If on holiday you were in a new city, went on tours and walked twenty thousand steps a day, you got impressions. It's hard to call that rest.

You come back from a trip with lots of photos, yet with no more energy than before. Sometimes even less. And you think: "What's wrong with me? I was on holiday."

Impressions are a load too

For the mind, everything new is work: new places, tastes, language, routes, people. The brain has to process all of it. It's a pleasant and valuable experience, but it doesn't restore your energy.

What actually restores you

Recovery needs four conditions:

  • nothing new;
  • no one to be responsible for;
  • physical comfort;
  • no deadlines.

And the basics: sleep, proper food, a relaxed body, fresh air, quiet.

What to do about it

There's no need to give up travel. Just tell the difference between collecting impressions and resting. After a trip, leave yourself a day or two at home with no plans at all. During the trip, too, you can have days with no programme.

Rest doesn't have to be productive.

If your energy doesn't come back even after calm days, maybe it isn't about the holiday. More on that in the article on burnout.