Tips on planning a less stressful vacation

When’s the last time you had a vacation? Many will answer, last summer and others may say it has been even longer. Vacations are a very necessary part of good mental health. And, they may vary from the few days to several weeks.

Now that summers almost here you may be planning your vacation. There are many factors that need to be considered including the following:

• Vacations need not be expensive to be enjoyable. I have fond memories of attending family reunions during the summers of my childhood and adolescence. My family vacation coincided with these reunions and, since my father had 11 brothers and sisters there were usually crowds and many activities during these reunions. I remember camping out at state parks, visiting the ranch of a rich relative and gathering during one summer at a state university dormitory.

• Taking vacations that involve a lot of travel, packing and unpacking and living together in close quarters can be stressful. Think about elements of stress that may occur during a family vacation and avoid things which detract from pleasure and enjoyment.

• Often, half the fun is getting there. Spend time as a family or searching places to go, things to see and ways to travel. The internet is a fabulous resource for travel as is the public library and information that can be obtained from travel agents.

Many will travel by automobile and for those who do, here’s some tips to make this year’s trip more fun and a source of wonderful memories:

• Have your car or vehicle in top running form. Be sure it is fresh and clean, particularly inside. Equip it with a first aid kit for your family and a kit of necessary tools for quick auto repairs.

• Work out the itinerary to plan for rest stops along the way. Plan to make each day’s destination a stop at mid-afternoon or very early evening. Try swimming, exercising, sightseeing or relaxing to break up the tension of the day’s travel.

• Let passengers switch seating arrangements periodically. Besides providing variety, it also decreases boredom. Scenery changes from a different vantage point. If more than one traveler is a safe driver, switch places with the driver who needs respite from tension and fatigue.

• Be creative in seeking diversions for each family member. Music is soothing and restful, but not all parents enjoy the same type of music as adolescents. Each can have their own listening pleasure through the use of tape recorders and inexpensive headphones. Books on tape, a great entertainment for small children as well as adults, provide a quiet restful time and free the driver from noise distraction.

• Don’t expect every minute of the trip to be free from tension and frustration. Instead, learn to develop a sense of humor. Learn to laugh at family situations and unexpected foibles. Above all, don’t use this time to criticize each other or discuss controversial material that could lead to hard feelings and conflicts.

By providing space and privacy, and by utilizing this time of confinement to strengthen the family unit, family vacations will become movies in the mind, unforgettable memories of the past.

Here’s hoping for a good vacation for you and your family.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1999