With summer coming up, I thought this might be a great time for a post like this.

I recently made a last minute decision to put my butt on a plane and get out of town for a while. I chose to go to New York for a week. I have a lot of friends and family in the city and my family has a cabin on Lake Ontario upstate so it was an obvious choice.

Even though going upstate was a very nostalgia-based decision, I realized on this trip that getting out of town is a great way to change your perspective.

A few weeks ago, I found out that my position at work was being eliminated. No hard feelings, I am freelancer so I’m always ready to start something new, but it definitely woke me up a bit. I was getting very comfortable (which is okay) but that also meant I was starting to form some habits that might not have been the healthiest choices. But going on this trip really made me step back from my life and job and let me see what was really important. So here are a few tips for the next time you’re on a little getaway:

Meditate

If you find yourself with a few minutes alone, USE IT. Just find a relaxing spot, close your eyes, and think about your daily life at home. Are you happy with your current job? Is there anything you can do to change it? Are you eating right? Do you feel like you’re getting out of the house enough? Just use the time to really reflect on how you live your life and how you might improve it. Sometimes to make a change, all you need is to see things objectively.

Explore

This is an easy one for most people on vacation. I went to a place that I am very familiar with so it took a little bit of extra planning to do things that I’d never done. But I am very glad I took the time to do a little research. It made my time there special and meant I got my moneys worth.

No Electronics

This might be self explanatory but a lot of people forget this when they’re on vacation. Put your goddamn phone away. You are on vacation. You don’t need to be checking emails or twitter or anything. I told my friends that I had limited cell service (which I did but still…) and left my phone at the house. It let me really appreciate the beauty I was surrounded by rather than taking a picture of it and moving on. (And yes, I obviously took pictures, but it’s all about balance.)

Obviously, though all of these things, don’t forget that you are on a break from reality so you should definitely let loose and have some fun.

Keep scrolling for a few bonus pictured from my trip.

Enjoy your summer friends!

xoxo Sally