How To Ruin Any Trip In Three Easy Steps

It’s happened to the best of us. We dream about the perfect vacation, the perfect honeymoon, the perfect trip. We research everything about where we’re going, making list after list of what there is to see and what we want to do. We make a schedule. We book tickets. We make reservations at nice restaurants. We pack a week in advance.

But somewhere between our best-laid plans and turning the key in our doors to come back home, something else happens.

The trip wasn’t what we thought it would be. We’re disappointed, and we wonder if it was even worth all the effort in the end. What happened? How could all of our careful planning result in such a lackluster experience?

While bad luck can pop up anywhere, as a seasoned traveler there are a few things I’ve seen that will sink any fantasy trip.

Here are three:

Put Your Phone Down, Pick Your Life Up

Sure, everyone loves a good selfie. And those sunset photos will be great to look back on five months from now when you’re in a cold office and wondering if you can make it through the day.

But you don’t travel just to get photos. You travel for the experience. For the break. For the change of pace.

Use the time to disconnect and enjoy your surroundings. Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and Snapchat are great for distracting you from the day-to-day grudge, but now you’re on vacation! Enjoy it.

Take a selfie if you need to. Send it to your mom. But then put your phone away. Every minute you spend staring at that screen is one you won’t get back from your holiday. I’ve heard many friends complain they didn’t feel connected to their trip and felt like they didn’t appreciate it until after it was over. Then you watch them and realize their heads were craned down at their phones the whole time. They stayed up to date on what was happening on Instagram, but their entire vacation passed them by.

Put your phone down. I repeat: Put your phone down.

Realize the whole trip is your vacation

It’s not just when you get ‘there.’

When I was young, my family and I would drive to Florida to stay with my grandparents for a couple weeks every summer. Instead of taking our time on the 20 hour drive down, we got up at two in the morning, bathroom breaks were met with eye rolls and a stopwatch, and traffic jams created fury and stress. We made it there in one day, but we arrived exhausted, grumpy from having fought all day, and with two parents that were beyond stressed. Why? My dad felt like the vacation didn’t start until we got to Florida and he could sit on the beach.

But that’s not true. The vacation started when we left. The journey down to Florida was a part of it. OK, not the part we were all looking forward to the most, but it was still a part of the experience.

Any travel involves something boring. Whether it’s a short car ride, or three flight connections, some effort will be needed to get to your vacation spot.

Take an extra night at a hotel to rest. Accept that there might be traffic jams or delayed flights. Enjoy the ride (as best you can).

Starting your vacation off on the right foot can set the tone for the whole trip. Don’t pretend like everything will be fine once you arrive if the last 24 hours were hell. In the end, it will take even longer to recover from an extremely bad first day than taking an easy two days to get where you’re going. The same is true for coming back.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

This is easier said than done. Of course you have expectations about what your trip is going to be like.

But the only constant is change. Your hotel might have overbooked, your train might be canceled, the museum you’ve been dying to see might be closed for building repairs. But, how you deal with those setbacks will set the tone for the whole trip. It’s OK to be disappointed. But, then you’ve got to go to plan B, or C. Wherever you’re going, there are probably many nice things to see and do. Mourn your loss and move on.

The same thing goes for minor inconveniences. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard people complain about a restaurant not having the sauce they liked, or the hotel having crappy coffee. You’re in a new place! You’re on vacation! Accept that things won’t be exactly how they are at home. Don’t let your own habits turn into concrete expectations that have to be catered to everywhere you go.

Enjoy the differences. Or if you can’t enjoy them, at least note that they’re different and move on with your day.

Traveling can be thrilling, mind-opening, and fun. But, not every trip turns out that way. Before heading out on the road, make sure you don’t fall into the traps that will make your trip (and heart) sink.

Put down your phone, appreciate the trip from start to finish, and don’t obsess over small inconveniences.

This is your life! This is your vacation! Enjoy it to the fullest.