While holidays are supposed to be a period of relaxation, it can be quite stressful if not managed properly. Enjoying a holiday is less about the destination and more about the mindset that you bring and the preparations that you have made. This is a concept that is yet to be mastered by those who are new to the holidaying experience. It would be a great waste of resources, and time, if you came back from your holiday more stressed than when you arrived. Luckily, this guide includes tips that you can follow to ensure that your holiday lives up to your expectations.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the art of living in the presence and immersing yourself in the experiences you are currently exposed to. In a holidaying sense, it means setting your mind in ‘holiday mode’. You won’t have a restful holiday if you spend every waking minute making business calls or worrying about issues that you left back home. Unplug for a while and enjoy your holiday destination. It helps if you had made adequate arrangements in your professional and personal life back home before you embarked on your vacation.

Pace Yourself

If you are in a particularly exciting holiday destination, then you will be tempted to try and sample all that it offers during your first day. Try to fight that temptation. Trying too much within a short period of time will diminish the pleasure that you get from each activity. It might also lead to you getting a physical and mental burnout which will spoil the rest of your holiday. Any experience that you may miss out due to time can be enjoyed when you next revisit the destination.

Your Body Is A Temple

While you are expected (actually encouraged) to let loose a bit during your holiday, keep your revelries to acceptable levels. Too much drug and alcohol consumption will negatively affect the enjoyment that you derive from your holiday. It will also leave you more susceptible to being a target for pickpockets and muggers. If the local public transport system is unreliable, keep safe by hiring a vehicle. Never forget to have a reliable caravan insurance for your hired vehicle, with the one sure insurance caravan cover being highly recommended. This is not accounting for the short term or long term health effects that they may cause. You can take part in some health boosting activities such as yoga which are usually available in most holiday resorts.

Ditch Toxic Tech

Technological advancements have made our lives much easier, but they have also become quite addictive. Spending too much time glued to your mobile device or laptop during your holiday will make you miss out on enriching experiences. Ditch the phone and experience what your holiday destination has to offer. Only use your tech devices to check in periodically with your loved ones or to document memorable experiences.

Leave work at work

No matter how important you are to your company’s operation, they can handle a few weeks without you. If you feel that the ‘void’ you are leaving behind in your workplace is too big, then maybe you should take more time to make arrangements for your holiday. Part of ‘unplugging’ means leaving your work commitments behind and committing to the holiday experience.

Busy moms know that envious feeling when their friends post photos on Instagram from a recent vacation. This is especially the case if you’ve spent your most recent long weekend cleaning the house or catching up on mundane tasks you’ve fallen behind on. Since you’ve become a mom, do you even remember the last time you caught a break?

It’s challenging to make time for yourself when you’re responsible for the needs of so many; a beach side getaway (even regionally to one of Ontario’s Great Lakes) feels impossible to coordinate. If you’re going to maintain your top-level productivity however, some breathing room is necessary. When taking a trip isn’t an option, setting aside half an hour to turn off your phone, sit in the bubble bath, and sip a glass of wine in the evening can be enough to tide you over.

While it might not be quite the same as being on the beach, exploring a selection of wine from Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island will give you that touch of southern exposure you need to relax. Summer is Ontario’s longest growing season; it creates the optimal climate for producing full-bodied reds, as well as zesty, light-bodied, and dry whites.

Colio Estate Winery, one of Ontario’s first wineries had its humble beginnings in this region near the sunny shores of Lake Erie, their wine is crafted with the patience, determination and the spirit of their founders. For lovers of white wine, their Lake and River Series is an excellent way to escape from the repetitiveness and routine of your days and nights. Their Moonlight White for example (2015 vintage) has a bouquet of light floral scents like honeysuckle and tropical fruit, this combined with its light straw colour and exotic fruit flavours on the palate will have you feeling like you’re floating. If you prefer a white on the dryer side, consider Colio’svineyard select 2015 Chardonnay. If you enjoy a glass of rosé on a summer evening, their Girls Night Out (2015 vintage) is the perfect blend of Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. It has a bouquet of raspberry highlights with a taste of zippy sour cherry flavours delivered in a dryer style.

Now, you can also order your favourite wines from this region (and others!) from the comfort of your own home thanks to Wine Online, where selections can be delivered right to your door — a service that women who work hard should take advantage of. This supplier also makes a point of curating their selections, so you know you’re receiving quality wine every time, complete with a full profile from tasting notes, to expert third party reviews, to food pairing recommendations.

Not every busy lady is fortunate enough to have the time off she’d like, especially if she’s got little ones to care for, but that doesn’t mean she can’t have the next best thing – a glass of something crisp to enjoy after a long day.