Yes, I have vacation envy. And a couple of my travelling friends – while they may be blissfully unaware of their role – are largely to blame for my current prolonged case of the green-eyed monster.
It is pretty tough when you don’t have enough savings for a trip of your own to have everybody else’s holiday snaps rubbed in your face ad nauseum on social media.
Okay, I could just not log on to social media during my down time, but surely, that would make me feel more isolated.
But my main gripe is not the few photographs that people post while they are on holidays, because that usually provides just two weeks or so of misery. My bitch is with the others who don’t post straight away and then upload their holiday snaps in dribs and drabs for a month or more.
Stop it, already! I can do short-term holiday envy, but to still be posting your happy snaps weeks later is just torture.
Short of un-friending those who insist on bragging about their holidays, there are a couple of techniques that are useful for overcoming your envy.
This is what has worked for me. I scan Facebook on my phone to keep in touch with family and friends. When an annoying holiday snap pops up, rather than let my blood pressure rise, I switch out of Facebook and tap an app for a short meditation. There are a few five-minute apps for calming down that act like a circuit-breaker. And you don’t even have to meditate, just listen to the soothing voice.
Another way to distract yourself from the annoying selfies your buddies send from far-flung places is to do some travel research of your own. Whether or not you can afford to go on vacation, there is something satisfying about planning a dream holiday. Read popular travel blogs and create a bucket list of locations and experiences you would like to have. Even if you never manage to set foot outside your town, at least you will be very well-read about places abroad. Heck, maybe you will end up being better informed than some of your friends who have travelled.
Finally, just because you don’t have the cash to cover an airfare doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a break. There are many interesting places to visit within cooee of your home. Jump onto your municipality’s website and scout around for any new attractions in town. It may be a free workshop that sounds fun or an invigorating festival.
If you want to travel into the city, the range of things to do multiplies. In Canberra, culture is very much on the agenda with a range of exhibitions. The City of Darwin is this month hosting Japanese Cuisine and Food Culture seminars. Melbourne City Council’s What’s On page lists a huge variety of events to cater for all tastes. The same is also true for Hobart, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.
Do you get out and about during holidays? Is your city or town exciting enough to tempt you out for entertainment?
Related articles:
Why holidays are bad for you
Overseas budget stays
Affordable travel around Australia