I took a week off to go to Portugal this summer. My initial plan was to visit as much as possible: stay in Lisbon the first night, go to Algarve in the south for a couple of days to enjoy the sun and the beaches, then go up to Porto before going back to Lisbon. All of this in 6 days. Pretty ambitious right? Well guess what, I cancelled everything on the first night I was there and only staid in Lisbon for the whole time. And here are 5 reasons why:

1. Stop being on a mission                                                                                                                          When we go on holidays nowadays, we tend to plan so much things to do and visit that we are always on a mission. You are even lacking time because you have so much on your to-do list. And in the end, you may have seen a lot about the country but certainly not experience a lot about the lifestyle...Because of that, we tend to miss the opportunity to discover things about the country you can only know if you take your time. And you might come back from your holidays as tired as you when you left. 
2. Switch off from Internet                                                                                                                              My work implies working with Internet on daily basis and in collaboration with colleagues from all around the world. Therefore, when working on a common global project, it is difficult to switch-off as you got this known side effect which is FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). So, you are always checking your phone for new notifications. This time I just used internet for 1-2h period during the day, just to keep in touch with friends and family and the rest of the time just enjoy what the city had to offer.
3. Think about yourself                                                                                                                                Living in the routine makes you forget the things that really matters to you. Things that you really like and enjoy doing in life. Everything is scheduled from the moment you wake up until you go back to bed, and everything starts over again on the next day. But when do you take time for yourself really? It is important to refocus on oneself from time to time. This is not being selfish, I believe it is necessary to clear your mind and reset yourself like you would re-set your watch so that you can start over from a fresh start.
4. Take your time                                                                                                                                             One most valuable thing we all miss in our busy life is: TIME. When you are on a holiday, you are meant to do things you really enjoy.  If you put a book you really wanted to read aside, accumulating dust because you was too busy, now is the time to read it. If you wanted to work on a personal project, now is the time to do it. If you wanted to just do nothing, then take it easy and relax. You are in control of your schedule and that's what holidays are really meant for. 
5. Value human interaction                                                                                                                           One thing that I love about traveling is meeting up with fellow travelers. Everyone has a different story and different vision of life which makes the conversation you have so interesting and I must say very easy. We all share a common thing, traveling, and no body cares about what you do in life, no body is here to compete with the other, everyone is here to have some good time and enjoy the moment. Some people are also very inspiring and might be able to answer questions you have always wondered in your life. So do not hesitate to go out of your comfort zone, switch off from internet and interact with people. It will be the best thing that can happen on your journey.

In the end, I had a really good break in Lisbon. This city has a lot to offer historically, culturally and also in terms of lifestyle. That will be the topic of my next post. But the most important is that I finally got the opportunity after a couple of months to think only about me and resource myself. I had the control on what I wanted to do and see. Today, I feel more energized and with loads of ideas in my mind!

Isn't it what holidays are meant for? :)