“A guide to making the most of your summer travel plans.”
We often become different (and better) people on vacation: we take life a little more slowly, staying in bed in the mornings, eating good food and savouring it, and falling asleep in sunny patches. As we transition out of spring and begin to coordinate the next few months, we’ve put together a guide to embracing the break ahead. To give us a hand, we asked passersby for a peek into their most memorable trips.
making plans
It’s a good idea to first check in with yourself about what you’re seeking during your time away. If you feel overwhelmed by all that’s on offer, establishing what you want to get out of your trip can make curating an itinerary much easier. If you’d like to unwind, leaving gaps in your schedule and editing down your ‘must-see’ list creates space for freedom and spontaneity. Though it can be tempting to pack your vacation with activities, an overstuffed schedule can leave the whole holiday swishing by in a blur and make it harder for your brain to form the memories you’ll want to revisit long after the journey home.
For publicist Chantilly Post — who identifies herself as “a pretty busy person by choice” — taking it easy on holiday is vital. Many passersby echo this sentiment and wish to prioritise nature and spiritual rest on vacation. Brooklyn-based ceramicist Shino Takeda says, “I will go anywhere near water [and] where I can see the sunset! Time flies in New York; I need to slow down, just stare and feel nature once in a while.” And unwinding doesn’t always necessitate going very far or for very long. As editor and producer Marina Sulmona recommends, even a day trip can break up the week and give you the chance to have a change of scenery.
If you’re interested in seeing as much as you can or just feeling some more structure, consider booking something like a street art or food tour. A gelato exploration in Florence, for example, or a visit to the murals of East London might offer the happy-medium between flow and organisation you’re looking for. In addition, letting recommendations from locals guide you when possible will ensure that you get a feel for your surroundings in a way that won’t overwhelm you with tourist landmarks; your new favourite meal or martini might await you in a cocktail bar or restaurant you couldn’t have heard of online. All in all, mapping out a rough plan of places you’d like to visit and letting your instincts and locals lead specifics from there can be a great way to tread the balance between under and over planning.
That being said, you can also find deep inspiration in a vacation where you return to the familiar — by visiting home. Seeing loved ones and childhood landmarks can make for a unique summer refresh, especially since the slower pace of the season can leave you with more time and mental space for introspection, as well as more energy to connect with those at home. Chantilly recently travelled back to Jamaica and tells us, “The trip fed my soul. I felt how much love I had from family and community members who knew me as a child. I connected with a part of myself I was so happy to meet again. I love heading out of the city to a cottage with friends whenever I can to unwind, unplug, slow down and be present in nature.”
where to go
Of course, the destination you select will depend on your budget, criteria and schedule. But if you’re short on time in Canada, Marina recommends Bowen Island for “the perfect retreat from Vancouver” that only occupies an afternoon. “Last summer, I went for the day with my best friend from high school while we were both in the city visiting family and it was magical. You can hike, sit by the beach, shop around for local goods that feel local, and eat delicious food. Get tacos and the ice cream by the bay. All of this, and it’s only a 20-minute ferry ride away. Next time, I need to go to the Kitoki Inn.” Toronto-based nutritionist Tonya Papanikolov also recommends British Columbia’s coastal islands, which “are so fun and beautiful to explore.”
In California, passerby’s Social Editor Eva Berezovsky recommends exploring all that the North has to offer. Her August girls trip in the area kicked off in her host’s Sacramento home base and was busy with drives to Point Reyes, its nearby beach towns, and Santa Cruz. Hopping around is a good call for anyone looking to experience diverse energies: “We led a self-directed Lady Bird tour in Sacramento, hiked in Point Reyes, thrifted and ate a long lunch in the surrounding towns, and then Santa Cruz was about poolside replenishment.” And if you’re in Joshua Tree in California, publicist Fatima Jones recommends Noah Purifoy’s outdoor museum for a relaxed and inspired mind. You might find yourself feeling particularly receptive to art while on vacation, so pencilling in some culture on your trip may help you to bring home some new ideas that you’ll want to carry with you.
Beyond North America, Rebecca Boorstin says, “I had the opportunity to go to the Galapagos Islands when I lived in Ecuador, and to this day it's one of the most magical places [I’ve visited].” When we spoke to creative director Anna Polonsky, she had an international list of recommendations for us: her European selections included Athens, Folegandros, and Spetses if you find yourself in Greece, and the South if you’re visiting France. For a trip to Uruguay, Anna lists José Ignacio and Garzón as some of her “regular go-tos.”
A vacation to any of the above spots provides ample opportunities for long lunches and balmy, al fresco dinners, so it’s natural that food often plays a key part in our travel highlights, too — maybe it even determines your site choice. Photographer Nicole Steriovski looks back on her trip to Mexico City and its food fondly. She recommends “dinner with friends at Rosetta,” as “the corn tamale still lingers in memory.” She adds, “If you have time to get a cocktail at the restaurant bar before your reservation, I would highly recommend it.” And in Belize, where Chantilly now visits her mom, she’s always guaranteed “a sweet time to touch base with family, eat fresh and clean food and soak up some sun.”
how to document it all
It can be tricky to switch your brain into holiday mode, especially if you’re used to a busy life, but tapping into your surroundings and having fun with documentation can be a good way to ground yourself and honour your time.
Whether or not you feel it’s in your best interest to take a break from social media is a personal choice, but it’s worth evaluating. While it can be a convenient way to keep your friends updated on your trip, sharing it minute-by-minute can also take away from your experience. An app like BeReal or sending a postcard can be a sweeter, more authentic way to keep in touch.
During your time away, you might consider playing with a film camera whilst leaving your tech on airplane mode. Filmmaker Niki Kohandel’s poignant shots of her vacation to the South England coast make a strong case for going analogue: “A weekend in Cornwall was the first trip I documented on my mother's tape camera. Longing to see that intense blue again, which I never thought could be found in England (because I'm too used to rainy London),” she shares. Regardless of how you choose to document your time — images, videos and journal entries hold the power to transport you back. Because when the weather gets cold again back home, you’ll really want to hold on to whatever you can to remind you of your vacation.
Once you’ve returned to reality, making a scrapbook with what you’ve snapped can be a nice way to relive the memories. If you embarked on a group holiday, it could also make for the perfect gift to your fellow travelers. It doesn’t have to be particularly elaborate (unless you want it to be) but a small, hand-annotated book of photos to flick through can be a wonderful way to commemorate the time you shared.
Aside from scrapbooking, curating holiday playlists to turn up post-travel can help preserve your time, as can holding on to little tchotchkes like room keys and plane tickets. Journals with written reflections can also act as excellent time capsules, and even taking note of your surroundings in the margins of your summer read can make for surprisingly sweet moments when you pick up the book later on in the year. Either way, finding ways to channel your travel-self and cherished memories ensure that your vacation and all you took away from it can live on long past summer’s end.
Words by Tiffany Lai