We’ve all seen the ads for “stress free” travel. What an inspiring and attractive concept! However, there are several reasons why you should be wary of any message that promotes stress free travel. Read on to learn why!
It’s nice to imagine relaxing at your destination, toes dipped in the water with an assortment of fresh fruit and cool drink in hand. Perhaps you see yourself in the mountains, staring off into vast vistas and holding a steaming cup of cocoa. Stress free, right?
You can certainly have moments of blissful relaxation, and in fact this is a major psychological benefit of travel. The trouble is when we expect for our travels to be stress free.
The reason? Stress is an entirely normal human experience. It’s unreasonable to expect that you can “block out” this normal reaction for any sustained length of time. We all have stress sometimes, and to expect otherwise may be unwise.
You may be setting yourself up for failure if your goal is truly “stress free” travel.
Stressful Versus Stress Free
In fact, some degree of stress can actually be helpful in certain ways. For example, stress is an indicator that your goals are not being met, and can motivate you to make adjustments to improve things.
If you’re experiencing stress about how to get from the airport to your hotel, this can prompt you to do a little more research and reserve airport transportation well in advance. Ironically enough, mild to moderate stress actually may help you manage a potentially stressful situation!
Many people think about stress in “all or nothing” ways. Either you “stressed” or “relaxed”, with little to nothing in between those two descriptions.
It’s more accurate to think of stress as being on a continuum. Aim for your travels to be stress “less” rather than stress free. This will allow for you to experience the normal emotional ebbs and flows of travel (and life in general!). This approach will give you the added benefit of limiting any frustrations when you are not achieving the “stress free vacation” that the media ad promised!
So, aim to manage your stress during your travels by entering the trip with this more accurate mindset. Look forward to stress reduction, and travel stress-less.
For more, remember to sign up for the free Psychology of Travel Newsletter for more expert travel tips. Comment below with other travel tips for your fellow travelers!
Happy Travels,
Dr. L
Founder, PsychologyofTravel.com
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