Adventure vs Relaxation: Tips for a Well-Balanced Vacation
Zion vacations come in all shapes and sizes. What kind of vacationer are you? Are you the kind that likes to sit poolside, sun- bathing, sipping on a drink with one hand and holding a good book in the other, relaxing as much as possible? Or are you the kind that would not be caught dead in your hotel room, trying to maximize every waking moment of your vacation “doing something?” Whatever category you put yourself in, neither is inherently wrong. Everyone is different and has different vacation expectations, traditions, and preferences. What we want to suggest with this article is that if you strive to include a bit of both categories, that is how you truly maximize your vacation experience. This may be difficult for some people because to some, the hustle and bustle of darting from one site to another is what a vacation is supposed to be like based on their childhood vacation traditions and what have you, and they love vacationing that way. Don’t let us throw a cog in your vacation wheel if you feel like you know what you’re doing and that you are getting the most out of your trips. But perhaps consider what we have to say here and give it go and see if it works for you and enhances your experiences.
Optimal adventure requires adequate rest
When my wife and I were first married and we went on our first official vacation with my side of the family, she had a horrible time. My family has a tendency to relax more than “play”, spending hours and hours at the pool and on the resort grounds, playing board games in our hotel rooms and just chatting in a circle of pool chairs. This was not the version of a vacation that she grew up with. When she was young, her mother would plan their family vacations by having every hour of every day scheduled on an itinerary that would be printed out and handed out to everyone on the vacation so everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing and where they were supposed to be going at any given moment of the trip. In other words: the complete opposite of how vacations went down in my family.
Needless to say, we had some compromising to do. I was on one end of the spectrum and she was on the other, so we decided to meet in the middle. She’s taught me the value of going out and experiencing the sites and sounds of the place we’ve traveled to rather than staying at the hotel all day. And in turn, from me, she’s learned the value of slowing down every so often and smelling the flowers, taking a well-needed and well-deserved nap if we’re vacationing without the kids, etc. We’ve found that our direct experiences with hiking, thrill-seeking, historical site-visiting, etc, are enhanced when we make conscious efforts to take it slowly and not try to cram in too many activities into one short vacation. Zion vacations are always more enjoyable if you can accomplish this.
Plan at least one day with an empty itinerary
This is can be surprisingly rejuvenating, refreshing, and romantic, to have a day where there isn’t a plan to do anything in particular, where you can do whatever you feel like doing whenever you feel like doing it. Trust me, even if you have to force yourself to try this, I really think you will love it and find that it makes your vacation significantly better.
Conclusion
So, regardless of what type of vacationer you are, make sure to make a real effort to balance adventure with relaxation and use our advice here to create the king of all Zion vacations.
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