I have no regrets.
Vacation is not real life. Vacation should not mimic being at home, and I’m okay with that. It’s about being a little bit extra, a lot more relaxed, and remembering there are absolutely no rules on vacation.
Vacations are not aspirational. They’re not where I’m my best self (…or are they? Because I really do feel like my best self when traveling). I’m not worried about glowing up or doing more or being at all responsible on vacation. I can do that at home.
The only thing I’m worried about while traveling is having fun with my loved ones, and the rest is absolutely of no importance to me. The bar on vacation? Yeahhhhh….so the only bar I’m worried about on vacation is the one making me a cocktail.
That said, here’s a non-negotiable list of what I’m doing and not doing on vacation.
I am not underpacking
Vacation Tiffany and home Tiffany are not that dissimilar, and I won’t underpack. I don’t know what I want to wear, what mood I’ll be in, or how I’m feeling. I’m overpacking, and I never feel bad about it. I have never met an airport luggage drop-off where my husband hasn’t had to whip out his card to pay for overweight luggage fees. Why start now?
I am not working out
Respectfully…it’s not fucking happening. Been there, done that, hated it. I’m sleeping in. I’m relaxing with my coffee and my book. What am I not doing? Getting up and going down to the gym. The gym will be there when I get home.
I am drinking champagne for breakfast
There is never a time on vacation in which I’m going to turn down a bottle of Veuve for breakfast. That pop and the clink of the glass as my husband fills my champagne flute? Favorite vacation moments.
I am not overplanning
Yes, we have dinner reservations made in advance (I don’t really do restaurants that don’t take reservations, so that’s a must), but I’m not pre-planning every moment in advance. You want to go to the beach? Let’s go. You want to go shopping? Cool. You want to try a new breakfast restaurant? I’m down. Let the moment be the moment.
I am making sure we have plenty of family evenings
Early dinner reservations. Sunset beach moments. Ice cream stops on the way back. But when we get back to our beach house, we are going to sit down together at the table and put our puzzle together. We are going to play games. We are going to laugh and have fun as a family because that is my favorite part of vacation.
I am not worrying about a thing
Vacation vibes have loaded, my brain is turned off, and I’m not worried about a thing. My wallet? Don’t need it because my husband is right here. Being responsible? No, thanks. My husband is right here. Thinking about what it means when the kids go back to school, and we have three football games, five football practices, a track meet, three track practices, and an end-of-season cheer banquet all in one week? Nope, not on my mind. That’s next week’s problem.
The end.
Tiffany Raiford 