How to Get Downtime During Busy Vacations

I am here to tell you vacations can be stressful. Most of us think of holidays as an opportunity to relax and chill. But my wife sees it differently. When she plans vacations, we are busy from the crack of dawn to late at night, sightseeing and taking in the attractions. We typically need a vacation from the vacation.

My wife recently planned a Disney World vacation for our son’s birthday. Going to Florida in the middle of winter seemed like a good bet; sunshine, warmth, and a break from the cold winter.

Then the fantasy of Disney came to life.

After the first day, I knew I had to find some quiet time somewhere during all the shows, parades, excited kids and parents, smiling grandparents, long lines, longer lines, thrilling rides, and the gastrointestinal challenging park food. (My only real plant-based culinary choice was the frozen banana on a stick with dark chocolate and nuts, but that is the subject of another blog post.)

Trying to find time in the morning to meditate before we went out didn’t work because I was too tired from the night before to get up early enough, and as soon as the sun was up, my wife was beckoning us to get moving, so we could go to breakfast and beat the long lines getting into the parks. We literally spent twelve hours in the Magic Kingdom, which does not include the travel time to and from the park.

On day two, I finally found the Zen garden at the Epcot center and decided this was an excellent place to recharge my physical and mental batteries. 

Despite the craziness of Disney, we had a good time. All of us were worn out, as usual, by the time we got home from our vacation. But it goes to show you even during a fun and busy vacation, it helps to quiet the mind and get in some downtime.