4 Reasons Why You Should Take a Hiking Vacation

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A Hiking vacation, hut trips, treks: many people swear by them! Not only because they find hiking and nature so fantastic, but also because it’s the perfect way to really unwind. Something that for many people is not always obvious during their vacations. In this blog, you’ll find reasons why you should go on a hiking vacation.

1. You get moving

Doing nothing seems like the ideal way to relax on vacation, but it often doesn’t work. Stress hormones are not immediately out of your body after a busy (working) period so you can still feel pretty restless at the beginning of your vacation. Therefore, go for a nice walk or bike ride. This releases serotonin, which immediately gives you a more relaxed feeling. Our bodies are designed to move and feel good. And let this be the main ingredient of a walking vacation.

2. Get in the here and now

Being in the here and now, isn’t that ultimately how you best unwind? Enjoying everything that is here now, without worrying about the past or the future. But as easy as it sounds, often in practice it is a bit more difficult to really get into the here and now.

It often becomes easier when you become aware of a sense in the here and now. So what are you seeing or what are you feeling right now? Hiking vacations can contribute to this in two ways. On the one hand, mountain hiking is a slow movement. Because of that slowness, you yourself also slow down so you have much more time to look at everything around you. Look at the flowers or the beautiful mountain peaks. On the other hand, your heart rate and breathing goes up because of mountain walking, a great time to practice feeling your body. What sensations do you feel? Where do you feel your body working hard? And how does it feel to feel your heart again at all?

3. Take a moment to reflect on life

Your vacation is also a great time to pause and reflect. How are you really doing? What are your dreams? What are you satisfied with and what would you like to change? Which people are important to you and do you pay enough attention to them? But with many vacations you don’t get around to this or you don’t think about it. With a walking vacation it is different from my experience. My best insights (and even the idea for Chapter You) came about during a walking vacation. Because of the relaxation combined with movement, your head is calmer and new creative ideas arise. Suddenly it can be clear what you really want right now.

4. Perception and mood are closely related.

Observe with attention, look and listen to your surroundings. Marvel. Look at the setting sun, feel the grass of the mountain meadow tickle under your feet and take in the grandeur of the mountains of your hiking vacation. This relaxes you and makes you feel good immediately. Enjoy a drink on the terrace of a mountain hut and look around you. It is these little things that bring the greatest happiness and they stay with you the longest. Consciously save these moments to remember them at home, when things get tough. That way you feel good about the same thing twice. Think for example of walking holidays in Switzerland or the Tour du Mont Blanc.