When you take your vacation, shouldn’t you actually take your vacation? The purpose of taking time off is to get away from it all, relax, recharge, and return to your daily life with newfound energy and enthusiasm. However, too many people sabotage their vacation experience by not truly disconnecting from their day to day responsibilities at work or school. With the popularity of smartphones, laptops, and tablets, it can be harder than ever to truly escape your job.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be like this. At Smoky Mountain Outdoors, we believe that unplugging from technology and getting back to nature is one of the very best things you can do on your vacation. To help you make the most of your time off, we’ve come up with some awesome tips for leaving your work at work, and having an incredible Smoky Mountain vacation.
(See Related: How to Save Money at the Best attractions in Gatlinburg)
Build a “vacation buffer” into your trip.
The biggest causes of stress on vacations typically involve the days right before you leave and right after you come back. Nothing shatters your piece of mind like scrambling to finish a huge project the second you walk into the office after a week off in the Smokies.
To avoid pre-vacation and post-vacation stressors, create a few low-impact buffer days before and after your trip. You will still work on these days, but you won’t have any important meetings or deadlines. These quiet days will make your transition to and from your vacation much smoother.
Limit your technology time.
Technology is the number one culprit for taking vacationers out of their relaxed mindset. In an ideal world, you would be able to leave all of your internet connected devices at home. However, this isn’t always realistic; you’re probably going to need your cell phone over vacation.
If you can’t ditch your technology, you should definitely limit it. Before you leave your job, set up an “out of office” email notification. With this automatic email response, you can comfortable ignore your inbox for a week.
While you’re at it, consider turning off all of your social media notifications from Facebook, Twitter, and the like. The less time you spend on the internet, the more time you can spend in the moment with your family and friends.
Get outside and enjoy nature.
The very best way to get away from technology is to leave your laptop in your cabin and enjoy
the great outdoors. Gatlinburg is an incredibly scenic area. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States! When you come here on vacation, do you really want to spend it staring at a screen?
A white water rafting trip in Gatlinburg is absolutely perfect for disconnecting from your phone and reconnecting with nature. At Smoky Mountain Outdoors, we offer unforgettable rides down both the Upper and Lower Pigeon River. Our Upper Pigeon rafting trip is pure exhilaration, with 6 and ½ miles of class 3 and 4 rapids. This thrilling ride is just like a natural rollercoaster.
If you’re looking for a more relaxed experience, you’ll love the Lower Pigeon rafting trip. Ideal for children and families, this scenic ride is filled with mostly class 1 and class 2 rapids.
Are you ready to start planning your Smoky Mountain vacation? To schedule a day of white water rafting in Gatlinburg, visit our Reservations page or give us a call at 865-430-3838!
