The words “travel” and “vacation” are often used interchangeably. I, however, am a firm believer that these two are actually complete opposites. That being said, I love them both!
Vacationing
To me, a vacation is something you take when you are looking for relaxation or an escape from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life. It’s usually (but not always) to a tropical destination or somewhere that fills up your cup and makes you feel fulfilled in the way that you’re ready to go back and face the real world again feeling rested, at peace, and revived. Destinations I’ve chosen for vacations are the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Bahamas, the Mediterranean, Maine, Florida, and New Hampshire. I love vacations, I think they are essential to a human’s well-being both mentally and emotionally. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who says they dislike vacations!
Traveling
A trip or to travel, on the other hand, has a purpose; whether that purpose is to explore new cultures, adventure off the beaten path, or achieve a new feat physically (whether it be hiking, biking, swimming, etc). A trip, or often called “traveling”, is work, plain and simple. It challenges you in some way, oftentimes leaving you feeling small, or like the little things don’t matter as much as they did before the trip. When traveling you can be faced with things that open your eyes to different peoples or even to yourself, it can teach you things about the past or about a new skill or hobby; it can truly transform your life if you let it. I know it sounds cliché or like a bit of an overstatement but having been to places like this I can promise you it’s not. Trips don’t fit into a box, as what interests one person could bore another. Some people want the physical challenge of pushing their bodies to limits they didn’t know they could while hiking up massive mountain ranges. Others want to learn about indigenous cultures by living with them for a couple of weeks on remote islands and learning their ways. Still others want to expand their horizons by staying in hostels and backpacking through Europe while learning about its past and present. All trips, however, leave a lasting impression. They fill up your cup in a completely different way by making you realize things about yourself or about the world that you hadn’t previously thought of. 100% of the trips I’ve gone on leave me feeling like I need a vacation all over again. They’re hard work; they involve long days, lots of transportation and walking, and oftentimes the cultures are so different you feel completely in over your head. But it’s almost always worth it.
The Best of Both Worlds
If you’re someone who can’t relate at all to the last paragraph and even reading it sounds exhausting, that’s okay! Everyone is different, that’s the beauty of it. My family is the same way. Growing up all we took were vacations and I loved every minute of it. My parents are still that way. They love the Bahamas, Florida, and Aruba. They hate public transit and long tours or exotic foods. But they vacation often and it fulfills them and that’s what matters.
As for me, it wasn’t until I was in my 20’s, after college, that I discovered “traveling” or “trips”. The first one I went on was a disaster. My sister and I were newly graduated and we went to Europe for the first time. We stayed in London for about 3 days and then went to Paris for 4 days after that. We missed countless trains, were late for more tours than not, got lost trying to find our hotel again day after day, but guess what? It was one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever been on to this day. In the subsequent years I got better at traveling, much better. I realized quickly that burnout while traveling is a real thing and that the best way for me to avoid this was to plan a “trip” and then follow it up with a week (or a few days, whatever our schedule would allow) of a vacation. Most trip destinations have amazing vacation destinations very close by. An example of a trip I’ve taken like this would be Athens followed by Santorini, Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan followed by Hurghada, O’ahu, Hawai’i, Kaua’i followed by Maui, and Rome, Venice, and Florence followed by the Amalfi Coast, to name a few. Making the beginning of a trip action-packed with walking tours, cooking classes, sightseeing, or physically strenuous activities then following it up with a couple of days to a week on the beach or lazing about in a sleepy town with free time (something in short supply on trips) was the perfect remedy. This has done wonders for me and I think it’s the perfect solution for those looking to expand their horizons with travel but then coming home more exhausted than when they left.
Whether you are a traveler or a vacationer (or both) the world is wide and we are small. The best part about modern times is how accessible most places are so get that map out and let Sunrise Sojourns help you plan your next itinerary!