How Taking a Break to Travel Helped Me Reset Mentally

By Rahul Sharma| Guest Author

I was running on empty for months. Waking up tired, going to bed anxious, somewhere in between, pretending everything was fine. My therapist was the one who finally said it out loud: “You need to step away. Not a long weekend. A real break. A mental health vacation, she called it”. No laptop, no calls, nothing. She said that my mental wellness journey couldn’t begin until I actually stopped.

My partner planned the whole thing. I was too drained to even open a browser. “Vietnam!” she said. We’d been once before, so we weren’t going for the typical things to do in Vietnam or hunting for the best places to visit in Vietnam. We just wanted the sea. Slow mornings. That’s it.

We explored a lot of itinerary options but ultimately planned our Vietnam holiday with Akbar Travels. Their customised 6N/7D package took care of our Vietnam flights, Vietnam visa requirements, accommodation and sightseeing, which saved us a lot of effort.

We skipped booking a hotel in Vietnam and stayed near a beach in Đà Nẵng. Nothing fancy, small, rented place, AC and wifi that kept dropping, but nevertheless, the stay was reasonably cheap and served our purpose.

The first two days were uncomfortable. I kept reaching for my phone out of habit. My brain was still in work mode, still bracing. That’s what happens when work-life balance has been off too long: your body forgets what rest even feels like.

How Things Changed
What I Took Back from the Trip
Akbar Travels Services

How Things Changed

Mr. Sharma and his wife, Aarti. — **Mr. Sharma and his wife, Aarti**.

Then things started happening. Small things.

One evening we were just sitting on the beach and a group of local kids showed up with a football. One of them just playfully kicked the ball toward me, indirectly encouraging me to play along. Next thing I knew my partner was laughing from her chair, watching me run around breathless for twenty minutes with a bunch of ten-year-olds who were significantly faster than me. I slept like a rock that night.

Another evening, the sky went completely mad around sunset. Oranges, deep pinks, the water looked almost bronze. I just stood there. Took a photo. Then just watched it until it was gone. That was the moment my mental wellness journey actually began, I guess, not in the therapist’s chair, instead standing barefoot on wet sand watching the light disappear.

We also somehow ended up having dinner at a local family’s place, an older woman who ran a tiny eatery out of what felt like her living room. She didn’t speak English, we didn’t speak Vietnamese, but she kept adding things to our table like she’d adopted us for the evening. Soup we didn’t order. Fruit at the end.

The rest of the trip was simple. Morning walks. Breakfast at a small local place nearby. Afternoons doing nothing. Sometimes a swim. Repeat.

These weren’t grand moments. But they were the most genuine self-care experiences I’d had in years, not because they were luxurious, but because nothing was being performed for anyone.

These are the real mental health benefits of travelling that cannot be totally put into words.. It’s not the sights. It’s a stranger’s kindness at dinner. Kids who just want someone to pass the ball back. A sunset you watched with your whole chest.

One thing I’d offer as a stress relief tip- go somewhere that asks nothing of you, and stay open to what finds you instead. And if it suits your travel style, going for all-inclusive tour packages can also help take the stress of planning off your shoulders. In this way, you can look at having more fun without getting into the nitty-gritty of trip planning.

What I Took Back from the Trip

Travel is therapy, not because it solves anything, but because it reminds you that the world is larger and kinder than your inbox suggests. The psychological benefits of travel are real. Distance, stillness, small unexpected human connections, they work on you quietly.

Same inbox when I got back. Same deadlines. But I came home feeling lighter.

That trip became the start of real personal growth, not dramatic, just a slow, quiet return to who I was before work became my entire personality. And to be honest, it’s continuing, the mental wellness journey doesn’t end when you land back home. It just finally has somewhere to begin from.

If you’ve been delaying your own mental wellness journey because things are too hectic, that’s the sign. Go.

Akbar Travels Services

Best Flight Deals

Domestic Flights

International Flights

Best Hotel Deals

Apply Visa Online

International Tour Packages

Domestic Tour Packages

Packages by Themes

How Taking a Break to Travel Helped Me Reset Mentally

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How Things Changed

What I Took Back from the Trip

Akbar Travels Services

Best Flight Deals

Domestic Flights

International Flights

Best Hotel Deals

Apply Visa Online

International Tour Packages

Domestic Tour Packages

Packages by Themes

Leave a Comment

First Step to your Holiday….

Categories

Recent Posts

5 Day Abu Dhabi Itinerary For First-Time Visitors

New Attractions in Abu Dhabi You Shouldn’t Miss

12 Best Things to Do in Abu Dhabi With Family

The Ultimate Leh Ladakh Bike Trip: Routes, Cost, Itinerary & Travel Tips

A Week, A Backpack & The Mountains: Backpacking Trip to Ladakh

Don’t miss out on our Blog updates.

Travel

Flights with Free Checked Baggage: Airlines That Include Baggage in Your Ticket