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Reverse Vacations: Embracing Discomfort on Holiday

Reverse Vacations: Embracing Discomfort on Holiday
Forget luxury holidays: Why ‘reverse vacations’ are asking travellers to embrace discomfort · indianexpress.com

Reverse vacations are a new trend where people choose to be uncomfortable while on holiday.

Instead of staying in luxury hotels and enjoying all the comforts, they might choose to travel without air conditioning, or without a set schedule.

A psychologist named Athul Raj explains that this can help people appreciate what they usually have and make them feel more resilient.

It's not about making the holiday as hard as possible, but about learning something new about yourself.

For example, if you are always online, you might leave your phone behind.

If your life is very scheduled, you might try a few days without a plan.

The idea is to notice how you react to these changes.

However, it's important not to make the holiday too stressful or unsafe.

People who are already very tired or going through a hard time might need comfort instead of a challenge.

Key facts

Concept
Reverse vacations involve voluntarily choosing temporary discomfort during travel.
Psychological Benefit
Experiencing discomfort can increase awareness of everyday privileges and build resilience.
Expert
Athul Raj, Counselling Psychologist
Key Insight
Choosing discomfort can make uncertainty feel less threatening.
Caution
Reverse vacations should not be overwhelming or unsafe.
Meaningful Experience
Focus on what you want to get away from, not just how uncomfortable the holiday can be.

Quotes

Athul Raj

Counselling psychologist quoted by Indian Express

“We tend to normalise comfort very quickly. If we have AC, food delivery, Google Maps, cabs, fast internet, and the ability to get almost anything immediately, after a point we stop experiencing these as privileges. They become expectations.”
indianexpress.com
“The useful part can be noticing your own reactions: What irritated me? What did I miss? What did I realise I could actually live without?”
indianexpress.com

Sources

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