… if you want to make light of that pre-holiday overwhelm then read on

Hi Lovelies,  So your tickets are booked, your diary is clear, you have googled all the fab stuff you want to do on your travels but why is there still a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach ? is reality of what you actually have to get done before you skid in to the airport making you feel a bit overwhelmed ….?

It’s so hard to shut our lives down isn’t it, even for our annual week of quality time with our loved ones. Why is it such a tall order when we are heading for the destination of our dreams, the one place we have worked so hard all year to get to… ? and by the way, how do we hush the torrent of white noise in our brains and our groaning to-do-lists which seem to be hurtling out of control as we head full throttle towards the airport ? is this sounding familiar…

We need to quieten the chatter in our minds and head out into the sunlight with clear consciences that we are leaving our day to day lives in good order don’t we, that way we can enjoy the pleasures of this precious quality time we have been saving and striving for all year long. But in order to achieve this, we need to lay the ground work first. I have made so many mistakes in this area and usually skid into the airport, heart racing, hurriedly having dropped pets off along the way and then skidding into Boots etc to buy all those suncreams and meds I forgot to get before. So I thought it would be great not to make those same mistakes this year. When I looked back at my journal for last summer I noticed I had actually written myself a note to do these four things next time (if only I listened to myself more often !!?)  and so this year I am going to give them a go, anyone else want to join me ? So here goes.

Firstly, Block off the last few days as a sort of pre-holiday limbo, that means no scheduled work, just tidy up time. So, shut down your phone notifications to avoid those endless distractions whilst you are getting ready and to save you wasting time flicking through the mindless drivel that drops into your inbox. This will help you get into a better habit for when you are away too.

Secondly, Prep thoroughly for packing. TBH this is a whole other post ladies so I will gloss over this one, except to say that this is no 5 minute task .. sorry guys there is just no way of getting away from this one. Making a list helps and then stick to it !!

Thirdly, Set up your online shop before you go so you have some food arriving when you get home. We always think we can jump right back in where we left off, but I find that I am brain dead from being so relaxed on my hols that getting my act together in the kitchen when we get home always stresses me out. If you can write a menu on a sticky note of meal ideas for the first few days back so much the better so you don’t have to think. Make a note in your diary for 2 days before your return home to log on and top up with any extras you fancy after being inspired on your travels !

Fourthly, Try and find an hour or so of quiet before you leave, that moment when you finally feel organised, everything is packed and you feel on top of things – I know some of you may be yelling back at me that I must be crazy, this will never happen, but if you block off those few days before you leave to start winding down then you may be in with a chance on this one !. Sit back and take a moment for yourself so that you can set the tone for your time away. Decide what pockets of goodness you want to focus on for your holiday and you will be all set to go and have a gorgeous time ?.

I would love to hear how any of you lovelies get on. And if anyone has other go-to’s they swear by then let us all know in the comments at the end of this post. ??. xo

Stealing a few special moments on holiday

Holiday moments I love:-

As most of you will know from my instagram feed, my absolute No. 1 love when on holiday is going to local food markets, stopping on the side of the road when I see anything edible being sold and chatting to the growers and makers of these foreign delights. My kids may groan, I have to hold my hands up and admit that every 1.5hr car journey we planned in Sri Lanka last year ended up being at least 6 hours – I kid you not ! There were groans from the back every time I saw someone selling fresh rambuthan, kiri (fresh buffalo curd), cinnamon honey, you name I/we stopped to try them all. Nothing held me back from grabbing fresh tamarind pods off trees too and stuffing them in my pockets. The only upside to the incessant groans from the boot of the car was that they never went hungry ..

My No. 2 love is to sit in a local place of worship. It is always lovely and cool, a calm respite from the usual hustle and bustle and it is a wonderful way to absorb the culture of your new surroundings. I love to watch how others show their respects to their god and, generally speaking, no matter that we all have a different god, we all show the same reverence, peace, discipline and formality. It tends to lend itself to social and family structure being on show for everyone to see and is a great insight into what is going on around us. Although I am not very religious myself, I do love to have a few words with who ever is up there listening to me, just encase !!. and having an unrushed moment is shear joy to me. Not to mention the fact that as everyone rolls out into the streets afterwards there is usually an energy, a coming together, a commonality and natural flow within the throng of people – a gentle reminder that we are all in the same club together, just incase the trials of daily life has made us forget. A reunification if you like.

And No. 3 is oh so simple but we love to lie on the grass at night and look at the stars, I know it sounds cheesy but the kids love it particularly when you are in a different hemisphere and everything is upside down (or is that righ side up !! maybe my Ozzie lovelies may disagree with me?) and you would be amazed how many shooting stars there actually are, we never fail to have a night without seeing one. ?

Sometimes the simple pleasures are the best. So I hope you all have the most gorgeous holiday time if you are heading off during August and do leave a comment if you try any of my tips or if you have any to share as I love to hear. xo Sophie