I recently had a session with my therapist where I brought up this recent need to rest or just to be at home without plans or the need to be busy doing something. That is SO not like me and it actually bothered me enough to schedule this appointment. She said that right now productivity may not equal a feeling of success, rest may equal a feeling of success. This is true for my life at this moment and also very true for when you are planning a trip. 

Rest to me is not “nap time”. I’m not a great napper so scheduling naps while on a trip doesn’t suit me, and that’s okay! Rest means different things to different people and when you are planning a trip you have to keep that in mind. If you are running everyone ragged doing so many activities and excursions, then you are probably going to have a grumpy bunch at dinner and most likely not make it to your after dinner destination. 

We recently had some TLATA clients take a trip with their middle school aged sons for spring break. We packed their itinerary to the gills with things to do in both the mornings and afternoons. As with so many families, they were making up for lost time from the past two years with travel options being limited. While they had an amazing trip, they were all completely exhausted when they got back home. They said they wish they had planned a little more time for rest. A good reminder to us all, that resting in a new place, inside a new set of 4 walls can still be a really special and rewarding experience. 

Tips for fitting in ‘rest’ time – 

• Rest time needs to be time at the house or hotel and at least 2 hours. 2 hours is a good amount of time where someone in your group can get in a solid nap. It’s also enough time to allow anyone who is not interested in downtime to use that free time to do something on their personal itinerary! This is also a good time for comfy clothes, games, tv, etc. Putting on sweats & watching mindless tv can be incredibly rejuvenating. 
• Plan for rest/flex time between morning & afternoon activities or between afternoon & evening activities.
• Rest can easily be incorporated into ‘getting ready’ time before dinner or an evening activity. Some people don’t take as long to get ready & would appreciate the rest time, while others don’t want to be rushed as they get ready, so this is a win-win!