Tips for Staying Present During Vacation

Jillian Dara
·5 min read

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by Condé Nast Traveler editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission.

Peter Thomas/Unsplash

I was sailing around Lake Como on the penultimate day of a family trip when my mind started to wander from the lakeside mansions and crisp autumn breeze to the dread of returning home. The feeling was familiar, but unlike in the past, I consciously halted these perturbed thoughts. While focused on the glimmering water ahead of me, I whispered to myself, “I am here.” I gazed up at the soaring mountains surrounding the lake and repeated it: “I am here.” I looked around the boat inconspicuously, at my smiling family, and said it again and again, until I felt calmer. Finally, a simple meditation technique I'd been working on revealed its efficacy.

“There's nothing worse than visiting somewhere beautiful but being distracted,” says Aditi Shah, a yoga and meditation instructor at Peloton, an app I use frequently for my own mindfulness practice. “And there's nothing better than being fully present for all the small joys you find in the details.”

I first tinkered with meditation when I moved to New York City in my early twenties. I found reprieve in stillness after chaotic days of rushing around to an assaulting soundtrack of city cacophony. I didn’t stick with it, though; like forming any new habit it required real work, and a few skipped days saw my practice fall to the wayside.

Post-pandemic, however, I physically felt life flying by; I never felt truly present. There were days I couldn’t recall the day, month, or season off the top of my head. So, I pledged to return to meditation. It began as a way to ground myself every morning, to start the day with presence, saying out loud the day and year, and acknowledging gratitude. My experience in Lake Como, though, was one of my first breakthroughs where I truly reaped the benefits of my practice, and recognized its importance in my frequent travels.

“By having a meditation practice, you’re training your brain to notice when you’re not in the present moment, so you can refocus your attention,” shares Lara Grant, a meditation teacher and wellbeing coach. This is particularly useful in travel so that you can attune all of your senses to the present moment: “When you’re sitting on the beach, you’re noticing how blue the ocean is, the sounds of the waves crashing, the smell of salt in the air, and how the sand feels against your skin.”

While noticing these details at the beginning of my travels come effortlessly, as the return home nears, I commonly feel sadness about its ending, anxiety about the journey home, and stress about jumping back into work. “Meditation can help you process those emotions by simply allowing the feelings to be there while you breathe through it,” explains Grant.

When it came to my time in Lake Como, I still had two more days left in awe-inspiring Italy. Had I succumbed to the end-of-trip dread, I’d have missed out on experiencing that part of my vacation entirely. As meditation and breathwork coach, Briony Gunson, reminds, “you might feel a bit of stress creeping in as your mind drifts to head back home but you also might be in front of a beautiful sunset… the trip isn’t over yet!”

<cite class="credit">Artem Kovalev/Unsplash</cite>
Artem Kovalev/Unsplash

Using meditation to stay present while traveling

Whether you’re a beginner or well-practiced meditator, sticking to a routine while traveling can present hurdles. Grant advises to start small and simple: carve out five to 10 minutes every morning to set the tone for a present day. “The same way that you prioritize brushing your teeth in the morning, do so with meditation,” she says. You can also add simple mindfulness techniques to help you recenter throughout the day; Grant closes her eyes before every meal, takes three slow, deep breaths and then smells the food before starting to eat.

Finding a mindful mantra that resonates with you can also help tune the mind while on the road. Like my simple “I am here,” Gunson often uses: “I am open to the magic of this present moment.”

Finally, as much as technology can help us stay connected to our practice while on the road, thanks to apps like Insight Timer, Calm, and Headspace, technology’s temptation can also be a detriment to staying focused on what’s happening around you. Comparing your holiday to someone else's, checking emails, or texting friends back home can rob you of the minute details. For this reason, Gunson suggests setting technology boundaries.

“If you're traveling in a car and one person is driving, perhaps agree that you'll both be present rather than one person on their phone scrolling,” she says. This also applies to sharing meals, tours, and free time wandering a new city: “Capture the photo as needed,” says Gunson but then put the phone away again.

And when all else fails, remember the setting doesn’t have to be perfect for a meditation. “You don't need to completely shut out the world," says Shah. “Let the outside world be in the background, and your practice take center stage.”

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler

The Latest Stories from Condé Nast Traveler