Is there anything as wonderful as the feeling of being on a European city break or holiday? Especially if you’re there to experience the wonder that is European summer: a time of long afternoon lie-downs, balmy evenings, leisurely meals, mornings appreciating art, afternoons wandering cobbled streets, and nights spent bathed in the glow of candlelight and excellent conversation. Doesn’t it sound marvellous? European city getaways offer so much more than just concrete and busyness: they often offer access to the ocean or countryside and a chance to lose yourself in a new place. What these breaks and getaways don’t always offer is time for self-care.
While your lie-in may be lovely and peaceful, and a multi-course dinner that involves late-night conversation and many glasses of rich, delicious wine may be lovely experiences, they aren’t always the kind of self-care you’d do at home or the kind you may actually need more than you realise. If you’re planning an exciting European city getaway, this advice will help you make time for the self-care you really need so that you can truly enjoy and appreciate all of the excitement and experiences that the trip has to offer.
Making Time for Self-Care
Choose The Right Methods of Travel
If you’re traveling from the UK, many of the most beloved European destinations you’re likely to consider are not a horrifically long flight from home. That said, the duration of a flight is not the only thing that makes it tolerable or intolerable. One of the worst parts of any flight is the struggle of getting through the airport and sharing close quarters with strangers on the plane. Choosing private jet hire over a commercial flight provides all of the obvious advantages: a beautifully designed and spacious cabin, amazing food, the best cabin crew, and a level of privacy that’s unobtainable with any other kind of flight. There are not so obvious benefits too, many of which will leave your mental health more intact and give you more time and space to practice self-care on the flight. The quiet and calm of a private flight mean that you can nap, meditate, do your skincare, journal, take your daily meds, or do whatever other kind of self-care you need without being bumped, prodded, smores at, interrupted, squashed, or disturbed in any other way by anyone other than your party or the cabin crew. What bliss!
Plan Your Getaway To Include Down Time
Something we are all guilty of forgetting when on holiday, especially if we’ve visiting somewhere we’ve never been before, is not to overschedule ourselves. What this means is, you should plan your visit to include downtime: time during which you do absolutely nothing. This may sound like a waste, on the face of things (sleep when you’re dead and all that), but if you take self-care seriously, it’s essential. Down time does not mean a visit to the spa, tea at a restaurant, or wandering slowly around a museum: it means time during which you (preferably) stay in your room or accommodation and do as little as possible. Take a long bath, indulge in journaling or doing your full skincare routine, read a book, watch TV, have a little sleep…anything that will restore your nervous system to a state of calm and relaxation and restore your body and mind.
This is your time to embrace JOMO– the joy of missing out. JOMO stands in direct opposition to FOMO (fear of missing out), which can often be a problem while trying to maximise every minute of your holiday time. Tell your family at home you’re safe and logging off for the day or night, be in the moment and appreciate the lack of tension in your body, take your time over a solo meal in your room, and let yourself just be.
Choose Your Accommodation Carefully
This is a mental health, comfort, safety, and self-care tip all in one and is especially important if the European city you are visiting is one that you haven’t been to before or don’t know well. Choosing your accommodation with care requires knowing yourself and what you want from your trip, as well as knowing or doing some research on your destination and potential accommodations.
- Research the part of the city where your hotel or accommodation is located. Are there clubs in the hotel? Are there clubs or bars on the street directly below the hotel windows? Are you in an otherwise noisy part of town? If so, sleeping in late and going to bed early may not be options, which could upset your sleep schedule.
- Is your accommodation in what could be considered a safe area? If the area is not “unsafe” but maybe known to see a little minor, nonviolent crime, is your accommodation suitably secure? Key cards, dormers, non-opening or barred windows, and the like? If not, reconsider your choice. It may be beautiful and replete with every luxury known to humankind, but if your accommodation is not in a safe area or a safe place to be, you will deal with worry that may hinder your enjoyment.
- Are you traveling with children? If yes, you may want to consider a family-oriented hotel, resort, or accommodation, as it will have many entertainment options that will keep your family entertained and safe without ever having to leave the premises. If you do not have children, you will want to avoid family-oriented resorts and accommodations, as there’s likely to be a higher level of noise and activity around these, making it more challenging to relax fully. There are many adult-only accommodation options that provide peace and calm, and may be a good choice for you!
Self-Care and The Best Euro City Break Ever
Making time for self-care wherever you are will make your holiday experience so much more enjoyable. You’ll be mentally and physically well and comfortable enough to enjoy every experience your European city break has to offer.
