If you’re anything like me, planning a break away can somehow end up feeling like more effort than the break itself. Living in Cornwall, we’re lucky enough to have gorgeous countryside right on our doorstep, but even then I’ve caught myself overthinking a simple weekend away far more than it deserves. So this year I’ve been trying a different approach, and honestly, it’s made a huge difference to how relaxed we actually feel by the time we get there.
Work out what kind of break you actually want
Before I even open a booking site, I try to ask myself what we actually need from this particular trip. Sometimes that’s a proper package holiday, somewhere abroad with the flights and the hotel and the meals all sorted for us, which is brilliant when you’ve got little ones and simply don’t have the energy to plan every detail yourself. Other times, what we’re really craving is something much closer to home, a couple of quiet nights where the biggest decision of the day is whether to have a cream tea before or after the walk.
Working this out first saves so much time later. There’s no point spending hours comparing hotels abroad if what you actually want is a slower pace and somewhere you can be within a couple of hours’ drive.
Country breaks are our go-to for slowing down
Living where we do, we’re spoilt for country breaks, and they’ve become our favourite way to properly switch off as a family. There’s something about swapping the usual routine for somewhere rural, log fires, muddy walks, and no rush to be anywhere, that resets everyone far quicker than a jam-packed itinerary ever does. We’ve found that a cosy cottage or a small country hotel with a bit of space to roam does wonders, especially when the girls have had a busy few weeks at school.
The lovely thing about country breaks is how little planning they actually require once you’ve picked somewhere. Pack wellies, pack a good book, and the rest tends to sort itself out.
Don’t try to plan every single hour
This was a big one for me to learn. I used to plan our breaks almost minute by minute, convinced we needed to make the absolute most of every day. All that really did was turn a relaxing weekend into another to-do list. Now I try to plan one thing a day at most, and leave plenty of space for whatever happens naturally, whether that’s a long breakfast, an unplanned walk, or just sitting somewhere nice with a coffee while the kids potter about.
Compare your options honestly
When we’re deciding between a package holiday and a country break, I try to be honest about what will actually leave us feeling rested rather than picking based on what looks nicest in the photos. Package holidays are perfect for guaranteed sunshine and having everything organised for you, which takes so much pressure off when you’re juggling family life. But if what we’re really after is a proper slow down, a country break closer to home usually wins, simply because there’s so much less admin involved in getting there and back.
Give yourself permission to keep it simple
My last tip, and probably the most important one, is to stop overthinking the small stuff. It doesn’t matter if the accommodation isn’t Pinterest perfect or if you haven’t planned an activity for every afternoon. What matters is that everyone actually gets to switch off. I remind myself of this every time I start spiralling into fifteen open browser tabs comparing nearly identical cottages.
Final thoughts
Planning a relaxing break doesn’t need to be complicated, even though it’s so easy to make it that way. Whether you fancy a proper package holiday abroad or one of our beloved country breaks a little closer to home, the key is being honest about what you actually need from the trip and then not overplanning the rest. Give yourself permission to leave gaps in the day, and trust that the break will do its job without you micromanaging every minute of it.