Well-travelled Canadians share their summer vacation relaxation tips

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When I embarked on a one-day trip to Paris with my parents and younger sister last year, I expected for us all to connect with our French roots and return from the City of Light relaxed and rejuvenated.

Instead, we scurried between arrondissements, getting from one must-see spot to another. I expected a stress-free day of wine and croissants, but, owing to our jam-packed itinerary, by the end, I was more twisted out of shape than any pastry I had encountered.

Can a vacation actually cure burnout?

Many of us who go on trips to decompress commit crucial errors, says Andrew Stevenson, a professor and psychologist who wrote The Psychology of Travel.

One of them is being a future-focused traveller who gets too caught up in adhering to a schedule. Then there are the landmark hunters or people who prioritize getting to predetermined spots over making spontaneous discoveries or coming across lesser-known wonders. And there are those who try to fit everything into a short time period, when research shows that it takes at least a week to truly feel relaxed in a new place. We were guilty on all three counts.

We asked seven notable Canadians – including authors, CEOs and Olympians – what they do to ensure their getaways help them recharge.

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Leylah Fernandez, professional tennis player

Summer vacations are hard to come by for 21-year-old tennis phenom Leylah Fernandez, especially during an Olympic year. Here is how the Montreal-born, Miami-based athlete plans to recharge between two of the biggest tournaments of her life: Wimbledon and the Paris Games.

Where are you taking a break/disconnecting this summer?

I usually vacation in November after the tennis season, but this summer I am going to escape to Marbella, on the southern coast of Spain, for a few days or weeks between Wimbledon and the Olympics to recharge. I spent three days on that coast a few years ago and fell in love with the beach, the oranges and the small cafés around each corner.

Will you play tennis during that time?

The plan is to take two or three days completely off to reset, but then we turn the turbos back on.

What’s the most relaxing place you’ve been to in your life?

I was at a Turks and Caicos resort a few years ago with terrible cell connection, which was awesome. But my favourite childhood memories are from Orlando because roller coasters somehow relax me. The VelociCoaster at Universal Studios is unmatched.

What do you pack that helps you be calm?

My crochet kit. It’s therapeutic to focus just on that. So far I’ve made scarves and a little penguin that I’ve named Pierre.

What’s on your chill playlist?

It changes constantly, but I really like rock. My dad introduced me to Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol when I was a kid and I think the genre is so cool. It calms me down before games.

Will you have your phone on or off on vacation?

I do bring my phone to take photos and videos for the memories, but I try to keep it on silent. Still, I am probably on it too much while on vacation.

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Carley Fortune, author

Carley Fortune’s recent summers sure have been different. The writer’s first novel landed her on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2022, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bought film rights to her second book. Her third novel, This Summer Will Be Different, has topped the charts since its publication in May. Fortune, who grew up in the cottage town of Barry’s Bay, Ont., and has two kids, shares how she disconnects amid the constant media attention.

Where are you taking a break/disconnecting this summer?

Prince Edward Island is the setting of my latest novel, but it will also be the backdrop to a family vacation during the first week of July. Later in the summer, we’ll be spending two weeks at the lake near Barry’s Bay, where I grew up. The cottage has no TV, no WiFi and impossible cellphone reception: It’s glorious.

What’s the most relaxing place you’ve been to in your life?

My husband and I took a child-free trip to Tofino last year. I’m not sure whether it was stunning scenery or being without kids for a few days that made it so relaxing.

What have you learned lately about how you relax best on vacation?

For me, travelling is mostly about filling time between meals. When I visit a city, I research restaurants and make reservations ahead of time, so I don’t need to worry about that once we’ve arrived. The rest I leave open so we can decide what we feel like doing when we’re there.

What do you pack that helps you be calm?

I travel a lot for my book tour, and I have bad travel luck: My luggage has been lost three times this year. I just purchased Apple AirTags to help track my suitcase. I also always have noise-cancelling AirPods to drown out the engine roar, and a good paperback – I love reading on planes. I just finished Holly Gramazio’s incredible debut, The Husbands, on the flight back from Lyon.

What’s on your chill playlist?

I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department on repeat when I fly.

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Morgan Cooper, design director at Arc’teryx

For Morgan Cooper, nothing quite restores her motivation and sparks her creativity like long trail runs on mountainous terrain. Here is what else Cooper, an Oregon native and Squamish, B.C., resident, does to disconnect and come back to work recharged.

Where are you taking a break/disconnecting this summer?

My husband, five-year-old and I are stay-cationing in Squamish. Elton Lake and Wedgemount Lake are some of the most beautiful places in the world.

What’s your most peaceful childhood vacation memory?

When I was a kid I went to Lake Chelan, Wash., with my family. We slept outside in a tent by the water and mountains and a thunderstorm rolled through.

What’s the most relaxing place you’ve been to in your life?

We spent last August in Annecy, an alpine town in southeastern France. It was so running-themed: You could start your run in the mountains, finish along Lake Annecy and then jump in the water.

What have you learned lately about how you relax best on vacation?

Vegging out doesn’t work for me: Running on trails is what helps me recharge, let go of stress and come up with fresh ideas. I like to plan a vacation during my training block for a race, because then I have extra incentive to go for runs and explore the surroundings.

What’s on your chill playlist?

I have an upbeat playlist that helps me chill out, but I cannot reveal what it is because I feel like it’s not cool. I will take it to my grave.

Will you have your phone on or off on vacation?

I leave it behind as much as I can while on excursions. The rest of the time, I turn off notifications.

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Robbie Bent, CEO of Othership

If Othership, the modern Toronto spa with steam rooms and cold tubs, has helped thousands of patrons relax since its opening in 2022, it’s had the opposite effect on Robbie Bent. Running two Toronto locations and opening a third one in New York, all while raising an 18-month-old, is forcing Bent to be intentional about his relaxation techniques.

Where are you taking a break/disconnecting this summer?

This summer will have mini-breaks: I am currently living in New York City to support our next launch, and plan to do short visits throughout the summer to see friends in nearby cottage countries like Hudson Valley and Rhinebeck: they are the New York versions of Muskoka.

What’s the most relaxing place you’ve been to in your life?

Ocean Beach, San Francisco: We were walking distance from the ocean, the beach and a massive forest with Redwood trees, and all of it with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

How active are you on vacation?

I have two non-negotiables. The first thing I do when I land somewhere is do some kind of ice bath and spa. It resets my circadian rhythm and rids me of jetlag. I also go for morning walks every morning with my son.

What have you learned lately about how you relax best on vacation?

In February, I was in Costa Rica and really struggled to disconnect from work. Everyday I had thousands of text messages and e-mails, and seeing them come in made me anxious. I realized I needed to actively get away from my phone, which meant seeking out a sauna, find a body of water to submerge myself in, or go for a hard run; as opposed to just lying on the beach with my phone in my hand.

So now do you turn your phone off while away?

On long vacations, I turn my phone off for three days and stop drinking coffee, because it takes my body almost 72 hours to truly wind down. The first few days are so uncomfortable, but then I remember how to relax.

What’s on your chill playlist?

Classical, nature sounds: Slow music that gets you into a dream state.

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Brandie Wilkerson, professional beach volleyball player

Brandie Wilkerson is no stranger to life on the road. The athlete splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles and fits in occasional trips to Switzerland to visit her family. Now, she is in the final stages of preparation for the Paris Summer Olympics and shares how she plans to relax after concluding her quest for gold.

Where are you taking a break/disconnecting this summer?

I booked my flight back home from Paris a full week after the end of the Olympics, so that I can either go see my family in Switzerland, or friends in Ibiza or Greece. It will be a game-time decision.

What’s your most peaceful vacation memory?

Not peaceful, but a great memory. We took a train from Latvia to Marseille to see a Beyoncé concert a few years ago. There was another time when a friend and I tried to figure out Russia’s transit system and got lost on our way back from the Kremlin.

