

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rests, I really recommend

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setting up your own jars.

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Think through the timing

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of your next break.

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What do you need on your

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next break and make sure

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that you're prepared because

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that makes your rest even

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more rewarding because if

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you're prepared, you're

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excited, you're ready, and

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you're moving towards a

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wonderful, balanced life.

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I can't wait to hear

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about your adventures

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until next time.

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Live your best balanced life.

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