5 Eye-Opening Summer Vacation Lessons

Trips give you the opportunity to live in the moment, and you can learn some great summer vacation lessons. No multi-tasking, no emails to answer, no work problems to ruminate over.

It’s time you can take to just sit back, relax, and observe. You can also tune into your inner voice and hear some of your truths. Vacationing also takes you out of the decision-making process, beyond “What should I order?” Decision-making taxes your brain and takes up space that could be used for more creative, philosophical rumination.

I came up with Five “Deep Thoughts” that struck me on my recent trip to Italy.

The “secret” to good health really is quality sleep, healthy food, and fresh air. I’m not kidding you. On the trip, my body felt better than I’ve felt in years. And that carried over significantly to my mentality. Waking up after eight hours of sleep, my mind felt clear and inspired every day. A great deal of the food in Italy is unprocessed, preservative-free, and organic. We naturally followed the Mediterranean diet. Lots of fresh vegetables, fish, healthy oils, and red wine. I would guess I consumed in excess of 4,000 calories each day. I had pasta, gelato, bread, alcohol. Quite a few things that are diet “no-no’s, but all of the healthy food I ate did what it was supposed to do. My indulgences were against a backdrop of healthy eating. Your body can feel it when you are getting all of the nutrients you need from a healthy diet. We spent the majority of our time outside and breathing in the fresh, Mediterranean Sea air. It was so invigorating.

Technology can help and hurt on a vacation. Use it wisely. I’ll give you some examples of using it wisely. Taking beautiful photos! Not only do you have a large collection of every beautiful moment to share with friends when you get back, but I feel like taking those photos reinforce the memory and makes it stronger. As far as access to you, I highly recommend having one trusted person in your work circle that can reach you (if needed) and tune everyone else out.

One kind word from a trusted friend can undo an insecurity you’ve been holding onto for years. Years ago, a guy I worked with told me I “looked terrible” with my hair pulled back. Thanks to his harsh comments, I generally reserve ponytails for around the house. On the trip, we were eating lunch in Capri and decided to take a break from lunch and take a dip in the ocean. I pulled my hair in a bun on top of my head and my friend said, “I never see you with your hair pulled back. You look so pretty! You look like a kid!” I told her she wears “friend-goggles,” but it made me feel great, nonetheless. And I wore a pony the rest of the trip.

Lots of little decisions tax the brain. As I mentioned, the vacation allowed me time away from decisions. I started thinking about all the details I have to tend to each day. Everything from what outfits my kids should wear to what subject matter to talk about on-air. Some decisions are bigger or more impactful than others. But the aggregate tiny decisions can use up a lot of brain power. I notice how much more space I had in my brain for deeper, more profound thinking.

You can have the travel time of your life, but upon return, one email can undo that vacation glow. But no one can ever take your fabulous vacation memories away from you. Those are yours to keep and cherish forever. These are summer vacation lessons I will carry with me.

If you want to have an amazing tropical vacation, check out these eight cool things about Baha Mar in the Bahamas.

We went a couple of weeks ago, and it was incredible. When you check in at the Grand Hyatt, you'll see an aquarium built into the wall behind the desk. Speaking of aquariums...I saw one of the coolest things I've ever seen at a resort. They have numerous pools at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. One of them has a really cool bar you can swim right up to. But my favorite pool is the one that has a cave and grotto and you swim right up to a SEA AQUARIUM with SHARKS! It's amazing! And when you are chilling at the pool, you can enjoy a drink at the Drift Bar. They have yummy spicy margaritas.

The Baha Bay Waterpark is my favorite water park. They have the best lazy river and so many exciting water slides. It's included in your stay at the resort.

They have so many fantastic restaurants like Katsuya for Sushi, Carne for steaks, and Costa at Rosewood is their premiere traditional Mexican restaurant. The restaurant has the BEST ambiance. And it's surrounded by a koi pond. So cool!

The beaches are so pristine. I have to bring this up. Have you ever thought about the fact that we all FROLIC on the beach, yet no one ever plans to frolic? No one ever says, "Hey, honey. Want to go frolic on the beach with me?" But anytime anyone is photographed in the water or on the beach it's captioned "So and so was seen frolicking on the beach." It's so weird. It's something no one ever plans to do...no one ever says they're going to do it, but we all do it. And if it's captured on video it is referred to as frolicking. In any case, I did some frolicking on the beach.