by J.K Citrus

Created on: August 18, 2008   Last Updated: August 01, 2009

When we hear the word vacation, what comes to mind? For me, I see myself stretched out on a chair, cold lemonade clenched in my hand, colorful umbrella above my head and huge sunglasses blocking the sun from my eyes. I hear the waves crashing against the sand, and the laughter and giggles from people swimming in the cool water and I'm not worried about anything.

Although most people have fantasies like mine when they think of vacationing, this is normally not what happens, especially during family vacations. As much as we don't want to worry, there is always something to worry about. How is my pet goldfish doing being fed only every other day by our neighbours? Or what if I forgot to pack my pyjamas? How much money will we spend on this vacation? Can we handle that sum? What will we eat for dinner tonight? Do we have to go home soon? My sunburn hurts so much! I have to remember to pick up those postcards for my friends!

Whether the worries are big or small, they are always there to make our world more interesting. Can you imagine what life would be like if we didn't have to think about these things? Calm for a while, but what then? To answer the question that the title presents, I believe that people primarily take vacations in the hope of relaxation, but more often than not, it turns out to be "exciting" relaxation.

When you travel to a new area, there are activities that you just "have to" try out. So many, that you run around during your vacation trying to fit them all in. There's that hiking that mom was really looking forward to, then the cruise that your father planned, and what about the splash pad your little sister or brother had dreamt of for the past three weeks? You try to go everywhere and do everything that is available for you to do, and although you have loads of fun and tons of excitement, following this vacation, you are going to need another vacation just to wind down! And believe it or not, this is completely and fully normal.

Not many people would travel far away and pay a fair amount of money and not "do" anything out of the ordinary. Also, if you are a kid or are travelling with a child, you have probably alreadu discovered that a child's idea of relaxation is nothing like your own! Although I think that most vacations turn out to be filled with fun and excitement, they are planned as relaxation by people that really need to relax. In conclusion, if you are looking to just purely relax, dab on that sunscreen, pour yourself a cold drink, and read a good novel in your own backyard!

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