What is a great holiday?

On the Queen's birthday long weekend, my family joined another family for a fabulous camping holiday. We left Saturday morning (very early......up at 4 am, on the barge by 6.30). We went camping at North Stradbroke Island for four days, returning home lunch time Tuesday. Fantastic weather, great company and campfires.....what more could you ask for.

While I was there, I was thinking about how relaxing it was and how I have always found camping relaxing even when I was a Bank Manager. I was thinking about how I used to find that the best holidays (best=the ones where I relaxed the most) were camping holidays. I didn't know then what I know now of course. I used to tell people that when I went camping I would relax straight away, whereas if I went to a unit or resort, I would just start to relax and it would be time to go.

Now, I would say, that in a completely different environment such as camping, nothing is routine. You are totally present even when you are washing up! You are more aware of your surrounds as there is nothing 'routine' about them. Even still now, I am completely relaxed when camping as soon as I get in the car to go there. Of course, I have learned skills to bring living in the present into my everyday life and so can feel equally 'un-stressed' at home in hectic times or at a resort.

But it is fantastic to have a short break, get in touch with nature and RELAX!