How type A travellers can actually relax on vacation

The flights are optimised, the itinerary is colour-coded, and every museum, restaurant and monument within a 20-mile radius is squeezed into a schedule that leaves little room for rest. And so, it comes to be that many travellers return home not recharged but depleted—another project checked off, rather than an experience savoured. But what if doing less, not more, was the key to travel that truly restores?

The case for slowing down

Rikant Pittie, co-founder and CEO of EaseMyTrip, believes the first step is persuasion: showing high-achievers that rest is not wasted time, but an amplifier of experience. “Moving at a relaxed rhythm allows the mind and body to recover from stress, lowers blood pressure and improves mood,” he explains. “It creates space to notice details, engage with local culture and connect with communities. That’s when travel transforms into something both authentic and memorable.” For type A personalities, slowing down can feel counterintuitive. Yet Pittie insists that intentional pauses often yield the most vivid memories—watching a sunset from a quiet beach rather than sprinting between landmarks, or lingering in conversation with a café owner instead of rushing to the next meal reservation.

Actor Shreya Pujari echoes this sentiment from her own experiences. “For me, the real magic of travel begins when I stop trying to ‘see it all,’” she says. “In cities like Paris or Prague, instead of rushing through a checklist, I slow down, maybe spending an afternoon in a quiet café or just walking through a neighbourhood without a plan. I’ve realised that intentionality matters: choosing experiences that truly resonate with me rather than ticking boxes.”

Mountaineer and athlete Arjun Vajpai, who summited Mount Everest at just 16, puts it this way: “When I stood on top of Everest at 16, I learned that achievement isn’t about how much you do, but how deeply you live each moment. The same applies to travel. We often rush to collect experiences, but it’s the pauses—the quiet sunrise, the slow walk, the stillness—that stay with us. A true journey should recharge you, not leave you exhausted. Travel, like climbing, is not a race; it’s about finding strength in simplicity.”

Choosing destinations that breathe

Destination choice sets the tone. Pittie advises gravitating toward places where stillness is built into the landscape: quiet towns, pastoral countryside, serene beaches. But even in cities, travellers can create “pockets of calm” by choosing accommodation in quieter neighbourhoods, visiting landmarks during off-peak hours or resisting the urge to see everything. “Restorative travel isn’t about avoiding cities,” he says. “It’s about curating your own rhythm within them.”

Pujari, who also spent a month in New York, has applied this philosophy to her own travels plenty of times. “Staying there for an extended time has given me the freedom to alternate between busy days and complete stillness,” she explains. “That’s when a trip becomes restorative rather than exhausting.”

The trap of over-planning

Perhaps the greatest challenge for type A travellers is relinquishing the urge to schedule every hour. Pittie suggests a middle ground: identify a handful of meaningful experiences as anchors, then leave space around them for spontaneity. “That way,” he says, “you achieve a sense of accomplishment while preserving the mental space to actually enjoy the moment.”

In practice, this might mean blocking a morning for one museum and leaving the afternoon open for wandering, or booking a single memorable meal but skipping the endless chase for the city’s top 10 restaurants.

Vajpai notes that logistics can make or break restfulness: “In the mountains, logistics can be the difference between success and failure. That discipline shapes the way I travel even now. I keep things simple: direct flights when possible, stays that reduce unnecessary movement and an itinerary that leaves space to breathe. On expeditions, you survive by conserving energy and focusing on essentials—it’s the same with holidays. When you strip away the clutter, you don’t just see more of the world, you feel more of yourself in it.”

Pittie agrees, “When the journey feels lighter and less rushed,” he says, “the holiday starts from the moment you set out.”

From FOMO to JOMO

If FOMO—the fear of missing out—drives many ambitious travellers, Pittie urges a shift to JOMO: the joy of missing out. True rest, he argues, begins when travellers stop chasing every detail. “By not seeing everything, you create space for connection, calm and presence,” he says. Choosing fewer activities and embracing unplanned time can turn a trip from exhausting to restorative. “Vacations shouldn’t be treated like checklists,” Pittie says. “Success is not covering every sight—it’s returning refreshed.”

About this, Vajpai draws from his writing as much as his expeditions: “Writing On Top of the World made me realise that every peak, every journey, is less about the destination and more about who you become along the way. It is about finding your Everest—the mountain within. That’s how I approach my travels, too. I don’t chase endless checklists; I chase perspective. Sometimes the most powerful memory isn’t reaching a landmark but sitting still and letting a place change you. Travel, at its best, is a reminder that renewal comes not from doing everything, but from being fully present in the little things.”

So, what does slowing down look like?

Of course, slowing down is easier said than done in a culture that never switches off. Boris Zha, founder and CEO of HappyEasygo, points out that the digital tether often sabotages even the best intentions.“High-achievers carry the same intensity on vacation—checking emails at breakfast, scrolling between sights,” he says. The solution, he argues, lies in intentional boundaries: deciding in advance how much digital access to allow, setting defined “check-in” windows or even using app blockers. “Rest begins when you consciously reclaim your attention rather than surrendering it to the next ping.”

The rise of wellness-focused travel—retreats, slow journeys, digital detox getaways—might seem tailor-made for type A travellers. But Zha warns that it only works if approached as a mindset, not another form of optimisation. “A yoga retreat won’t create rest if you’re racing from session to session,” he says. “True wellness travel is about slowing down expectations, not just activities.”

One of the most accessible—and enjoyable—ways to embrace a slower rhythm, Zha suggests, is through food. “Sharing a long meal with locals, savoring seasonal produce or lingering at a street café forces you into the rhythm of the place,” he says. Meals become anchors, encouraging travellers to slow down and connect emotionally and culturally, not just physically.

Zha recommends softer markers: “Did I feel present? Did I connect with myself or with the destination? Do I return lighter?” Success, he insists, sometimes looks like nothing more than the memory of a meaningful conversation—or the absence of hurry. “It’s not about how many museums you visit,” Zha says. “Even one genuine exchange—like cooking with a local family—can leave a stronger imprint than a packed itinerary.”

The consensus, then, is clear: in a world where achievement rarely pauses, perhaps the greatest accomplishment of all is learning how to.

 

Lead image: Netflix

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