Travelling True To Your Style – Part II

Hi there my lovelies. Something that is new and exciting for me is blogging about travelling. I am not actually becoming a travel-blogger, but I decided before I went on my holiday that I wanted to experience a number of things differently this time around. And I wanted to write about my experiences and share them with others. My angle, of course, comes from feeling a need to share more about the art of wellness with the world. This to me includes travelling with your health, happiness and overall wellness as your top priority. Many moons ago I would never have dreamed that I would be giving two hoots about these three elements in my holiday. I wanted to pack as much in, shop hard, party hard and I would almost always arrive home needing a holiday after the actual holiday. So what happened this time after I put health, happiness and wellness first? Well two weeks after returning home I am STILL one blissed out little bunny. Do you want to achieve this on your next trip without sleeping all day? Read on my friend 🙂

The Art of Relaxation – Have You Forgotten How?

I stepped onto the plane to Athens with a couple of things in mind for my trip: I wanted to embrace the history and culture of Greece by seeing as much as I could and learning more about it, and I wanted to spend equally as much time relaxing and making time for myself and my partner and my family (we met family over there). Before I left I did a fair bit of research on all of the islands we were going to be visiting so I was well versed about all the places that I wanted to visit, although upon my return I must admit I have a list as long as my arm of places in Greece that I must return to see and explore! Going back to the research thing: before you go on a trip do your research. Plan out some tours. And for goodness sake BOOK THEM. Because it saves time, energy and stress whilst you are away and should be enjoying your time doing other things. I made a judgement call and where possible I booked morning tours due to the fact we would be there in the searing heat, and boy was I right in doing that. It gave us the afternoon to head back to the hotel to freshen up, have a rest and head to the beach or pool or have a long lazy lunch or go for a wander about the nice towns. Whatever we wanted which I loved! It is wonderful being able to do what you want on our holiday and not be locked in to anything. I also booked tours at least a day apart. Why did I do that? To give us some down time, to give us some time to spend a day at the beach if we  so desired, or to go on a cruise or to sit in a café all day or to explore more ancient ruins. The choices were abundant and it was glorious and exciting to have the free time to be able to make these choices.

Something that I initially struggled with when we arrived in Greece was their nonchalant attitude to things, their ‘I’ll get to it when I feel like it’ take on time and the amount of unfinished business the country has. Me, being such a punctual and precise person who always has to finish everything to the best of my ability, well this wound me up! After a week or so of THE BEST SERVICE EVER (these peeps are a friendly bunch!), some of the best sights I have ever seen in my life, the best food I have ever eaten and some of the most mesmerising experiences that will stay with me until the day I die, my spring uncoiled and I surrendered to my body’s will to relax and ultimately the Greek way of life. I spent my days wandering and exploring, the time forgotten and the day of the week lost. My evenings were littered with endless conversations over fresh food in the balmy air followed by chilled (yes chilled!) red wine before a restful slumber. Before waking to do it all again.

And the more I completely let myself surrender to this relaxation ‘routine’ I had more or less created for myself the more in tune with my body I became. I slept…like a log! And I laid on the beach for hours just doing nothing. Have you ever done just nothing for hours? Have you ever allowed yourself to do nothing? It only happened at the end of the trip when I was fully in tune with myself and able to give myself the permission to do it, but I did nothing but lay there for an entire day and it was bliss! For the first time in years I tolerated dairy and gluten products such as bread and pasta. You read it first here! I was able to eat and drink small amounts of cheese and milk, my tummy enjoying the Greek yogurt daily as well. We walked, ohhh my did we walk. And in 35 degree heat most days, but it didn’t bother me. I let the sun hit my skin and kiss it with it’s goodness lifting all the winter blues away and leaving home far behind. Until I felt right at home. I have never been to a country, ever, and had it feel like I was at home and when I left it felt like I was leaving a piece of my heart behind.

I realised pretty quickly that I had forgotten how to relax. With my busy lifestyle and my packed schedule here in Hobart I had lost sight of the important things in life, one of which is making time for myself and my family and that all important down-time with them. You see, sometimes it is so crucial to make time to NOT look at your watch for the day, to forget about your emails and notifications, to invest in some time to wander aimlessly in the fresh air and to sit around the table for hours with a freshly prepared meal to share. These things all make up my perfectly relaxing day, but what’s yours? It could be as simple as getting lost in a book for 24 hours straight 😉

In two weeks since I departed the beautiful islands that now own a piece of my heart, I have actively made time for relaxation. Yesterday was Sunday and I completely lost track of time – holiday style! It was bliss. I still did some jobs but I did what I wanted and at my own pace, no watch required. Try it on your next day off, I recommend it.

My travel tips for relaxing on your next trip are very simple. I have already noted a couple above re booking tours and doing nothing. But here are a couple more I thoroughly recommend:

1.Don’t try to do it all. I realise that going to an awesome country with amazing sites is fantabulous. However, running around like a headless chook trying to see everything and do everything is going to leave you burnt out and wishing you were on another holiday when you return to *gasp* work. The whole idea of time off from work is just that: time off. So give yourself a break. A good mix of site seeing and relaxation activities is a must.

2. Turn off all your devices. Yes you read that correctly and yes it works. Not checking emails or social media for a few days at a time will do you the world of relaxation-good. Instead of snapping a pic and uploading it to facey straight away and checking it every two minutes to see how many people ‘liked’ your wicked selfie why not enjoy the view, make your own memories and then share them with friends a little later.

3. Walk. When on a holiday walk everywhere! It increases your endorphins which makes you happy and relaxed, you’ll also no doubt see things you wouldn’t normally have seen by catching public transport or taxis which will make you happy (saving some cashola too!), and it doubles as some daily exercise, getting the blood moving especially after long flights. Your sleepy time will thank you!

Next in the Travelling True To Your Style Series – Part III: Secret Foodie Society