Anyone who knows me, knows that I believe that we all need to take vacations. We all work hard. For me, vacations are critical to recharge, our bodies, minds and souls. 

My husband and I have recently been discussing how to maintain that sense of calmness we feel after a vacation. We have used the term vacation afterglow and discuss often how to maintain it.

For my husband, he maintains the vacation afterglow by planning the next vacation. By a day or two after we have returned, he usually is at his computer planning the next vacation.

For me, it’s about taking a piece of the culture home with me and enjoying it when I’m home. Usually that means bringing home food products that are specific to the place we travelled to.  In Singapore I purchased aged soy sauce which brings me right back to Singapore every time I cook with it. As I write this blog, I am drinking coffee we purchased in Costa Rica and, for a moment, I am right back in Costa Rica.

If you happen to run into me in the "real world," you will see that I am still wearing the yarn affirmation bracelets that were gifted to me while we were in Bali. Just wearing them makes me smile.

How do you maintain your vacation afterglow?