Travel or Vacation? …and Why It Matters
People often tell me they’re “off to travel for a week,” only to return with a gorgeous tan, perfectly recharged, having never stepped beyond the resort gate or off the cruise ship.
Others insist they “need a vacation” but come home needing a chiropractor, a nap, and a week of catch‑up time after sprinting through six time zones in eight days. (Those who know me recognize this as my personal default mode….)
There’s no right or wrong answer here; we’re simply using the same word for two very different outcomes of leaving home.
Vacation, as I use it, is the intentional pursuit of rest and relaxation. Picture hammocks, spa robes, and letting the sunrise and sunset set the tempo. Travel is its restless cousin—the urge to poke into alleyways, ride the local bus even when Google Maps gives up, and bring back stories that start with “You won’t believe what happened in the market in Afghanistan.” Most trips land somewhere between the two, but knowing your aim before you book shapes every choice that follows.
Why fuss with semantics? Why is Jason being pedantic as usual? Because clarity at the planning stage is the cheapest travel insurance you can buy. Decide whether you crave rest or exploration and you’ll instantly know if you need one hotel with a great pool or three AirBnBs stitched together by a loose ferry schedule. Do you channel your inner Martha Stewart to pack for the spa, or your inner Anthony Bourdain to phone old drinking buddies in distant ports?
On my recent daytrip to Aitutaki (I wrote about it here), the difference came into sharp focus. Treat the island as a vacation stop and you can kick off your flip‑flops, snorkel the bath‑warm lagoon, and return to Rarotonga in time for sunset cocktails. No need to keep prodding your brain for the next adventure. Simply be in the moment.
Approach the same place as travel and the itinerary shifts: pick a different part of the Cook Islands, chat with lagoon fishermen, hop by small fishing boat to an uninhabited motu, barter for a ride to the tiny airstrip, and puzzle out onward flights to quieter Mangaia or Atiu—or maybe skydive out of the plane above them.
Same destination, totally different shape, budget expectations, packing list, and energy curve depending on where you sit on the spectrum. Neither version is nobler; they satisfy two different hungers we all move between.
Before you book, ask two yourself questions:
Do I want to come home recharged or rewired? Be honest with yourself.
Which daily ritual matters most this time: slow coffee on the balcony or scanning the departures board for the next side quest?
What do I want at the end of each day: sipping cocktails without a worry in the world, or diving into an epic night market or nightclub?
Once you answer, the rest of the itinerary writes itself. Your ideal trip might be 80 percent vacation with one spicy day of exploration, or the other way around. Knowing the ratio will help keep you from packing regrets in your suitcase.
Where does your next adventure sit on the vacation‑to‑travel spectrum? Hit reply and let me know; I’m always collecting thoughts, experiences, and stories for future posts.