For as long as I can remember, I have always spoken about going abroad. As a teenager, I had an interest in going to the United States. As I approached the end of year 13, I thought about volunteering abroad for 6 months. Whilst I ended up not doing either of these, I have managed to gain great experiences travelling. Japan, France, Spain, Palestine and Israel, Australia, the Netherlands, Jordan and Kenya.

I am what you could call a ‘boring traveller’ (or somebody who is easily pleased; depending on your angle). When I travel abroad, I don’t do the typical touristy things; I am not interested in sunbathing on the beach, viewing the galleries or walking around museums. What I do on holiday will depend on where I am. With the likes of Barcelona, I take late night walks or cycles around their city centre taking photos of the empty streets and street art on the closed shop’s shutters. I roller skate or cycle around the suburb of L’Hospitalet and enjoy breathing a different type of fresh air by sitting in the park. I tend to also spend a large amount of time in my hotel room on my laptop or just resting; and I am happy with that. With the exception of going up a tall building in the centre of Barcelona that’s great for photos, there is nothing touristy about my trip. Being the night owl that I am, a lot of my activities tend to be in the evening or the night. On the two instances I went to Paris, I would cycle the streets until as late as 7am just taking photos of the sights that I see. 

When it comes to ‘the perfect holiday’, no two people’s dream holidays are the same and that’s what makes us human; our uniqueness. One thing a lot of people do say, however, is how going on holiday improves their mental health- whether that be for the short term or the long term. Whilst not everybody has the means to travel as much as I have, even travelling to a neighbouring area can be beneficial. Holidays do not have to be extravagant trips about spending hundreds or thousands of pounds. A holiday could just be a short trip to a neighbouring city or to the seaside. 

For me, I notice a difference in terms of my mental health when I am away from home. Whether home being where I grew up in London, where I was living in Middlesbrough or where I now live in Manchester. Instead of focusing on getting from A to B or worrying about what the day or week has to bring, I manage to relax in the moment. 

When close to home, the stresses on your shoulder can still feel like they’re weighing you down. Whether that be stresses at home, in your job or anything happening in your personal situations. Going on a holiday, even if it’s only to a neighbouring area, just to switch off for a few days can make all the difference. For those in high up positions in their jobs they can make all the difference by ensuring employees are not disturbed during their holiday. Sadly though, for them personally, they can often have a hard time switching off themselves due to the weights on their shoulder. Ensuring that there is sufficient cover for your workload (whether that be your job or personal commitments) can help ensure you get the break needed. 

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