The holiday hassle

I’ve just come back from holiday.

And like most holidays, it started with stress. Packing. Traffic chaos. Airport queues that make you question your life choices.

And once you arrive, that oppressive heat hits you. The kind of heat where moving a single muscle results in a full-body sweat.

My daughter slept the entire week.

My eldest son basically drank beer the entire time (despite being under age).

And my mindset hovered somewhere between “This is amazing” and “Maybe we should have just stayed at home.”

But I’m glad I didn’t.

It wasn’t easy. Or smooth. Or particularly restful.

But it was worth it.

The Reality of Holidays

Let’s be honest, going on holiday often feels like more work than staying home.

There’s the prep. The cost. The logistics. The heat. And if you’ve got kids, the constant tension between wanting everyone to have fun… and wanting five minutes to yourself.

At one point, I found myself trying to orchestrate fun: “Let’s go here, you’ll love it.” “Just try this, it’ll be great.” Of course, no one was loving it. Especially not me.

But the turning point came when I stopped trying to manage the experience. When I let everyone just be.

That’s when things changed.

A Different Kind of Reward

The views were spectacular. The shoreline went on forever. The light that looked like it had been painted on. There was the smell of warm earth, sea salt, and wood-fired food.

It was a sensory contrast to my usual London rhythm of concrete, coffee, and calendar alerts.

Everything was different.

And that’s what made it worth it. Not because it was comfortable or easy.

But because it wasn’t.

Doing Different

We all get stuck in our routines. And they’re not bad routines: work, family, hobbies, the things we know.

But even good routines can dull the edges of life. Familiarity smooths out the texture.

Getting away from it all, physically, mentally (even just for a few days) sharpens that texture again. It reminds you what else is out there.

It reminds you that there are places where time moves differently, where people live differently, where even your own kids become slightly different versions of themselves.

And it reminds you that you can be different too. If you let yourself.

What I’m Taking Back With Me

So yes, it was a hassle. But it was also a necessary reset. Not because I came back more rested (I didn’t), but because I came back with perspective.

If you’re on the fence about taking that trip, trying that new thing, shaking up your routine, just do it.

Not because it’ll be easy. But because it’ll be different. And sometimes, different is exactly what you need.

Before They’re Gone

And one more thing.

It won’t be long before my kids don’t want to come on holiday with me. When their summers fill up with their own plans, their own people.

These messy, chaotic, too-hot holidays? They won’t last forever. That’s what makes them precious. Cherish the time with them before it’s gone. Before they’re gone.

Before your memories of family holidays are just that.

Memories.

Until next time,

Jon "18 to 30 rep" Kaye

Finding meaning in the Everyday

P.S.

We've just launched our Do Radio website if you're interested to know what I've been up to for the past 12 months. We go live on 1st September.