A long weekend in Tulum convinced me it is ok to relax.
People are always on the go. Hustling to work, rushing to kids’ soccer or dance practice, and running errands… even on weekends.
I don’t have children, but I share an on-the-go ethos. And I load my calendar with my own obligations and to-do lists.
For as long as I remember my on-the-go spirit has influenced my vacation mindset.
View of the beach from the hot tub, at the Royal Catalonia Tulum.
Truthfully, my husband and I are a “Type II fun” sort of couple - meaning often our activities are not necessarily fun while we’re doing them, but in retrospect are 100% worth it and we have some great stories. For example, we celebrated our Friday afternoon wedding by running 13 miles on Saturday morning donning “Just Married” t-shirts for the New Orleans Jazz Half Marathon. And kayaked the Manchac Swamp on Sunday before flying home on Monday. We were quite literally “on-the-go.”
When visiting Machu Picchu, we opted for the Salkantay Trek, which winds its way high in the Andes and crosses over its namesake, the 15,000 ft Salkantay Pass. Even our less physically intense guided tours generally include minute-by-minute planning, early show-times and well- curated experiences.
So, when we took a long weekend getaway to a small all-inclusive resort (Royal Catalonia) in Tulum in April 2022, it was outside my comfort zone, and I never thought I’d enjoy the lie-on-the-beach lifestyle.
- Where would the challenge be?
- If you’re not tired and sore at the end, was it really even a vacation?
Yes! It is a vacation. It is okay to not have a schedule. And it is ok to relax.
You can experience different things when you let time pass over you, rather than you deliberately passing the time.
To be entirely honest, we did venture off the resort for an escorted tour of the nearest Mayan ruins. It satisfied the planner in me, and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to explore some archaeological sites after traveling all the way to Mexico. But most of our time was spent reading and swimming and enjoying the breeze (with a mojito or two for hydration).
While I still lean heavily on the side of planning and productivity, I have a new appreciation for unstructured time. Now, I’m trying to balance not just my vacations, but my daily life, between the pursuit of productivity and savoring the unscheduled moments.
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