Worth repeating: Ten things I learned on my vacation

26 November 2018

I haven’t taken a proper, responsibility-free vacation in a very long time. I re-read this post this morning, written in 2012 after a wonderful trip to Barbados, and was so glad to be reminded of the importance of getting away. I thought I’d share it in the hopes that it might inspire you to take a vacation!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, last week I went to Barbados with my college buddies, to celebrate our 50th birthdays.

It was glorious. Barbados is a lovely island, full of friendly people. Our accommodations were top notch. We kept busy, but not too busy. I did virtually no work, save checking email occasionally and responding a tiny bit.

It made me realize how long it had been since I’d taken a real vacation. And that I need to do it more often.

On the last day, I dangled my legs in our little private pool and jotted down ten things I learned on vacation to share with you here:

1. It’s okay to take off your watch and not know what time it is.
2. Unwinding completely is possible—and beneficial.
3. Under certain conditions, I actually am a beach person.
4. Vacations are worth the time and money.
5. You can create memories without documenting them. (It killed me to leave my camera at home when we were in the water, but I couldn’t risk injuring my precious iPhone.)
6. I don’t particularly care for snorkeling (but I was glad I tried it).
7. It’s okay to admit that snorkeling isn’t for me and stay on the boat while others snorkel.
8. There’s no room for the word “should” on vacation.
9. Being among your most long-standing friends who know and love you is a wonderful thing. (Well, I already knew that.)
10. Luxury doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive.

We stayed at a lovely villa booked through Villas of Distinction. I’d go back to it in a heartbeat. A beautiful accommodation for a low price (since there were five of us).

Here’s a photo of the five of us at a restaurant on our last night on the island. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends!