Happy & Healthy

7 x why it is a good idea to go on vacation spontaneously

I would stay home. Tinker a bit in the house, finally meet up with friends. But suddenly there was an intensely handsome and sexy and divine house in Ibiza and suddenly, it was bigger than me, I had booked five tickets (click here by the way to see how you book the cheapest tickets). And that is a particularly good idea and here’s why.

1. That agenda really gets cleared

Secretly, I had already scheduled a work appointment here and there in my agenda. Oh well, I was free but not away, so if it really couldn’t be helped, I could come by for a bit. And now I’m away and all those appointments need to be rescheduled. And you know? It can really be done at another time.

2. It’s really good for your Instagram

At some point, you’re done with those flat lays of your desk or those photos of your macarons (which you of course don’t eat but only photograph). Rustling waves, sea views, and feet in an infinity pool are an instant upgrade for your Instagram account, your likes, and bet that you’ll gain a hundred followers?

3. You create a memory

If you stay home, in ten years you really won’t remember anything from this week. But if you go on an adventure (preferably to a place you’ve never been), you create a memory. Make a photo book and it’s with you forever.

4. Home becomes more fun

Your bed sleeps so much better after you’ve spent a week in a hotel bed, you’re so happy with your nice washing machine and your own detergents (why is there always that shabby laundry powder from an insignificant brand in rental houses, no matter how luxurious and expensive?) and you enjoy being able to make your own coffee again. Just cooking for yourself and unloading the dishwasher, that always takes a bit of getting used to.

5. Your complexion, your complexion

I know that sitting in the sun makes you old and wrinkly but it still feels the best to feel that warmth on your winter-white skin. Make sure to apply sunscreen, put on a hat in the afternoon sun, and carefully work on your tan. That way, after a week in May, you’re already ready for a bare-legged and short-skirted summer.

6. The world is yours

Booking spontaneous trips gives you the feeling that the world is yours. The longest you can sit on a plane is 24 hours, so in the worst case, you’ll be in Australia by Monday. The idea that that’s possible, that you can just book a table in a restaurant in Stockholm or Paris. Even a Chanel bag can’t compete with that. By the way, a spontaneous trip doesn’t have to be expensive. Renske (you know, her with the cold sore) once decided on a Saturday night to spend the Pentecost weekend with friends at the beach. Nobody had money, so the final destination became a campsite in North Holland. Trendy blankets and the barbecue were set up and it was cozy and divine. They still talk about it. It’s not about luxury, it’s about adventure. And that’s what Instagram followers like.

7. Love impulse

When you experience an adventure together, you produce chemicals that make you like each other even more. That’s why people often fall in love during a big project (I met my love while we were working three kilos lighter during the startup of RTL Boulevard, for example). A spontaneous trip has the same effect. And you’re out of your rut. You’re not watching TV (right?), your phones are on silent, and suddenly you’re talking for hours or sitting next to each other in a state of zen reading a book. And yes, if your travel companions (in my case three attention-seeking girls) allow it, you suddenly have time for some unexpected, steamy romance.

Of course, I will keep a little diary (I really can’t stop working) and fill my Instagram, of course. All for a few new followers.