My Ideal Vacation

I am someone who has always found calm at the edge of the water. Living in a large city, I drafted a path to the lakefront a long time ago. I found a space to sit in the sand, to journal, to watch the waves, and to center myself.

I can't tell you how often I've returned to this spot. When I'm stumbling through life, when my emotions are high, when I feel off, when I am working through questions or challenges – the water is always there to comfort me.

So, it comes as no surprise that my philosophy on trips and vacations always has the same goal – find the beach.

An escape from the real world

In 2015, I went on vacation with my then-boyfriend (now husband) for the first time. We flew to Raleigh, North Carolina, and then drove 4.5 hours to the Outer Banks, which is located on the coast of North Carolina near the Virginia border. We rented a house on the beach, a 45-minute drive across the sand from the entrance to town, and for 8 days, we lived and breathed vacation mode.

It was my favorite trip of all time.

Not because it was elaborate or expensive or because a lot of planning went into it.

It was my favorite because I rested. Like, deep in my soul. That vacation was filled with sand and sun, reading and swimming and napping and cooking and laughing and playing games and just being. We had no WiFi and it felt like a blessing, this intimate escape from the real world.

Sleeping on vacation

On this particular trip, I remember insomnia was present but not overwhelming. The bedroom in our rental was rather small, but the thick blackout curtains paired with no internet connection meant that when we went to bed, it was pitch black in our room. The house was cool, there were great blankets to snuggle with, and you could hear the ocean outside of the window.

Many days during that vacation, we got up around 5 AM so we could photograph the sunrise over the water. It was magical, regardless of it being early, and we often found ourselves napping in the sand later in the day. We would pop up a sun tent in the morning and use it for shade throughout the afternoon - for eating and resting and reading, for preventing sunburn and cooling off. It felt like a genius hack at the time, and I loved that I never had to leave the beach.

I read 9 books in those 8 days, and I felt so thankful for the calm I found in my soul before returning home.

Stepping out of the hustle and bustle

Going on vacation, for me, never involves being busy. 

Vacation is supposed to be a break, a change from the ordinary, and my ordinary everyday life feels very busy on the regular. So, the last thing I want to do when I'm "off" and "out of town" is to hustle and bustle. No thanks!

Finding pockets of rest

Living with and traveling with insomnia means always being a bit more prepared – with products and plans to support sleep away from home and the intention to find pockets for rest when tiredness presents. These are just some of the reasons that jam-packed vacation days with rigid schedules and timelines are just not my thing.

Finding the beach, the pool, the lake, the river or the ocean, that's my thing.

Finding the rest, regardless of what it looks like, that's my kind of vacation.

What's your preference?