Have you ever been sitting in a new town, in a part of the world you have dreamed of seeing, only to feel exhausted and not wanting to leave your room? Whether you’re traveling for a long weekend, two weeks, three months, or even a year, there will always be times where you need to take a moment of rest, and that’s okay. 

If you’ve had one too many travel days and need to take a day to rest and reset, you can always stay in your room and catch up on sleep. However if your guilt isn’t allowing you to rest, there are plenty of ways you can still have a rest day and see new places. My favourite way to have a slow day is to pack a little picnic, my book, journal and a jumper (to use as a pillow, so if it’s a cool day, take two!) and find a local garden to watch the day pass by. Not only does this bring me comfort because it’s something I do when I’m home, but it also allows me to live like a local somewhere new and really still see the place I have traveled to. 

If you’re somewhere coastal, taking some fruit down to the water, going for a little swim and then soaking up some sunshine is another favourite way to ‘waste the day’ and still experience something the locals love to do. If you can find places away from the main tourist attractions, it will help you feel more relaxed and protect your peace in a place that is a little quieter. 

This one may not sound relaxing, but I’ve become a fan of doing my laundry on days where I need to relax and also feel a little connected to home. The smell of laundry powder used to be what helped me feel connected to home, but the more I travel and wash my clothes, the more they smell of many different soaps. It’s now the act of doing my laundry that makes me feel relaxed and grounded, and when traveling for long periods of time, it also becomes a necessity.

No matter how you decide to reset when traveling, it’s important to remember that you’re still doing what may feel ‘mundane’ in a new town surrounded by a new environment, and that’s something in itself. 

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