How to plan rest days on your holiday, without feeling guilty about it

Let’s get one thing straight: travel is not a competitive sport. You don’t get a shiny medal for being the most exhausted person at the Eiffel Tower, or for limping through three museums in one day. Nobody’s handing out trophies for “Most Blisters Collected in a Single Afternoon.”

The truth? Rest days are the secret ingredient to actually enjoying your trip. Without them, your “big sightseeing day” will probably be spent gritting your teeth through fatigue, pain, or brain fog. That’s not the memory you want to bring home. Rest days aren’t lazy. They’re the reason the other days can sparkle.

Rest days aren't a failure, they need to be part of your plan.

Think of them as holiday pit stops. Formula 1 drivers don’t feel bad about pulling into the pit lane. It’s the only way to finish the race.

If calling them “rest days” makes you feel guilty, rebrand them. Try “slow adventure days,” “spa-for-the-soul days,” or my personal favourite: “I’m basically royalty and royalty doesn't rush for anyone” days.

Because here’s the thing: a holiday isn’t fun if you’re running on fumes. Pushing through pain or exhaustion doesn’t make you brave — it just makes you miserable. And that’s not what you flew all this way for.

How we schedule rest days

Don’t wait until you’re about to collapse! Build them in before you leave.

• Every other day works for some people. Others can do two or three “out and about” days before needing a break. Know your rhythm.
• Always add buffer time around big excursions or flights — those will zap your energy faster than you think.

We plan a rest day on the first day we're in any new place. That's just what we need to recover from travel, and get comfortable in our new space. Then, we can plan to do one "activity" per day. If there's a day with a full day activity, or something that will be particularly mentally or physically strenuous, there's an automatic rest day the day after.

Planning rest days isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of wisdom. It’s the difference between dragging yourself through the day in survival mode, and actually having the energy to enjoy the smells of fresh bread from a bakery, the sounds of laughter from the kids playing in the park, or the taste of that first sip of wine.

Signs you might need a rest day

Best laid plans sometimes aren't enough. Sometimes the hints are subtle, sometimes they smack you in the face:

• The fatigue creep: when coffee stops working and you’re basically a zombie in a fancy hat.
• Pain flares whispering “hey, slow down” — before they start screaming it.
• You’re snapping at your travel buddy for, I don't know, existing?

Here’s our trick when grumpiness hits: take 5 minutes to check in with yourself.

• Do a mini body scan: gently flex each muscle group, notice each joint.
• Ask yourself: is this situation manageable or am I about to regret ignoring it?
• Do this twice a day, and especially before and after sightseeing. It’s like a little travel weather report for your body.

What a rest day can look like

Spoiler: it’s not just “lying in bed feeling sorry for yourself.” Though if Netflix in bed is what you need, do it proudly.

First, ask: do I need physical rest, mental rest, or both? Shape your day around that.

• Slow breakfast → gentle stroll → hours of people-watching.
• Lounging by a pool, shady park bench, or your hotel balcony.
• Tiny adventures that still feel special: a local café, a short ferry ride, or a museum with lots of seating.
• Light entertainment: a show, live music, or comedy night.
• Sidewalk café life: order all the appetisers and pretend you’re a food critic.
• Spa day: hammam, massage, or learning the local language by trying to follow the conversation at a walk-in nail salon.

And if you do venture out, stay within 15 minutes of your hotel. Easy escape routes only!

Some of our favourite rest days

1. Flotation tanks – Juan’s personal miracle. They reduce his pain, boost mobility, and give him total mental rest. For an hour, he doesn’t have to process or navigate — he can just be.
2. Alley cafes and wine bars – bonus points for getting a little lost away from the tourist buzz. Kendra’s Old Man Test™: if you spot a café with a few local men over 70 who look like they’ve been sitting there since the dawn of time, sit down. You’ve found a good one.
3. Siesta-style hotel afternoons – inspired by Spain, but a good idea anywhere in the world. Close the curtains, crawl into bed, nap or read. No one has ever been harmed by a siesta.

Shut down the guilt!

Here’s the pep talk you didn’t know you needed:

• You wouldn’t feel guilty refuelling a car. Your body deserves the same.
• Rest isn’t laziness. It’s smart. It’s strategic. It’s future-you’s love letter to present-you.
• You’re not running a race. The sights will still be there tomorrow, or next year if there's anything you missed that you want to come back to.
• Resting gives you a different way to experience a place. Slower, deeper, often more real.

Or, in the words of Ferris Bueller: 

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

We promise: you’ll connect with a place far better when you’re rested than when you’re locked in a battle with your body.

Rest days aren’t a guilty secret

They’re the backbone of a joyful, sustainable trip. They mean more energy, fewer meltdowns, and better memories.

So plan those pit stops. Write them proudly into your itinerary. Because travel isn’t about endurance — it’s about joy.

And honestly? An afternoon ordering every appetiser on the menu (and few bottles of the local brew) while people watching might just be the highlight of the whole trip.