4 Summer Holiday Concepts You Absolutely Need to Know
If you’re located in the northern hemisphere, what dominates your thoughts at the moment is probably your summer holiday. And rightly so! You’ve probably been studying and/or working hard all year, so you feel the urge to take a well-deserved break. Summer holidays are far from a waste of time. Research shows that rest can make you more productive, boosting your creativity and generating new ideas. And what about travelling? Scientists claim that frequent trips can have a significant impact on your well-being and your sense of purpose in life, expanding your horizons. How can you make the most of your summer holidays and fully experience the benefits of travelling? Here is a list of four main concepts that you need to know. Not only are they useful to add to your English vocabulary, they’ll also help you see travelling in a different light! Going off the Beaten Track Even if you aren’t an introvert, wouldn’t you rather avoid the crowds of tourists? If so, make sure to travel off the beaten track. This means staying away from certain famous sights which are extremely popular in the high tourist season. Choosing lesser known unfrequented places, which may not sound so impressive at first, will give you a more authentic experience. The Eiffel Tower, for instance, may be swamped with visitors, but Paris has innumerable interesting things to see. Remember that being in a crowd is distracting and waiting in a queue is often irritating. It’s much better to have the tranquillity and time to fully immerse yourself in the pleasure of being at a new site. This way you’ll enjoy its uniqueness a lot more! Sentence example: They’re going to go off the beaten track in Spain and discover some of the hidden gems of the country. Trying Digital Detox While leaving behind the routine of your work or studies, why not take a break from the Internet too? It may be tempting to upload your breathtaking photos on Facebook or Instagram, but think again. Online communication is often a source of interruption, which takes away some of the fun and relaxation of being on holiday. By going on a digital detox, you can still use your precious smartphone or tablet – just put it on airplane mode. That way you will still be able to read e-books, make notes and take photos, even though you’ll be offline. Sentence example: On a digital detox holiday, instead of checking my messages every few minutes, I can be more relaxed and stay present in the moment. Staying Aware of Culture Shock Have you ever travelled with a person who kept complaining about how strange a new place was compared to their hometown or country? That person was probably suffering from culture shock. When you find yourself in an unfamiliar environment, you may notice that the way of life and people’s mentality are not the same as what you are used to. At first, that may seem exhilarating and you might even experience a sense of falling in love with the new place. This is often the first (and most pleasant) phase of culture shock, a period aptly called ‘the honeymoon stage’. However, other emotions may also surface, such as a sense of disorientation, loss of control and frustration. Remember that such feelings are normal—humans are creatures of habit, after all. Try not to be judgmental of people who are different from you. Keep an open mind and do your best to enjoy everything positive your trip has to offer. Sentence example: Exploring Africa was a huge culture shock for her as life on that continent was very different from what she had experienced in Europe. Relaxing with Slow Travel If you’ve ever gone on an organised tour, you’re probably aware that trying to see as many things as possible in a limited time can get frantic. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with travelling like that if you enjoy it. However, the concept of slow travel has some unique advantages. This idea was born out of the slow food movement, which sprang up in Italy in the 1980s in an effort to preserve local and traditional ways of farming, cooking and eating. This approach gave birth to the Slow Movement, which highlights the importance of connection to food, families and cultures. The main purpose of slow travel is to establish a deeper connection with a place and the people living there. This way of travelling is more relaxed and more environmentally friendly, so why not give it a try this summer? Sentence example: We prefer slow travel because it allows us to truly experience the local culture and explore each destination to its fullest. If any of the above concepts sounds appealing, why not consider incorporating it into your summer holidays? Maybe you could stay in one place a little longer and discover attractions that most tourists aren’t even aware of. Perhaps you could enjoy the honeymoon stage of culture shock longer if you are more accepting of cultural differences. Digital detox may seem scary at first, but if you tried it for few days, you might discover that living in the moment enriches your experience. Remember that travelling can offer you a lot more than a pleasant way to spend the holidays – it can lead to a whole new way of seeing the world....
