We have all been there. You spend weeks looking forward to a weekend getaway. You book the tickets, make the reservations, and power through your Friday afternoon emails with the finish line in sight. You rush to the airport or hit the highway, cram in two days of sightseeing, dining, and socialising, and then return home late Sunday night.
The Art of Choosing the Right Destination
The first step in planning a restful weekend is acknowledging the hidden costs of travel. Long transit times are the enemy of short trips. If you only have forty-eight hours, spending ten of them in a car or plane significantly eats into your recovery time.
For a truly restorative weekend, aim for a destination within a three-hour radius of your home. This minimises logistics-related stress and maximises your time on the ground. When choosing a location, look for environments that naturally encourage a slower pace. Cities can be exhilarating, but they often trigger a “fear of missing out” (FOMO) that compels us to overschedule.
Nature-based destinations are often better for genuine rest. The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, suggests that simply being in the presence of trees lowers heart rates and reduces stress hormones.
Consider accommodations that force you to disconnect or engage with your surroundings differently. A cabin in the woods, a quiet beach house, or a remote bear lodge in Alaska can provide the necessary isolation from daily noise. The goal is to find a place where the primary activity is simply “being,” rather than “doing.” If you aren’t fighting crowds or navigating complex public transit systems, your nervous system has a chance to downshift.
Preparation: Managing the Pre-Trip Chaos
Ironically, the days leading up to a relaxing trip are often the most stressful. We tend to front-load our work weeks, staying late on Thursday or skipping lunch on Friday to “clear the decks.” This means we start our vacation in a state of high cortisol, which takes time to dissipate.
To counter this, change how you prepare. Start packing two days in advance. It sounds simple, but throwing clothes in a bag an hour before departure creates unnecessary adrenaline. Create a standardized packing list for weekend trips so you don’t have to waste mental energy deciding what to bring.
When it comes to packing, efficiency is key to peace of mind. Overpacking creates physical and mental clutter. If you are wrestling with heavy luggage or digging through five outfit changes you won’t wear, you are adding friction to your experience. Pack versatile layers and leave the “just in case” items at home.
More importantly, set realistic expectations for your departure. Set your email auto-responder to turn on a few hours before you actually leave the office. This gives you a buffer to wrap up final tasks without new requests landing in your inbox. Communicate clearly with your team that you will be unreachable. If you leave the door slightly open for work—”I’ll just check email in the mornings”—you never truly mentally depart.
Curating Activities: The Joy of Missing Out
The itinerary is often where restful weekends go to die. We tend to plan our leisure time with the same rigidity as our work schedules: breakfast at 9:00, hike at 10:30, museum at 1:00, dinner at 7:00. This structure keeps you in “execution mode.”
For a restorative trip, embrace the concept of JOMO—the Joy of Missing Out. Permit yourself not see the “top 10 things to do” in the area. You do not need to try the famous bakery with the hour-long line. You do not need to hike to the summit if a twenty-minute walk feels better.
Try planning only one major activity for the entire weekend. This acts as an anchor for the trip but leaves the rest of the time open for spontaneity. If you wake up and want to read for three hours, you can. If you want to take a nap, you can.
Balance is crucial here. Doing absolutely nothing can sometimes lead to lethargy or boredom, which isn’t the same as rest. Aim for “active rest.” This might include:
- Gentle Movement: A slow bike ride, yoga, or a leisurely swim.
- Creative Engagement: Sketching, journaling, or photography (with a real camera, not a phone).
- Sensory Experiences: Visiting a local market, cooking a simple meal, or sitting by a fire.
These activities engage the brain in a low-stakes way, allowing you to enter a “flow state” where time seems to disappear. That flow state is where deep restoration happens.
The Digital Detox
It is impossible to discuss rest in the modern era without addressing screens. Our devices are constant sources of dopamine hits and information overload. Even if you aren’t checking work emails, scrolling through social media keeps your brain in a state of reactive arousal. You are comparing your weekend to others’, reading news headlines, or responding to group chats.
To truly rest, you must unplug. This doesn’t necessarily mean leaving your phone at home (which can feel unsafe for some), but it does mean creating strict boundaries.
Consider deleting social media apps from your phone for the weekend. This removes the muscle memory of unconsciously opening Instagram or TikTok whenever there is a lull in conversation. Alternatively, turn off all non-essential notifications or use “Do Not Disturb” mode generously.
If you are traveling with a partner or friends, agree on phone etiquette beforehand. Perhaps you agree to keep phones in the glovebox during the drive or in a drawer once you reach the hotel. When you remove the digital distraction, you might feel an initial pang of boredom or anxiety. This is normal. Push through it. On the other side of that boredom is a deeper connection with your surroundings and the people you are with.
Conclusion
Beat the “Sunday Scaries” by planning your return. Aim to get home Sunday afternoon, giving you time to unpack, do laundry, and grocery shop before the work week. This prevents a stressful Monday morning. Reflect on what felt most restorative during your trip—like a quiet morning coffee or an evening walk—and find ways to incorporate those moments into your daily routine.
