How to Maximize Your Summer Vacation

Well, the deluge of the work and responsibilities has passed. You’re on a three-month break(any spring break blog) from all the stress of real life. So, how do you make best of this time? Here are six ways to maximize your summer:

Take a Road Trip

For most, summer vacation is a wide, three-month blank canvas that you paint all willy-nilly, with very little attention paid to crafting a coherent composition. If you want to indulge in the aimlessness of summer (summer prep blog), why not head on a road trip and see where the open road takes you? It will give you an opportunity to find clarity in the jagged mountains clashing against the baby blue sky. Or, maybe you’ll find a sweet burger joint/gas station combo.

Plan a Retreat

If the idea of a structureless, meandering summer isn’t appealing, your best option would be to plan a retreat before the summer starts. There are plenty of must-see summer destinations to delight in for a week or two in the midst of your vacation. Maybe a trip to Guam or Hawaii will be good if you want to relax on a schedule.

Enjoy the Summer Sun

It’s really easy to use summer as an excuse to relax and never leave the comfort of your own home. I mean, you have air conditioning. What else could you possibly need? But, if you want to make the best use of the time you have during the summer, I’d suggest at least spending some time in the warm embrace of the sun’s rays. You’ll get to work on your tan, and a little fresh air can be good for the body and soul.

Balance Your Vacation with Work or Projects

If all play and no work makes you feel like your life is meaningless and life is void of depth, filling your schedule with projects and odd jobs should satisfy your dedicated work ethic. We all have that one project that we always plan to work on but never get a chance to during the fall, winter, and spring. So, knows the time to paint that mural or write that screenplay.

Stay Offline

Due to the work you need to do during the year, staying off social media and the internet, in general, isn’t exactly feasible. But, the never-ending descent into internet chaos does a lot of damage to the mind. So, use summer vacation as a technological vacation. Log off of Facebook. Keep off of Twitter. Don’t post every picture of your lunch to Instagram. Live in the moment.

Be Spontaneous

Life during the fall, spring, and winter is so structured. You need to get up at this time, be here at this time, do this now, do this later, etc. Use summer vacation as a reprieve from formula and allow life to take you where you need to go. Do something you normally wouldn’t do. These moments of unpredictability allow for great development as a human.