From Life to Vacation, and Back Again: Navigating the Transition
Every trip starts with an overwhelming flurry of preparation—the mad dash to wrap up work, pack your bags, and ensure everything is in place while you’re away. It’s as if life intensifies before we press pause, a whirlwind of to-do lists and emails. This hectic pace, though exhausting, is a necessary prelude to the mental shift into "vacation mode."
But what often surprises us is that we don't just flip a switch the moment we set foot in our destination. There’s a transition period between intense work mode and the ability to fully immerse yourself in the slower, more relaxed pace of a vacation. During this time, we slowly begin to untangle ourselves from our responsibilities back home and embrace the present.
How to Transition into Vacation Mode
When you first arrive, don't expect to immediately feel that vacation bliss. Give yourself permission to unwind. Here are a few ideas to help with that shift:
Pause Before You Dive In: Resist the temptation to hit the ground running. Instead, find a café, take in your surroundings, and let yourself observe before jumping into planned activities.
Schedule Time to Do Nothing: We often plan vacations as meticulously as our daily lives. Make sure to include unstructured time—whether it’s an afternoon nap, a beach stroll, or sitting with a good book.
Unplug Gradually: If possible, minimize work communication slowly rather than all at once. Use flight time or the first few hours of your trip to tie up loose ends rather than jumping straight into vacation mode.
From Vacation to Living Mode
When you're in a place for an extended period, there comes a moment when the tourist attractions and glittering vacation façade begin to fade, and the day-to-day reality of living in that place starts to settle in. This often happens subtly—a conversation with a local, the discovery of off-the-beaten-path spots, or even having to face challenges like running errands or dealing with a bit of work.
For us, this shift happened during our trip last month to Portugal. After a dreamy beach day filled with the excitement of perfect weather and the relief of escaping Coimbra's rain, we were in full vacation mode. On our second day in Albuferia, after a sunrise hike and breakfast at a local restaurant, we struck up a conversation with one of the owners.
What we thought would be a casual chat quickly evolved into an eye-opening discussion. She shared her political views—expressing a unexpected fondness for a racist politician—and spoke openly about her biases against Brazilians and Mexicans, a stark reminder that even in paradise, racism exist. These conversations, as unexpected as they are, pull you out of vacation goggles and plant you firmly in the reality of life in that place.
Later that evening, we encountered more of that reality—a walk down the busy restaurant strip turned into a series of unsolicited political rants from locals, another reminder that vacation mode was starting to give way to living mode.
Balancing Vacation Bliss with Reality
These moments can feel jarring, but they are a necessary part of the transition when you're spending more time in one place. They offer a deeper understanding of the culture and people—going beyond the tourist spots and shiny attractions to reveal the true heartbeat of a place. As uncomfortable as these situations may be, they’re also enriching and help you develop a more authentic connection with where you are.
If you’re considering spending a longer time in one place, here are a few tips to ease the transition into living mode:
Research Population Swings: Some areas change dramatically during peak tourist seasons. In Albufeira, for example, the population swells from 30,000 to three times that number in the summer. This can dramatically impact your experience, so it’s helpful to know what to expect.
Join Local Groups: Social media is a goldmine for connecting with expats or locals. Join community groups or forums to get insider knowledge about what life is really like beyond the vacation hotspots.
Engage with Locals: Have conversations with people who live in the area. Whether it’s a chat with a shop owner or a conversation at a café, these interactions will give you a real sense of what life is like there.
Ultimately, the transition from vacation mode to living mode is what makes long-term travel meaningful. It’s what allows you to see beyond the tourist attractions and engage with the day-to-day life of a place. After all, that’s what travel is all about—discovering the deeper layers and finding connections that go beyond just a temporary escape.
The beach in Albufeira, Portugal.
