How many times have you packed for a holiday? Packed the kids, got in the car, went to the airport, got on the plane, got to the destination and felt immediately exhausted. We're living in a busy world, and it doesn't matter what type of job you have, you're going to feel busy. And sometimes that means that you need to learn how you're supposed to relax when you get on vacation. If you've decided to pack yourself with things to do every single day of being away, that's not exactly relaxing, is it? Sure, it's nice to have an itinerary, and it's nice to be able to see the sites and go and see some famous things to tick things off your bucket list, but it's not going to help you to relax to do that every single day when you're supposed to be having a break.

Sometimes rest is everything you need, and there's nothing unproductive about resting. You need to have some much needed relaxation on your agenda. The daily demands of life regularly pull out in 1000 different directions. If you're then making sure that you're the only person packing for all of the kids and corralling everybody and making sure that every day is packed with activities so that nobody feels bored, that's not going to help anybody.

You need to allow your brain to switch off and sometimes that means feeling bored. Relaxation is necessary for good health and well-being. Playing physical solitaire or even playing online solitaire, reading a book, or lying down in the sunshine with the appropriate SPF factor on your skin, all of these things are going to help you to switch off and away from your usual day-to-day grind and slow your life down. Learning how to actually relax when you're on vacation takes a little bit of finesse, so let's take a look at some activities you could do to truly switch off.

1. Start gathering your book list. Now, whether or not you like a hard copy of a book or you're happy to be a Kindle person, you need a book list to get you inspired. Bring a favorite along that you've long thumbed and then when you'll get to your vacation destination, browse the local bookstores for something unique. Choose something from an author you've never heard of with a cover you would never normally pick up because you never know, it could be the best thing you've ever read. Escaping into a book is a great way to relax because you're going to put your brain into the world of somebody else, you're going to take yourself out of your own busy life, and you're going to ride out with Knights and princesses or the latest slew of werewolves.
    
2. Go and find the artwork. You might think being on your feet all day is a bad thing, but there's nothing quite like strolling along an art gallery. Experiencing another world. World through art is unlike anything else. Whether you're lingering over a painting in a museum or you're taking in a fountain in a public park, there is always going to be beauty that you can go and find in the world. No matter your destination, go online and plan to find some activities that allow you to soak up the local culture. In this case, you're going to pop on your most comfortable shoes, and you're going to stand there and look at the art through an objective eye. How does it make you feel?
    
3. Be mindful of your walking. During the usual day, you'd be power walking through the city to get to your job. You don't pay attention to your surroundings, you're just getting from one place to the next and you want to do it as quickly as possible. When you're walking on vacation, you need to be mindful of it. You need to wear the right shoes that are supportive, and you need to make sure that you are walking in a way that allows you to appreciate everything around you. That means stopping and actually looking with your eyes, your ears and everything in you so that you can experience what you're looking at. Stopping at the Trevi Fountain in Italy? Well, you're going to need to make sure that you a) take a photo and b) feel the water, make your wish, and throw in a coin.

1. Take your shoes off. Sometimes you really need to get physical when it comes to reconnecting with the world around you. Whether it's in the sand through your toes or the softness of the grass on an Alpine plateau, you need to bring your senses to life. Taking off your shoes and ripping off your socks to walk barefoot allows you to really feel your surroundings. Obviously this comes with a pinch of salt. You want to make sure that you're walking on comfortable surfaces and not boiling hot sand just in an effort to connect with nature. We're about relaxing on vacation, not going to the local hospital for skin grafts.
    
2. Appreciate the architecture. No matter the type of architecture, you need to stop and actually look at it when you're on vacation, whether it's old or new, period like or meditative, you need to get lost in it. You need to look at the patterns and the details and the intricate work that once went into something so amazing. Architecture is an interesting country to country because it's all done very differently. You're going to learn a lot about the history and the culture just simply by looking at the buildings. The fun thing about this is that you don't have to pack this into a schedule. As in, you're going to be constrained by time. You could literally just go on a very mindless walk and find yourself outside some of the most gothic and amazing architecture you've ever seen. 
    
3. Go on a drive. A great way to take in the beauty of a new place is to get behind the wheel of the car. Ideally in this situation you'll be a passenger Princess so you can just look out the window. The timetable is 100% yours. You don't have to wait around for buses or trains or even taxis, and you can take your time to go exploring. There are so many mountainous and beachside drives that you could take no matter what destination you're heading to, so Google it before you get there so you can see what's available.


 

1. Take a hike. We don't mean that rudely. If you're looking for that nice combination of scenery, fresh air and exercise rolled into one, then donning your mountain hiking boots is a great way to start. The Dolomites, for example, is one of the best places you can hike, and if you're nervous about travelling alone to do this, you could always go in a group. There are always hiking group tours available no matter what country you're heading to, and you really get to experience what mountain hiking is.
    
2. People watch. Are you heading to Rome? How about Paris? Relaxing on vacation sometimes means literally putting down your phone and looking up at the world around you and people watching is a great activity to do if you're looking to relax. Order yourself a local coffee or a local pizza and then sit back and look at the people around you as you eat or drink. Don't stare at your phone, don't bring a book with you, and don't try to listen to music. You want to hear the chatter of the language you don't understand, and you want to smell everything around you and see the way people interact with one another. Even watching how people have conversations in another language can be entertaining because even though you can't understand it, you can hear the passion in their voices and hear the inflections in their tones.
    
3. Get your daily dose of vitamin D. A wonderful way to relax on vacation is going in the sunshine. Now, consider the time of year that you're going on holiday and make sure that you have the right sun protection factor. But even just sitting in the shade allows you to feel the energising warmth of the sun on your skin. It will boost your mood and if you're sitting in a park looking at the scenery in front of you or sitting on the beach or even a terraced cafe, you'll be able to sink into a moment of basking in the sun. Much like a cat, you can just unfold yourself, have a stretch, and appreciate the world around you.
    
4. Take on a digital detox. You are on vacation. You do not need to be bombarded by adverts on social media, notifications or even what's happening in the news. The world is a screwed up enough place without you reading about what's going on in the White House or which wars are happening where. You can take one week to check out of any of it and let it go. Let the noise and the buzz of your phone and in your head die down and just be quiet and still.