That’s what came to mind when I said “peaceful”?

I have a better one. I was training in Rio when the pandemic hit and ended up staying there for nine months. I learned the language, the culture and fell in love with the place. I go back to visit friends whenever I can.

How active are you on vacation and in what way?

The first day, I veg out: I will take three hours to have breakfast. Then I like to figure out a place’s public transit systems and roam local museums. I don’t have the inclination to work out; you wouldn’t know I’m an athlete.

What’s on your chill playlist?

I put on Lauryn Hill’s Unplugged album when I want a good vibe.

Will you have your phone on or off on vacation?

I like to share beautiful moments on social media, but nothing intimate. So, I will post a sunset, and then set Instagram aside and live my life. Still, I do like to carry my phone around for safety reasons, but I’m a horrible texter.

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Tom Abraham, luxury travel expert at Butterfield & Robinson

Tom Abraham describes himself as someone who enjoys a journey, and his love for discovering new places has so far spurred him to visit more than 40 countries. A father of two from Nelson, B.C., Abraham admits to being a low-maintenance traveller and shares his secrets for making any trip relaxing.

Where are you taking a break/disconnecting this summer?

We do a wilderness trip every summer: sea kayaking on the coast, a river trip in the Yukon, or something local in the mountains. This year we might visit the central coast of B.C.

What’s the most relaxing place you’ve been to in your life?

I like the mainland of Greece, as opposed to the islands because it has a nice balance between tourism and real life. There is an area in northern Greece near the Albanian border that I love called Zagori, which has dramatic landscapes of canyons and stone villages separated by Ottoman trails.

What do you pack that helps you be calm?

A pair of jeans, a few cotton T-shirts and a good book. The best one I read lately was Children of the Night, which gets into Romanian history and politics.

How active are you on vacation and in what way?

I’m not one to plunk myself down and stay in one place. I explored Turkey in April and did some great cycling around there. I also like canoeing and kayaking. It doesn’t have to be high-intensity exercise, just movement.

What’s on your chill playlist?

Lately I’ve been on a massive Afrobeat and reggae kick, so its Burna Boy and Ayra Starr. I’ve been sharing my music with my daughter, which has been nice.

Will you have your phone on or off on vacation?

When I go kayaking, I put screens away and use paper charts to navigate. I just prefer to not have my phone at all. Helps me get back to books and be more aware of the world around me.

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Amber Bracken, award-winning photographer

For Amber Bracken, photography never stops. The Red Deer, Alta.-born journalist, whose clients include this paper, National Geographic and The New York Times, rarely travels without a camera, and lately, she is discovering how her craft helps her to fully recharge her batteries.

Where are you taking a break/disconnecting this summer?

I have two vacations planned: I am going to a superaesthetic and unplugged cabin in Manitoba with some friends for one week, and then my partner and I have our annual two-week family trip to Sicamous, B.C., where we spend a lot of time in the Shuswap Lake.

What’s the most relaxing place you’ve been to in your life?

It’s Shuswap, because every day you can choose to be with family, or be alone and float on the lake. It’s an annual reset. A close second is my trip to Portugal’s southern coast in 2023, where I ate oranges on the beach.

What do you pack that helps you be calm?

My camera. I feel undressed without it. Often I bring a Pentax K1000: It’s an ancient SLR camera that I would never use for work. It prevents me from falling into work mode, chasing the perfect photo and derailing everybody’s vacation plans.

How active are you on vacation and in what way?

One active thing that completely chills me out is going into a natural body of water. It makes me feel like I’m letting everything go.

What’s on your chill playlist?

Everything: Lately Afrobeats, folk music by Esther Rose, old country by Hank Williams.

Will you have your phone on or off on vacation?

As a freelancer, work is never done. You can always pick away at something. So on vacation I make the point to be unavailable over e-mail, and leave my phone on a shelf somewhere.

These interviews have been condensed and edited.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Amber Bracken's camera as an XLR; it is an SLR. As well, her chill playlist has been updated to more accurately reflect her responses.