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How To Plan The Perfect Wellness Vacation: 5 Stress-Free Tips From A Travel Writer

Author:

Alexandra Engler

January 18, 2024

mbg Beauty Director

By Alexandra Engler

mbg Beauty Director

Alexandra Engler is the beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.

Planning a trip on a physical map - Well Traveled

Image by Volya Tarasava x mbg creative / Stocksy

January 18, 2024

Here's something I've learned, both professionally as a travel writer and personally as a travel lover: Planning a good vacation is a skill set, one that gets better through trial and error. Sure, some folks have a natural talent for it. And others are given a leg up by utilizing professional resources. But overall, the ability to craft a memorable, happy, and healthy vacation is one that is honed through practice.

I've gotten pretty good at it, myself. (Largely in part thanks to my line of work—I mean, one would hope that I'm a good vacation planner considering I write about it as part of my job.) So here are the considerations I take into account when planning my own trips.

Outline the budget

It may seem like obvious advice, but often that's the best place to start. Outlining your budget (and the budget of those who might be traveling with you) lays the foundation for the rest to follow. Vacations don't have to be extravagant expenditures, but they will likely cost more than your normal day-to-day.

Give yourself a budget range. As for coming up with your budget, consider how much you have set aside and how much you can save leading up to the trip. Once you have a number, work backward from there—deducting expenses as you go. At the end of your budget calculations, you should have a comfortable safety net to use in case of emergencies while on the trip (this will save you from going into debt should something come up on the trip).

First and foremost, there are the big ticket items:

Flight, trains, ferry, or other means of transport
Rental car (if applicable)
Lodging
Daily food and drink allowance
Admission fees for parks, museums, and experiences

But there are added expenditures to consider (that most folks forget!), which can eat up your budget quickly. So it's important to consider these from the start:

Travel to and from the airport (or long-stay parking if you're leaving your car at the airport)
Extra checked baggage + baggage fees
Taxis and other means of transportation
Spa treatments
Tips
Souvenirs and shopping

Budgeting can often feel like a buzzkill—but by planning for your trip financially, you're less likely to become stressed about the vacation. Because nothing ruins a vacation faster than developing anxiety around spending.

Consider what you actually enjoy doing

When I talk to folks about traveling, one of the most common underlying reasons they didn't enjoy a vacation was that they didn't think critically about what they actually enjoyed doing before picking a location or planning the trip. Lots of vacations are planned almost out of a sense of obligation: The itinerary is just a laundry list of activities that they should do rather than a list of things they enjoy.

It's OK to skip a critically acclaimed museum exhibition if the subject doesn't pique your interest. Cozying up with a good book at a local pub can sometimes be just as culturally enriching. Or skip the quiet beach if you find sunbathing too boring—find a spot that can keep you entertained with activities.

Allow yourself to plan a vacation you want to go on rather than one that appeals to the masses.

Some questions to ask yourself:

Where do I find myself most comfortable: a city, beach, forest, mountains, desert, lakehouse, or elsewhere?
Where do I feel most inspired—a breathtaking landscape, watching a live show, a museum, surrounded by beautiful architecture, or elsewhere?
How do I feel about crowds? Invigorating, tolerable, or a nonstarter?
What's my threshold for adventure? And what's off the table (i.e., heights or deep water)?
What activities are on my bucket list, and can I check any of them off during this vacation (i.e., learning to surf, eating at a Michelin-star restaurant, or hiking to a summit)?
What cultural experiences do I want to prioritize, such as local foods, artisans, live shows or music, etc.?

A caveat here is that vacations are a prime opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort-zone—so don't avoid new experiences altogether. However, it's important to be strategic about finding a balance between doing things you naturally enjoy and experimenting with new endeavors.

Think about what you're looking to get out of the trip

One layer to add to the planning phase is to think about what you're looking to get out of the trip. While it's important to start by outlining the types of vacations that you enjoy, you should also be mindful of what this vacation is offering you at this particular moment in time.

We all go through phases of life in which we need to prioritize different outcomes. If you're overwhelmed or overworked, perhaps a more relaxing vacation is in order. Or if you're feeling uninspired and hungry for adventure, book yourself a trip full of awe-inspiring activities. Or if you've just gone through a big life event (i.e., a breakup or loss), maybe you need a trip that feels restorative and brings you peace.

This is an important consideration because if you're entering a vacation on the brink of burnout, a jam-packed schedule might not be the best route. There's a reason so many come back from vacation needing another one.

Ask yourself: How do I want to feel at the end of this trip?

Use AI to your advantage

A relatively recent tool I've started integrating into my planning phase is artificial intelligence. ChatGPT (or A.I. in general) isn't a substitute for planning a trip yourself, but it can offer some fun inspiration and scheduling help. Think of it like a research assistant—it's doing the first round of information gathering so you can take that and build off it.

Start by asking a chatbot simple questions about your trip—you may be pleasantly surprised with what it suggests.

If I'm spending three days in Paris, what should my itinerary look like?
What are the best local restaurants to try in Mexico City?
Where should I hike in Los Angeles?

I find this a useful tool because it's often easier to plan something when you already have a head start rather than building a trip from scratch.

Prebook your anchor activities, but don't over plan

When I plan a trip, I always identify a few "anchor activities." These are excursions that are important to you, so you should plan the trip around them to ensure you're able to actually do them. For example, if you know you want to see a show or try a particular restaurant, add those to the itinerary first.

Once you have a few activities identified, you can plan the trip out from there. Let's say the show is in a different neighborhood than your hotel, use this as an excuse to book dinner and walk around the new environment. Or if you know you want to complete a particular hike one morning, you know that the night before you should go to bed early and to plan relaxing activities the following afternoon so you don't overexert yourself.

And while I'm a firm believer that planning can only make your trip more worthwhile, do be sure not to overdo it—vacations should have moments of spontaneity and unexpected endeavors. Often, those are some of the most precious of the entire trip. So be sure your schedule isn't packed to the brim, so you miss out on the opportunity to see where the day takes you.

Bon voyage!

The key to planning a meaningful trip really just comes down to mindfulness: being thoughtful about your monetary situation, what brings you joy, what you find enriching, what your limits are, what you're looking to get out of the trip, and where you can push yourself.